Working with pánu di téra is her own way of, “rescuing this craftsmanship that is almost being lost.” She continues, “one of the things that I value most in fashion is being able to work with the recovery of these techniques. I find it exciting.”

Initially, this fabric was used as a commercial currency exchange during colonization, but it was then banned by Portugal in the twentieth century, and only through the independence process, was it recovered. The pánu di téra, in this way, became a symbol of resistance for Cape Verdean culture, so much so that artists and intellectuals appropriated it to represent the pride of their roots.

Her Identidade (Identity) collection, launched as a fashion film in 2020, was the first time she introduced the fabric to her brand. “The reason I didn't use pánu di téra from the beginning is the cost. Each pánu di téra is made up of six cotton strips, and each strip takes around a day to be made. So, it takes the artisan almost a week to make the cloth. That's why it's such an expensive fabric. A skirt, for example, takes three whole fabrics, and as a result, it becomes more expensive,” explains the designer.

The fabric, for centuries, has been made in black and white, but Brito gave it a new meaning by developing it only in white — to further highlight the texture that is created by the weaving process. Her objective for the future is to be able to invest more in innovative research into this technique and in improving the artisans.

Born in Cape Verde, Brito lived in Portugal for a while before moving permanently to Brazil. She followed her passion and decided to go into the fashion industry, dedicating herself to the craft with great purpose. Today, she has established her label as a synonym for sophistication in the Brazilian fashion market.

“My brand has a lot of my place of origin, but it also has a lot of my present place. I set out to touch people, so I create clear messages. My origins are within me, but it is clear that living in a foreign country, where even though the majority of the population is Black, it’s still very challenging,” reflects Brito.

Thus, her pieces reflect a cosmopolitan identity, which mixes traditional aspects of her country with contemporary elements. The maturity of her design demonstrates that she has found a balance between these characteristics as her clothes are well-crafted, developed with tailoring techniques that recall her fond memories of Cape Verde.

Since she began presenting her collections through fashion shows, she has built a solid trajectory in the Brazilian fashion industry and her fashion shows are always among the most anticipated by the fashion media. In common, her collections speak both to the feeling of being a foreign woman representing memories of her country, and also her tastes and experiences.

In Romaria (Pilgrimage), her most recent collection, for example, Brito used similarities between Cape Verde and Brazil. “Romaria was designed based on the traditional festivals of Cape Verdean saints, but I also researched about Brazil, which has religious festivals. Brazil is one of the largest Catholic countries in the world, and has pilgrimage celebrations in all regions,” she says. She also collaborated with Afro Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre, who illustrated four pieces and a panel for the fashion show.

The record of memory is present throughout Brito's work, and the diary of her daily life in Brazil or her experiences in Cape Verde gives light to very unique mythologies. For her, the timeline within her brand is not like that of others. “As it is circular, it is always dialoguing and returning to themes, connecting. It’s as if it were a big and single collection, but it’s divided into years and seasons, so it ends up mixing all my issues.”

In this way, her reality also represents the reality of the contemporary world, where identities become increasingly multiple. “Speaking at a geographical level, for you to contribute to a country's fashion, you don't have to be talking about cliché things, you have to be provoking discussions, you have to be changing structures and narratives, and I already do that,” she says.