FW 25/26
DEVOLTA AO MAR
"Devolta ao Mar" is a continuation of Gabriel Silva Barros’ previous collection, “Masquerade At The Gentlemen’s Club”. While SS25 captured the opulent, eccentric energy of a night spent crossdressing at a cabaret, this collection unfolds in the quiet, reflective hours of the morning after. The fishermen who expressed their fluid identities, wrapped in silks, feathers, and velvets, now confront the cold light of dawn and the harsh sea.
What remains of the previous night antics? As they return to their routine, feelings linger, and questions arise; ‘Was it real? Who am I now?’ Their return to sea is a journey not just of duty but of reflection, as they reconcile with the memories between reality and fantasy.
The collection is a deliberate tension between two worlds, the fishermen's tamed self and the eccentricity of the masquerade. Their uniforms made of flannel, knitwear, and weathered textiles gain an unexpected twist.
Sustainability is at the heart of this collection. Gabriel Silva Barros repurposes second hand garments, deconstructing them into new textiles and designs. This process mirrors the patched uniforms of fishermen as well as, symbolizing their pieced together memories and experiences. Each garment becomes a narrative, weaving fragments of the past and present.
Materials play a crucial role in expressing this duality. Silks and soft fabrics, carried over from the cabaret, represent sensuality and vulnerability, while flannels and knits ground the collection in the textures of fishermen’s uniforms.
A darker palette of navy, slate grey, and muted earth tones evokes the emotional weight of the morning after. In contrast the shades of deep blue, vibrant reds, and touches of yellows, reminisce the cabaret’s freedom. These clash of colours reflect the fishermen’s internal conflict.
The silhouettes in “Devolta ao Mar” draw from tradition but are challenged by the surreal. Fishermen’s uniforms are reimagined with fluid draping, asymmetry, and unexpected details that button the boundaries of functionality and fantasy. Knits hang heavily, evoking the weight of memory, while deconstructed flannel prints twist through the collection, visualizing the tension between tradition and new.
Texture also plays a pivotal role in the storytelling. The textured materials echo the ocean’s salted embrace, while the cinched waists and delicate details recall the intimacy of the masquerade. Gabriel Silva Barros hopes this collection provokes a sense of touch and memory, encouraging reflection on identity and transformation. This is a story of returning to the sea, not as the same person, but as someone reshaped by the journey.
At its core, "Devolta ao Mar" is about finding strength in vulnerability. The fishermen’s return to the sea is not just a physical act but a journey inward. This is a collection about duality, harsh and softness, light and darkness, tradition and rebellion. It is about finding beauty in the tension between opposing forces and allowing those forces to coexist within us. It is an expression of the fluid self, like the sea itself.
