COFFEE WITH
VERENA FIGUEIREDO: “I WANT TO MAKE FASHION MORE DOWN-TO-EARTH.”
Name: Verena Figueiredo
Profession: Content creator
Nationality: Brazilian
Instagram: @verenafigueiredo
On March 11th, CHANEL presented their Fall-Winter 2025/26 Ready-to-Wear collection designed by the Creation Studio at the Grand Palais in Paris. Among the guests in attendance was Brazilian designer and content creator, Verena Figueiredo. We sat down with her to discuss her journey, from her beginnings in Brazil’s smallest state, Sergipe, to making a mark on the São Paulo fashion scene with her authenticity, the many dimensions of latinness, and her relationship with the French label.
LATINNESS: I heard your first contact with CHANEL came through a DM after one of your videos. Did you ever imagine all of this happening? Do you believe in luck?
VERENA: It was a very impressive, truly amazing time for me because I was just starting to make videos about fashion, connecting it to sociological issues, cultural perspectives, and a bit of critique—exploring fashion as a form of cultural expression, but with a strong focus on fashion itself. The first brand that approached me was Chanel.
I received a DM, and when I saw it, I was like, Is this real? Is this a joke? How do I even reply? I didn’t know what to do with it because I was so nervous and excited. It was something that came completely out of the blue and happened so soon for me.
From the very beginning, as I was shaping my personal perspective and developing my content format, Chanel believed in me. They saw the potential for us to grow together, to build a partnership, and to create the connection we have today. And, it was the brand I wanted to work with the most.
So it’s something I can’t believe even today. I’m physically here—pinch me, pinch me! It still feels like a dream, you know?
LATINNESS: We live in an era of algorithms, where many people try to be someone they’re not. Yet, despite all the incredible things happening to you, you remain authentic—sharing real, unfiltered opinions about fashion and breaking taboos. And brands love you for it. What do you hope to achieve with your platform?
VERENA: Fashion may seem like something different from the outside, but for me, it feels like constantly doing math. I am a designer. I studied fashion design in college and worked as a fashion designer for 10 years, so my connection to fashion goes beyond the visual—I know how to create garments from start to finish. It’s something deeply connected with my life.
At the same time, I think fashion has many different layers. There’s the visual aspect, the semiotics of the look, the materials, there is the moulage—so many layers. This is what I find most incredible about Chanel and fashion in general.
When we talk about authenticity in today’s fast-paced content creation landscape, I think there’s constant pressure to buy more, to go with the flow without really thinking: What do I actually want? What fits my lifestyle? For example, if you walk a lot, there’s no real need to wear high heels. You might admire them and think they’re cool, but maybe they’re not for you because you prefer to walk fast.
It’s important to reflect on your own needs and embrace what truly works for you. Personally, I love to walk. I find high heels awesome, but they’re not for me. And that’s okay. I can wear them once or twice, but my vibe is more about sneakers, flats or ballet shoes.
Fashion should be about looking at yourself—at your lifestyle, your ambitions. When I reflect on my own ambitions, I realize I want to make fashion more down-to-earth. That’s why I try to create videos and critiques in a way that my mother could understand, or that a 13-year-old who dreams of studying fashion ten years from now would understand.
I try to approach fashion in a very relatable and comprehensible way, rather than in a way that makes me seem superior.
My goal is to bring people closer to fashion in a meaningful way—providing information, not just aesthetics. It’s about blending all these layers we’ve discussed: talking about moulage, fabrics, and presenting it with a 2.0 velocity.
LATINNESS: Your humor and originality shine through your content. What in your everyday life catches your eye? What inspires you?
VERENA: I was thinking about this yesterday—what does it mean to be cool? Everybody says, Oh, this is cool, that is cool. But I thought, what is cool, really is when you see someone who is completely in their own wave, with their own vibe. I try to look at myself that way—to embrace my own wave.
For example, I really like arrocha and forró, very traditional Brazilian rhythms. At the same time, I love rock and roll—bands like The Strokes, Motörhead, even heavy metal. I try to take all these different influences, find my own flow, and just go with it—embracing it instead of thinking, Oh, I can’t say I like arrocha because it’s not cool.
I think it’s something you just have to embrace.
LATINNESS: Be yourself! I also love reggaeton, and go to all the concerts…
VERENA: We don’t have another option I think. What is cool is I was with the other girls from Latin America, and each one of us had a completely different style, yet we were all wearing the same brand, the same collection. I think that’s what’s so awesome about Chanel—you can take the aesthetic and make it your own. Even with tweed, you can see a rock-and-roll tweed, you can see a more colorful tweed.
LATINNESS: Did any of the CHANEL Ready-to-Wear Fall-Winter 2025/26 looks resonate with your personal style? Which was your favorite?
VERENA: All of them! For me, I think it was my favorite collection from the last few years. I’m a huge fan of black and white with pops of color, and the whole collection was mostly black and white with a bit of color. I think the brand was a bit “sassier”—a little more “osado” than the previous ones. I found the shoes with the balls and the logo really interesting, as well as the different uses of materials. The dresses and pants that looked like denim jeans but were actually silk were especially intriguing.
LATINNESS: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start as a content creator and find their voice in 2025?
VERENA: I think there are a lot of people making content today, so it’s kind of hard to stand out. On the other hand, in the past, we didn’t have the internet as a platform. For example, if we wanted to create content about fashion, we had to go to a journal, newspaper, or TV, which was more distant from us.
At the same time, there’s now this bigger competition for attention. In the past, we’d turn on the TV and have five options for journals on the TV, and that was it. Now, you go on TikTok or Instagram, and there are thousands of people talking about fashion.
I think in my case, what worked was a little bit of everything we talked about before. I looked at who I was, what my history was, and thought, ” I have ten years of experience as a fashion designer. Maybe I can try to use that.” I started as a content creator at 30; I’m 34 now, and use it because it is what I have. You have to start—even if you’re shy. Try making videos without posting them, just to learn how to edit, understand how you feel, how the light is, so you get more comfortable with it.
You have to experiment, too. Think about what you like. Look at content creators whose work resonates with you. Maybe you like this girl because she talks fast, or this one because her editing is very interactive, or another one because her content is really deep. If you take a little bit of everything that you like, you can create your own formula. The key is to put yourself in the middle of that and create something unique, connected to the contemporary mood content.
In my case, that’s what worked. At first, I wasn’t thinking about all this, but as I kept going, I learned and changed along the path. You’ll start to take steps,
LATINNESS: What do you love most about your Latin culture?
VERENA: Oh, it’s hard for me to say because I was born in the Northeast, then moved to São Paulo, and later lived in Rio. My parents are from different states, so I’ve experienced different cultural environments throughout my life. But I think Brazilians are very happy and open people. We enjoy most situations, much like the “joie de vivre” in France—”alegria de viver” in Portuguese.
I believe all Latin American countries have very rich cultures. Even though Brazil has a sad historical background of oppression, we’ve transformed that into a source of cultural richness. Music, aesthetics, and craftsmanship have all been shaped by the many different cultures that have contributed to our country.
For example, Brazil has the second-largest Japanese community outside of Japan, and we also have a large Italian population, alongside many immigrants from Egypt and other countries. This huge mix has created very unique and authentic cultural expressions.
Images courtesy of CHANEL and Tauana Sofia.
