The Tissora haute couture atelier, founded and directed by Florencia Sica and María Emilia Rodríguez—graduates of the Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design from Universidad ORT Uruguaywon First Prize for Best Murga Costumes at the 2014 Carnival for the costumes designed for the Momolandia troupe. The award was presented by the Municipality of Montevideo.
“Whether it’s for Carnival or any of our other projects, it’s always the two of us who design and oversee everything related to the art direction of each project,” said Rodríguez and Sica. “In certain cases—such as Carnival—the production is outsourced, and we are responsible for supervising the workshops.”
In the case of Momolandia 2014, the designers collaborated with Luis Halter, who was in charge of the costumes for the first part of the show; Tissora handled the finale: “It was something out of the ordinary, since in all these years of carnival we’ve designed all the costumes for every show,” the designers said.
Designing costumes for murga groups is nothing new for Rodríguez and Sica. They got their start in 2007 by making costumes for a Murga Joven group in which a group of friends were competing. “We were in school at the time and thought it would be fun; we were both already drawn to the artistic side of things—in fact, we’d always been regular carnival-goers.”
In 2009, thanks to the costumes they made for Murga Joven, they were invited to participate in the main Carnival.
Regarding their work methodology, they explained that once the proposal has been finalized—which involves meetings with the troupe’s director or the costume committee to discuss the script, characterizations, and budget—the design process begins in mid-October. “We have to consider not only the theme, but also the troupe’s identity and style. Generally, we only have a month to complete the project: we work hard and stay focused.”
The number of costumes, characters, and props varies depending on the show and the group; it could be the same design for everyone or as many different designs as there are members, they explained.
In the case of Momolandia, the same design was used for everyone, with the only variations being the color and, of course, the director’s costume, which always stands out. For the members, the team worked on “a voluminous, colorful, dynamic, and explosive costume.” They sought to create “an explosion of color and energy, as the show needed it: the central theme was ‘Acostumbrados’ and it came with static costumes, based on recycled materials, with a muted color palette (designed by Luis Halter); the idea was to break away from that and create a drastic change in texture, color, and movement—a true ‘visual shock’.”
The award they received for the costumes in *Momolandia* is the second one they’ve won in the Best Murga Costumes category: in 2013, they were recognized for the costumes they created for *La Trasnochada*. “This makes us proud and reassures us that we’re on the right track. Beyond the award itself, what we appreciate most is that people who don’t even know us single out the groups’ costumes.”
Rodríguez and Sica said they love Carnival, and they love working on it even more. “Although it’s a seasonal project that lasts only a few months a year, it’s an opportunity to let our imaginations run wild and express our design creativity freely. Without a doubt, it fulfills us as designers.”