Clarissa Acario, like the other designers on Feedelon, has a very interested background. From her latin accent to her ethical approach, everything is refreshing and inspires you.
We had the opportunity to have a long discussion to interview her, the founder of WYLDE Paris.
Who is behind the Brand WYLDE?
We are a duo, Clarissa Acario & Marylène Magnaud…
I am Clarissa, a Brazilian fashion designer. I created WYLDE 5 years ago in France, as I was looking for a sustainable way of creating/ wearing fashion. I’m really concerned about sustainabilityandrecycled process. I wanted to prove that the fashion industry could be different. In the beginning I proposed only up cycling uniques pièces. In 2016 Marylène joined me, together we developed a collection 100% recycled fibers and 100% made in France
WYLDE is a women wardrobe inspired by men wardrobe. And our Values is the same of the brand, the respect of humain and environment.
Please tell us more about you. What is your Background?
I was born and raised in Brazil. I have always had a very strong contact with nature thanks to my parents. That allowed us to grow by planting our trees in the garden and valuing all our resources.
I left Brazil in 2008 for a whim, for the dream of studying fashion in France. The country of know-how.
And this feeling of throwing myself into the unknown, into new adventures has always pleased me. After choosing fashion on a whim and having left Brazil to come to France, I also left my life as an employee for entrepreneurship.
I think that I am an adventuress and I like this feeling of trying and follow my moments and dreams, even if I do not know what to expect…
What is the meaning of “WYLDE” as the brand name?
WYLDE stands for Word. Youth. Love. Dust. Echoes.
Can you tell us a bit more about the name and how those words are reflective of your brand?
Those words are echoes of the spirit of the brand: whatever your age, you can be young when you take care. Love is the basis of respect for planet and humans. Dust because all of us return to dust. “Echoes”, is the idea of a circular way of life, a circular way of production for fabrics.
When did you get the idea to create WYLDE?
In 2013 I wasn’t happy any more in my job as a stylist for a high-end ready-to-wear brand. Creatively and humanly this company did not fit me anymore. By looking in other firms, I realized that conventional fashion no longer suited me and it is from here that I looked for ideas that could correspond to both my values and my inspirations; And the desire to create.
WYLDE was an evidence for me, I know how to sew and I knew where to get my supply of qualitative materials at a lower cost. The upcycling is very normal in Brazil and that has sounded to me as the good way to follow: To propose a unique cloakroom and respectful of the man and the environment.
How did you create the Brand?
At the beginning I was accompanied by a kind of incubator that allowed me to study all different areas of business (management, accounting, web, communication). Later I was in a cooperative that helped me to well understand how a social and solidarity oriented company works..
And in 2017, when the project had a solid foundation, we created a company.
You’ve been working on the rebranding lately (new website/social media…). What is the identity OR new identity of WYLDE?
We believe it’s a good thing to question ourselves and evolve. The work we have done on our brand image was indeed an introspection to reveal why we created W Y L D E and what we want to transmit, to pass… As we realized that we wanted to break down barriers to raise awareness, we prepared a brand new E-Store with a new « user experience » . We are also planning to organize events in Paris to meet our clients and propose a new way to try and buy fashion! People need to consume differently especially fashion, so we propose a way to discover fashion, and feel aware of its ecological impact, in a poetical and aesthetically attractive way.
How would you position WYLDE?
WYLDE is an ethical and high-end brand. Our collections are inspired by the men’s wardrobe to create a feminine or mixed wardrobe.
Our clothes are made to create an interaction, to appeal to a reflection, to a personal awakening.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from everyone around me, movements like the slowlife, and also artists.
Last October I travelled to London and discovered different artists making collages at Tate Modern and loved it. It was obvious for me to work with collages as it fits my way of designing clothes. I was particularly attracted with the poetry and freedom in Jiří Kolář’s work. Also, his color range was particularly harmonious with the winter season.
Otherwise, as I mentioned previously, my inspiration comes from people surrounding me, artists or architects. I’m passionate with and even a specific lifestyle-trend can inspire me (such as the coming Spring-Summer 18 collection inspired by Slowlife!)
Where do you source your fabrics and where do you make your products?
For unique pieces, the fabrics come from vintage clothes I choose in second hand stores. I clean them and usually rebuild the pieces entirely.
We collect parts of our material in Rouen (North-West of France), from a huge warehouse which collects vintage second hand clothing. We choose the best quality pieces, with resistant materials and trendy colors and fabrics. With those materials, we produce our capsule collections with unique, handmade pieces.
For our main collections, we source new fabrics from international trade shows that present the best French weavers and the most innovative techniques for up-cycled fabrics. Our main partners are located in the south of France where the yarn is produced from up-cycled cotton, and our weavers create brand new denim and poplin fabrics with it. This is the best environmental solution to create new clothing with no ecological impact. The process of creation of the fabrics is difficult as we don’t have a large offer of material. But it challenges our creativity; our pieces have audacious cuts, original shapes on basic materials like soft uni-color poplin and raw denim!
Its yarn is made of recycled cotton fibers, thanks to a very special manufacturing facility, located in the South of France too. Both of those manufacturing facilities have a special certificate and labels. They have 100% Eco-friendly production processes.
WYLDE is an ethical and sustainable brand. Have you always been cautious about what you wear and where it comes from?
Yes we are engaged and that came very naturally for WYLDE as in my personal life. As a Child and a teenager in Brazil, we had less access to fast fashion, so we used to buy very little but good quality. And for the evening dresses, I was fortunate to have two grandmothers who were seamstress. Arriving in France, I discovered H & M and Zara and other large retailers. It attracted me because I did not have a lot of income when I arrived. I liked the style so I started to consume fast fashion and I do not want to hide. But by consuming those products I started to question about the production chain of the pieces that I created in my previous job.I also started to learn more about some companies, and I started to realize very quickly that I could not support this system anymore. SoI stopped fast fashion and today I dress either in vintage or pieces from the creation.
What were your biggest challenges as Creative Director?
Create with basic and raw materials such as denim and poplin, but it turns out one to be a real pleasure and creative exercise. Today I adore and I do not consider that as a constraint.
Also, I would add finding partners who believed in WYLDE and who could work with us was also a real challenge.
Apart from “WYLDE”, are there any brands you would recommend worth checking?
For accessories, I would say Nasongo. For the style, Atelier Bartavelle or Side Projet. Beautiful emerging brands and engaged too.