Felipe Oliveira Baptista, like some of the newer names on the haute couture schedule always garnered questions as to whether the clothes were in fact couture. Of course, the techniques are all there but it's Baptista's sensibility as a designer that tells us that creating ready to wear would probably allow him more freedom. So his latest collection enabled him to mix it up a little. The feathers, the supreme fabrications and the marbled prints are all still there along with tasselled leather pieces and lace-up leggings that when combined create what Baptista calls "bourgeouis punk." We spoke to Baptista to find out more about his new mix-up.  

Dazed Digital: What was the starting point for this collection having shown at haute couture and now showing ready to wear?
Felipe Oliveira Baptista: When I started the collection we knew we were going to doing ready to wear and with couture, each season, we would always worked around a concept and each show was a story.  
I thought it would be kind of fun to be imagine a collection of a mixture of different stories, different dressing identities to create a more quirky, energetic punchbowl of ideas.

DD: There were definitely more streetstyle references in this collection.
Felipe Oliveira Bapitsta: Yes and even with the punk references we used feathers in the hair (like a mohawk). So there's some bourgeois going on but it's a boring kind of bourgeouis
She's a street woman with a bit of Strictly Ballroom thrown in.

DD: You've used feathers in previous collections - is that an ongoing fascination?
Felipe Oliveira Baptista: It's animals in general. Previously I've done collections on dinosaurs. I love looking at books on nature. For me it creates a very good focus.

DD: And if you could sum up your collection in a word...?
Felipe Oliveira Baptista: Can I say two? Bourgeouis punk!

Photography by Angela Di Paolo