Life & Soul Magazine crosses paths with Brazilian fashion designer, Iva Mou, an up-and-coming talent whose fashion illustrations are steeped in beauty, eclecticism and elegance.

Tell us about yourself 
Hi, I’m Ivanete Stahlberg. I was born in São Luis, an island off the coast of north-east Brazil. I now reside in Germany where I work as a freelance fashion designer.

When did the fashion bug start?
When I was eight years old I used to draw dolls on paper and design dresses for them, this was the beginning of my interest in fashion.

What was your first break in fashion?
When I finished school I started to work in a small fabric store, that was my first experience as a fashion designer. The client would buy the fabric, I would design the clothes and the seamstress would make then.

Sometimes I would help choose the fabric with the client or I would create the design first and then help the client to choose the fabric afterwards.

Where did you do your training?
After a year of working in the fabric store, I moved to Florianopolis in Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil.

I started my degree in fashion design in the University do Estado de Santa Catarina where I studied for two years. I then went to Germany to study fashion, where I have lived since 2002.

Who or what inspires you?
I have always admired the work of Balenciaga, the Spanish fashion designer that died in the 1970s, as well as great names such as Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld.

It would be a great honour to work for Karl Lagerfeld.

What are your plans for the future?
One of my plans for the future is to create my own label.

Where can people see your work?
There are videos of me drawing fashion sketches on YouTube.

I decided to create these videos of me in action as a way to inspire others but at the same time, I want to showcase my work too.

You can also see my fashion illustrations on Pinterest.

Thanks to Rosangela Pereira for translation

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She is a writer who specialises in sustainable lifestyle and living, wellbeing, and entertainments. Rosa also works as a psychic, counsellor, intuitive reader and spiritual life coach helping people to become who they truly are and manifest their heart & soul’s desires into their lives: www.rosalindmedea.com