In Each Piece, A Character

It was by the hands of Daniela Soares Coelho that Pirikito was born, in 2014. With a degree in Fashion Design Architecture, and with experience as a costume designer in cinema and television, in Portugal, it was when she returned to Maputo, after spending 10 years away, that Daniela decided to venture into the creation of the brand: “In Maputo, it became simpler to reconcile these two worlds. Pirikito was at the time a flight towards the design space, where my training started, through which fabrics, patterns and shapes also embody characters, but in the form of handbags.”

“Since we have to walk with a covered smile, the mask should be a piece that we think is beautiful and that reflects part of who we are.“

In this perspective, each handbag made by Pirikito “wears its capulana and reflects this psychological profile”, which is to say that each customer who seeks to buy a handbag meets the character that best suits them. The name came from a joke. “Several people have already told me that I look like a bird, so, when choosing the name  for the brand, the idea of being the name of a bird came up.” Jokes aside, the work developed by Pirikito is serious, especially in the context in which we live, which led the brand to invest in the production of masks. “Masks are becoming part of our outfit. Our self-esteem also stems from there, from what we wear daily. (…) So I thought that, since we have to walk with a covered smile, the mask should be a piece that we think is beautiful and that reflects part of who we are.” And beauty is definitely a trait of those masks, as well as functionality. These pieces are made of cotton, a fabric with a closed weave, but which allows the wearer to continue to breathe well. When customers heard about the production of these pieces by the brand, and driven by fear, they rushed in early to guarantee theirs, which caused sales to skyrocket. Today, and after the initial scare, sales have stabilized and it is more the desire to have masks of different colours and patterns that guarantees that Pirikito continues to sell these pieces.

Text: Magda Arvelos

Photo: Mauro Pinto