Assisted by Frederico and Joana Lopes
Margarida Pimenta • Fabiana Nuno
Tania Rute Dias • Catarina Veiga • Leonor Castelo Branco • Susana Gonçalves
Styling and fashion by Pedro Trocades
Production Michele Silva
During his childhood in Rio de Janeiro and later the Azores, Pedro discovered his interest in dance through pop culture, taking up ballet and hip-hop dancing as a favourite pastime into his twenties. He didn’t know at the time that this enthusiasm would guide him to a greater passion: the fashion industry.
My first interest in fashion came from my obsession with pop music and pop culture. I have a younger brother and sister, and when we were kids and teens, we used to recreate music videos from pop singers and the pop music of that time. I think my passion for fashion started there. I would first dance, trying to emulate Britney or Madonna, then I would draw their outfits, and I would also try to make my school outfits as cool as my idols.
– Pedro Trocades, fashion designer
For ZOOT’s photoshoot, Pedro used his dance experience to style the dancers and traveled back in time to draw inspiration for the photos. With pieces from his SS23 collection CONVEXO, the designer explored the looks in a more ethereal and dramatic way by playing on the works of French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas, famous for his paintings of ballerinas.
The ballerinas are led by Margarida Calais, the head of Dance ETC, which is a registered Royal Academy of Dance school in Lisbon. With an impressive resume that includes studying at the American Ballet Theater and serving as the National Director of the Royal Academy of Dance in Portugal, Margarida has been teaching ballet to children, teens and adults since 1983. The ETC ballerinas featured in the editorial are dancing at intermediate and advanced levels, having been en pointe for 3 or more years—some with dreams of joining a ballet company someday.
Portuguese photographer Diogo dos Santos captured the ballerinas in their artistic habitat. Having always been interested in art and visual representation, Diogo is a self-taught photographer who is studying cinema, and this influence can be seen in the group photos reminiscent of stills from a dance film. Through his lens, the ballerinas create moody, expressive images with their graceful yet powerful movements.
Styling the ballet dancers was almost like a trip to the past for me, as it reminded me of my days as a dancer, but now in a different role, more confident and without fear to show who I am. Being back in a dance studio brought back many good feelings and that was very meaningful and special.
– Pedro Trocades
•••
Chiara Mendes in black tulle
make-up by Susana Carvalho
CONVEXO is a universe that is about two years old and was inspired by my days as a dancer. It began during my internship at Storytailors Atelier. Some of the cuts of the 12 coordinates presented allude to the lines and muscular rotations of one of the main techniques of classical ballet: the en dehors.
– Pedro Trocades
Rita Aguiar reflecting in the mirror
make-up by Mariana Vilhena
Pink is a very meaningful color to me. I often use black, white, and pink in my artwork. It’s not that my work will always be in pink, but for now and in upcoming projects, pink is a very intentional choice of color, since in different shades, it represents different causes or manifestos.
– Pedro Trocades
Mariana Serra in pink satin
make-up by Margarida Pimenta
The colors and materials used in this project also interact with each other. The pink tulle and satin and the black tulle and vinyl were chosen as the main inspiration for the color palette was a painting by Edgar Degas, “The Rehearsal.” As an impressionist painting, the main goal of this movement was to represent the effects of light on the space/landscape. In CONVEXO, the goal is the same: the light reflecting through the pink tulle mesh, showing the skin underneath is different from the light over the pink satin, making it fade to a paler color as the model moves.
– Pedro Trocades
Madalena Anes at the barre
make-up by Leonor Castelo Branco
I decided not to use vinyl for this styling because the models were mostly teenage ballerinas, and I wanted to explore a more ethereal and candid vibe. I mixed my garments with their [leotards], pointe shoes, tutus, and added the detail of black ribbons as necklaces, similar to the collection—and the Edgar Degas ballerina paintings were also an inspiration for this styling.
– Pedro Trocades
Barbara Serra in black and pink
make-up by Susana Gonçalves
My experience as a dancer greatly influenced the styling. I decided not to use the vinyl pieces [of my SS23 collection CONVEXO] for this specific editorial. To bring the black contrast, similar to CONVEXO, I did something I used to do when I was a dancer. I took some black tights and cut them to make the rehearsal boleros, as I used to do when I was a dancer. Additionally, I provided each of the ballerinas with suggestions on how they should move or pose with the garments they were wearing.
– Pedro Trocades
Clara Querido in a black tutu
make-up by Tania Rute Dias
Mia Aragão in pink tulle
make-up by Fabiana Nuno
More than just a color and its superficial meaning, pink is a very dense and deep color, carrying many layers of meaning. Pink can be sweet and innocent, it can be edgy and erotic, it can be happiness and peace, it can be rage, sadness and riot. In ANIMUS AW23, my next collection, I explore a new shade of pink with a new meaning, very personal, but with a cultural twist, drawing attention to an important topic: mental health.
– Pedro Trocades
Maria Valente in attitude derrière
make-up by Bel Evelin
[The CONVEXO collection] celebrates and honors dance, movement, kinesthesia, its beauty, and all the freedom of expression that this art allows. It’s also a manifesto, trying to make people see that all types of dance are art, whether you are a ballerina on stage or a voguer in the ballroom scene.
– Pedro Trocades, fashion designer
The main goal of Trocades is to be a brand that provides not just garments, but armors that allow people to express themselves uniquely through what they wear. It doesn’t matter if the person’s intention is to fit in or stand out, follow trends or resist them, Trocades is for everyone.
– Pedro Trocades
Benedita Feliz warming up
make-up by Catarina Veiga
As a designer, I see fashion as a form of self-expression and individuality, and customized, made-to-measure garments are important to me because they break the chain of fast fashion and allow people to feel special and unique.
– Pedro Trocades
Margarida Hugobaldo en pointe
make-up by Micael Cardoso
One of my hobbies was dancing, and I practiced ballet and hip hop until my early twenties. I believe that this performative aspect has had a big influence on my career as a designer.
– Pedro Trocades
Trocades is a brand that combines fashion with manifesto and singularity. The brand believes that you think, then you are, then you act, and then you interact. Everything begins with the uniqueness of each individual, which comes from our way of thinking (which should be free). Everything becomes real through our actions and choices, and what we wear is a choice. For Trocades, each piece and the combinations made between them tell a story and have a meaning that is constantly evolving.
– Pedro Trocades
