João Turin Prize launches new designers into the Fashion World

28 Jan, 2014

By Kamila Fernandes
Translated by Jessica Whitfield

The João Turin Prize for New Designers, which launches fashion designers into the national and international fashion industry, celebrated its tenth anniversary last December in Curitiba. The prize, created and coordinated by the journalist Nereide Michel and the creative producer and director Paulo Martins , aims to promote Parana’s culture as a source of inspiration for designers of fashion and accessories. It has been launching bright new talent since 2003.

One of the initiative’s success stories is the fashion designer Eliziane Dalcomune , who won the prize in 2006 when she was studying Fashion styling at Senac, in Curitiba, Parana. Eliziane says that her interest in fashion grew from watching her mother sew at home.

“ For her it was therapeutic, she always made clothes for me and my sister, when we were about 12…She would always spend the afternoon on her sewing machine. It runs in the family.! ”

When Eliziane won the contest, the theme was “ Muleteers on the Fashion Route ” a reference to the great muleteers responsible for the development of Parana state. She developed two looks, a commercial one and a conceptual one. In total her designing process took six months with lots of research and reading behind it.

Look de Eliziane Dalcomune, vencedora do Prêmio João Turin de Incentivo aos Novos Designers de Moda de 2006, tema “Tropeiros na Rota da Moda”. Photo by Ricardo Pacak.

“ I was inspired by the mules and the great ‘hand’ they contributed to the economic development of our country. At the time, it was the only animal that was able to support the heavy loads that were transported for days on end ”, says Eliziane.

After winning the prize, she first completed an Italian course at the Italian Cultural Centre and then flew to Italy to study fashion at the Domus Academy in Milan.

“ It was the first time I had travelled outside of the country. I loved Italy! The food, the culture, the people! ” she says.

For Eliziane, winning the prize made her believe in herself and gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams. Today, she lives in London. She first came to the city to learn English, but now she is doing a Fashion and Textiles course at the University of West London .

“ Today I feel like London is my home from home! Despite the cold and grey sky, I can’t see myself living in any other city! ” She tells us.

These days, Eliziane is focusing on her course and keeping an open mind in order to learn as much as possible. Eliziane says that opportunities to work the fashion industry in London are infinite, and that being in the right place at the right time is key.

“ London is a marvellous cultural mix! I know people from all over world simply because I’m in one of the biggest cities in the world ”.

Curitiba Creative World

For its tenth anniversary, the latest edition of the Joao Turin Prize used the theme “ Fine Couture, the Sound Track of Parana’s Fashion ”.

Look de Carlos Vinicius de Almeida, vencedor do Prêmio João Turin de Incentivo aos Novos Designers de Moda de 2013, tema “Costura Afinada, A Trilha Sonora da Moda Paranaense”. Photo by Tatiana Stalker Sousa

The winner, amongst 13 finalists, was Carlos Vinicius de Almeida , from the Federal Technology University of Parana. He was inspired by the composer and researcher of Parana’s folklore, Inami Custódio Pinto. The looks made reference to the s ymbol of Parana, the Blue Rook, which is also one of Inami’s most famous songs. It also makes reference to the fandango, with clogs and musical instruments like the fiddle and tambourine.

The event was also the official launch of the project Curitiba Creative World- Fashion, Art and Design. This initiative was also created and coordinated by Paulo Martins and Nereide Michel and its aim is to promote dialogue between the fashion art and design world, through exhibitions, installations and theatrical runway shows.

It also proposes to maximize the exchange between creative professionals from Parana with their colleagues from other parts of Brazil and abroad. This in turn will transform Parana’s capital into a center for presenting original work and exchanging knowledge. The first Curitiba Creative World event is being planned for April 2014.