Creating successful synergies and fostering effective teamwork can be a major challenge. However, for Nicole Brande, a senior in the Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design at Universidad ORT Uruguay, and Valentina Bocchi, a graduate of the same program and co-founder of the clothing brand Sálvora, this happened naturally and effortlessly.
Brande worked with Sálvora on the Integrative Project course—in the Recreación 21— in which students work with a real client. The result exceeded expectations, and the Bocchi brand decided to develop a capsule collection with the student, based on her academic project.
Nicole Brande: The Beginning of a Journey
Brande is a senior in ORT’s Bachelor of Fashion Design program, and as part of her Capstone Project course, she collaborated with Sálvora, a Uruguayan brand built around the concept of “casual sophistication.”
“Even before starting this course, I had compiled a list of brands I identified with and believed would pose a challenge for me. Sálvora was at the top of that list,” says Brande. The brand’s aesthetic, its communication, its color palette, and the materials it uses were the reasons that made Sálvora my first choice.
After the brand applied to participate in Recreación 21, a collaborative process began that far exceeded Brande’s expectations: “An exchange of ideas and concepts with Valentina Bocchi (co-founder of Sálvora) quickly enabled me to develop the project,” he explains.
“Weaving was the skill I most enjoyed learning during my studies. I’m still amazed by the endless possibilities that a thread offers when it’s woven together,” says Brande about the technique she chose for Ciclo - Sálvora x Nicole, her academic project for the Capstone Course.
The synergy between the student and the brand was so strong that they decided to collaborate on the Sálvora x Nicole capsule collection, which incorporated the garments from the academic project. “We started by creating an initial stock of the most basic or commercial garments I proposed as part of Ciclo,” says Brande.
These garments were uploaded to the website and are currently available at the Sálvora store. The response was immediate: “From the day of the launch, we could see how well customers were receiving the items. This encouraged us to offer other designs that were also part of the project through a pre-sale,” explains the ORT student. So far, there are five design options available in a variety of colors, which Brande describes as soft, gentle, and cozy.
“Weaving was the subject I enjoyed learning the most during my studies. I’m still amazed by the endless possibilities that a single thread offers when it’s woven together,” says Brande.
“This is a great opportunity, and I’m grateful to Valentina, the entire Sálvora team, ORT, and my suppliers, who do an incredible job,” says Brande. For her, this is just the beginning of a journey. “I like to think that this is the first capsule collection I’ve launched, but not the last,” she concludes.
Valentina Bocchi: The Importance of Recognizing Emerging Talent
Bocchi holds a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from ORT and is the co-founder of Sálvora, a Uruguayan clothing brand launched in 2018 that aims to create garments that become “that little gem in your wardrobe that stays with you for years,” according to the graduate.
Over the past 14 months, Sálvora has experienced a boom. When the pandemic hit Uruguay, the e-commerce channel had recently been optimized, which led to significant growth. As a result, the brand rethought its production model: “We began to shift production to Uruguay and went from having 20% of our production in Uruguay before the pandemic to 70%,” explains Bocchi.
“While I feel I graduated with an incredible foundation, in Nicole I found a level of academic and professional excellence that I truly admire. As a graduate, that makes me feel satisfied and happy,” Bocchi confesses.
In this context, and amid the challenges posed by Sálvora’s growth, Bocchi received a message on social media from Nicole Brande—a student in the same program from which she had graduated and a customer of the brand—inviting her to apply to join Recreación 21. “As a graduate, I didn’t hesitate. I know what it’s like to be a student, to want to work for a brand, to look for opportunities, and to take the plunge,” she explains.
That’s how they began working on Brande’s project for the Integrative Project course: a line of hand-knitted, artisanal pieces for the 2021 winter collection, inspired by the lunar cycle. For Sálvora’s co-founder, the process was incredibly rewarding, and they were able to focus on the importance of craftsmanship from start to finish.
From the very beginning, Bocchi’s goal was for Brande to enjoy the experience: “I believe that the Integrative Project is a course designed to be enjoyable. It marks the end of a phase and offers an opportunity to demonstrate the professional maturity gained throughout the program,” he says.
Once Brande had presented her academic project, the Sálvora team invited her to develop her designs as a capsule collection. “We selected eight styles and stayed true to all the concepts Nicole had proposed,” says Bocchi. The Sálvora x Nicole collection was so well received that the plan is to continue with a permanent collection.
For the ORT graduate, the experience of working with Brande on her project was enriching and surprising. “She is a thoroughly prepared student with extensive knowledge in various fields. Plus, she quickly adapted to the Sálvora spirit,” she says.
As a graduate of ORT’s Fashion Design program, Bocchi acknowledges that the program has made significant strides in quality. “While I feel I graduated with an incredible foundation, at Nicole I found an academic and professional standard that I truly appreciate. As a graduate, that makes me feel satisfied and happy,” she concludes.