Iris Santos
Inspired by You, Created for You. We exist for your joy.
We create joy by making a garment and bag that bring a smile of happiness into your face, and fulfill your needs. With a focus on high quality and elevated design, we hope to make permanence of what matters most: Your satisfaction.
You’re why we do what we do.
We find inspiration in each of you.
Since day one, our creations are inspired by our clients. Every single one of you is a muse, that tells her story and we translate it into a garment. Inspired by your look, how you see the world, what colors you like and much more, we want to serve our clients a garment enhanced with a story and art. Art is represented by the use of the cultural mozambican printed fabric “The Capulana” that our brand embraced.
To give our clients a unique garment, we design and create our house own Capulana fabric and each model is a limited piece.
We believe materials matter and design defines. That’s why you’ll find high quality fabrics made in Italy throughout our product line —Handmade with love in Portugal, with european high standard quality. Created by a woman, manufactured by women, for real women.
We’ve gone from a basement to our own Atelier in Maputo – yet the roots remain the same. We pride ourselves on being an authentic small company that stays true to its principals, and we think that matters.
Today, we continue to listen to the whispers that point us on our path and to listen to the community we’ve found in you. We spend our days coming up with new product designs and making sure our customer experience remains one worth having. We work – every single day – to create a better company: one that empowers the creative in everyone, one that remains true to its values, one that never forgets where it came from or what it first believed.
And we believe the best lessons come from the listening. Our creations should be a solution for your problems, that’s why we love to get you feedback. And we truly would be excited to get to know you as a person. What you like, and what are you needs.
And we believe we are only as great as the people behind us. Thank you for supporting our company and the choices we think matter. You are the movers and shakers that inspire us daily.
Our joy is to get back a picture of you smiling. Can I count on you, to send us one? We will love to see you.
If you have a little bit of time and you want to get to know me better read down my biography.
IRIS SANTOS, A PORTUGUESE DESIGNER LIVING SINCE 2011 IN MOZAMBIQUE, WAS BORN IN LISBON ON 13 JANUARY 1986.
AT THE AGE OF 6 SHE MOVED TO BERLIN, GERMANY, WHERE SHE LIVED UNTIL 1998. IN THAT YEAR SHE MOVED TO BRAZIL. THERE SHE PLUNGED INTO A NEW CULTURE WHICH GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO DEVELOPING HER CREATIVITY. THERE AND THEN HER PASSION FOR TROPICAL COLOURS WAS BORN. ELEVEN YEARS LATER THIS PASSION WOULD BE REVIVED WHEN SHE WAS OFFERED HER FIRST “CAPULANA” FROM MOZAMBIQUE.
IN 2000 SHE WENT BACK TO BERLIN WHERE IN 2005 SHE STARTED STUDYING AT HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITÄT. SHE MAJORED IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY AND NORTH AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY.
IN 2011 SHE MOVED TO MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE, TO WRITE HER DISSERTATION THESIS ON THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. IT WAS THEN THAT SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH “CAPULANA” DUE TO ITS WARM AND INTENSE COLOURS, AND UNIQUE GEOMETRICAL FORMS. THE “CAPULANA” HAS UNDOUBTEDLY INSPIRED HER AESTHETIC LANGUAGE.
IN 2012 SHE STARTED HER OWN LABEL, IRIS SANTOS DESIGN. IN THAT SAME YEAR IRIS PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST MAVHOKO EXHIBITION IN MAPUTO AND DESIGNED HANDBAGS FOR A MOZAMBICAN COMPANY. SHE ALSO WORKED IN THE PRODUCTION OF A TV PROGRAMME “TXOPELA MOCAMBIQUE” WHICH ALLOWED HER TO BECOME EVEN BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH MOZAMBICAN CULTURE. STILL IN 2012, BLENDING SEVERAL CULTURES WITH HER OWN SIGNATURE, SHE PRESENTED HER FIRST CLOTHING LINE, CALLED AZURA, IN BOTH GERMANY AND MOZAMBIQUE. LATER ON, SHE SHOWED NEWS FORMS OF “CAPULANA” ON SEVERAL TV SHOWS. ON THAT SAME YEAR SHE DESIGNED THE GRADUATION GOWNS OF THE FIRST GRADUATES OF ISARC UNIVERSITY. THESE WERE THE FIRST GOWNS EVER TO HAVE “CAPULANA” APPLIQUÉS SEWN ONTO THEM.
IN 2013 SHE PRESENTED THE BILARA LINE, IN HOTEL POLANA, AND SHE PARTICIPATED IN “FASHION BUSINESS MOZAMBIQUE”.
IN 2014 SHE DRESSED THE SUPPORTING TEAM TO THE IMF HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE “AFRICA RAISING” AND SHE PARTICIPATED IN “FASHION AWARD MOZAMBIQUE”. FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOTEL SPA-POLANA HER COMPANY, IRIS SANTOS DESIGN, WAS ASKED TO DRESS THE STAFF. STILL IN THAT YEAR SHE LAUNCHED HER FIRST LEATHER BAG LINE WITH “CAPULANA” APPLIQUÉS. IN 2016 IRIS SANTOS LAUNCHED HER FIRST OWN DESIGNED “CAPULANA”. FROM THIS UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT SHE LAUNCHED A NEW BESPOKE COLLECTION.
IN 2019 IRIS DESIGNED AN INNOVATIVE COLLECTION FOR THE MOST LUXURIOUS RESTAURANT IN MAPUTO, EL PATRON.
HER WORK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN SEVERAL MAGAZINES AND TV SHOWS. AMONG HER CLIENTS ARE FAMOUS SINGERS, POLITICIANS AND MOVIE ACTORS.
THE CAPULANA
The Capulana is a type of a sarong worn primarily in Mozambique but also in other areas of south-eastern Africa. It is a colorful fabric with geometrical-, flower printings and especially in Mozambique, with indian- mandala printings. It can be used in multiple ways, as a wrap-around skirt or upper body, dress or can become a baby carrier on the back or even to cover a newborn baby as shown in this picture.
Photo credit by Jalan Sahba
