Dear Shaded Viewers,
I introduce you to Saint Sintra, a new brand that I’ve just discovered that reminds me of NYC in the 80’s.
DP: Can you tell me a little about yourself?:
SS: I am originally from Los Angeles, I was born and raised in Venice Beach. I studied theater, dance, and classical opera in high school. In high school, I worked in the costume shop, and when I was younger, I assisted with costumes at the Morgan Wixson community theater. I was in a production of 42nd Street as a dime girl, and was hypnotized by the sequins, I think.
I moved to New York in 2014, where I attended Eugene Lang for media studies. My freshman and sophomore year of college, worked as a club kid, and made myself new outfits to go out every weekend, all the while interning, and eventually freelancing in fashion. My junior and senior year of college, I interned at Thom Browne, and worked in the Parsons fashion archive, which is full of deaccessioned items from the Costume Institute.
I recently designed a dress for Slayyyter’s album cover, and have a few more exciting projects coming out this year.
DP: Who is behind the brand?
SS: I am the designer and creative director, and made all the clothes in my Brooklyn studio. The embroideries were executed by an expert team in India.
I work alongside a team of my friends, mentors and collaborators including Angelo de Santo, Alexander Picon, Nicholas Needham, Dana Akashi, Leslie Williams, Sean Bennett, Serichai Traipoom, and Carla Maldonado, who shared their insight and incredible talents to bring this collection to life. I also styled some pieces from my friend Gemma Hunt’s beautiful jewelry line with this lookbook.
DP: Do you know Cookie Mueller, well, she is dead now but there is definitely a Cookie vibe here, was the 80’s NYC an inspiration?
SS: One of my favorite artists is Greer Lankton, an incredible sculptor who passed before her time. I’m not as familiar with Cookie Mueller, though I love John Waters, and Kenneth Anger. Rabbit’s Moon was the film that inspired me to look at the circus for this collection.
My dad is often visited New York in the 80’s for work, so I grew up listening to stories about Laurie Anderson playing violin on the street until her frozen roller skates thawed, and all night apartment parties. I spent my weekends in high school hanging out with my friends at the Aero Theater, someone worked at the ticket booth and would let us in for free. I was emerged in film and pop culture from an early age, and love to spend my down time watching movies. I’m a big fan the nouvelle vague, Zazie dans le Metro, Blow Up.
I love cartoons and illustration, specifically Art Deco and Nouveau, and contemporary. Ralph Bakshi is my currently my favorite illustrator. I love to look at fine art for inspiration as well, Lee Bul, David Hammons, Frank Stella, Jordan Wolfson, and Rebecca Horn, to name a few.
I pull ideas in from everywhere, usually from memory.
I will look more into Cookie, she is fabulous.
DP: Where do you want to go with this? Red carpet? Entertainers?
SS: I’d love this work to be as accessible as possible, I love special occasions, both public and private. One of the models in this lookbook, Anna, is an artist, and we spoke about a few of the pieces possibly being featured in their upcoming thesis film. I love to see people in my clothes, for any reason. The more mundane, the more sublime. I’d love for someone to sit for a portrait in one of my pieces someday.
My hope is that the work inspires people to find any excuse to dress a little bit fancier. Dressing well is one of the greatest luxuries of life, it’s a form of alchemy.
This collection is a mix of ready to wear and made to measure. While the majority of the collection is available for pre-order, several of the pieces are exclusively available as made-to-measure offerings, due to the intricacy of the design.
I love to do couture and custom pieces, as well. My hope is to be able to balance a few private clients, and a ready to wear line. I’m also looking forward to releasing a larger collection for SS22 in September.
Thank you Sintra.
