A clothing technician—who graduated from Universidad ORT Uruguay 2007—Matilde Pacheco took intensive design courses at Central Saint Martins in London. She became interested in design when, during an art class, she heard about the Bauhaus. “I knew right away that I wanted to pursue that. I was struck by the concept of combining art with craftsmanship to create functional yet aesthetically appealing objects. I glimpsed the possibility of bridging my scientific-artistic vocational dichotomy and felt confident: I’ve been connected to textiles since I was very young, especially to knitting, an art form my mother introduced me to at a very early age.”
She worked for two years at Ana Livni, a Uruguayan designer brand. Since late 2011, she has been working as a freelancer: she has a “mini-workshop” set up in her home with machinery for printing and knitting.
Lady Olympia
The inspiration struck when, during a visit to the British Museum last year, she came across “countless figurines depicting goddesses, queens, and heroines of antiquity.”
The shapes and colors she used in Lady Olympia were inspired by the figurines themselves, which she eventually complemented with other shades to “harmonize the collection.”
“I wanted to convey the spirit that I imagined these deities embody,” he said. “My intention was to design a collection that would convey this spirit to the wearer.”
Lady Olympia made an appearance in early March at the Lúmina fashion show, where Pacheco was named the winner. She is currently producing several exclusive pieces to launch a limited edition of the collection.
The designer explained that she entered the Lúmina contest because she wanted “the resources to create a dream collection and a platform to showcase it professionally and to a wide audience.”
“Winning was just the icing on the cake: because the real reward was having created the best collection I could,” she said. “I was very pleased with the design outcome, and that’s what gave me the most satisfaction.”