Stylist talks about career, inspirations and more
‘Every person builds their own visual narrative. Tugly for me is to point it out critically.’
tulio melles — stylist, fashion consultant, costume designer and creator
Flamus had a super interesting chat with Túlio Melles, a renowned stylist who has worked with world brands such as Disney Brasil, Marvel and Avon.
Check out the full and exclusive FLAMUS interview:
What is your area of expertise and how did you choose your profession?
I work autonomously on different fronts within fashion: as a costume designer for audiovisual, an image consultant aimed at the male audience and also as a stylist, developing products, as was the case with Flamus. My entry into the area happened organically. I was in the second year of industrial design when I started attending some classes at the fashion college and I was delighted. There was already an interest since childhood, much influenced by an older cousin trained in the area.
What are the biggest challenges and inspirations in your area?
One of the biggest challenges is to translate how political fashion is — how much it works as a language and vehicle of communication. Clothing builds presence, shapes perception and carries cultural codes. Fashion is always a reflection (or rupture) of a social context. My biggest inspiration comes from the streets: the way symbols move between catwalks, everyday life and, today, also through social networks. It is in this flow that clothes gain real meaning.
Does fashion have gender? What pieces can’t be missed in a wardrobe?
If the concept of gender itself is a social construction, it makes no sense to limit clothes to it. Clothing has no gender, has a fit, proportion and context. A piece works when it values the body, without distorting proportions in an unwanted way, and when it respects the occasion. We live in society and clothes are read before speech. A simple example: a cropped can work perfectly in certain contexts, but it would not be appropriate in a business meeting.
For you, what never goes out of style and what is already outdated?
Feeling good, confident and elegant never goes out of style. A good white shirt, slightly oversized, is a timeless piece — but the practice of consulting has taught me that each case is unique. Fashion is democratic. What I consider outdated is to judge the other by style choices. Each person builds their own visual narrative. Cafona for me is to point out critically.
You were the stylist who designed the Flamus pieces. How was the study to choose parts, prints and applications? What inspirations?
Before starting the creation, I had a meeting with the marketing and branding teams to understand the brand’s pillars: colors, positioning and language. As they are the first products, there was a need to balance fashion information with an institutional character. Therefore, we opt for versatile pieces, easy to insert into everyday life. In the prints, I used the brand’s own color gradient as a base, combined with graphic references from the Bauhaus.
In addition to being a stylist, you are also among the creators at Flamus. What do you want to convey from a message to your fans?
I want to communicate the importance of fashion in the construction of a coherent personal image and how to understand one’s own style is part of a broader process of self-knowledge.
Finally, being flaming for you is…
Have a message to convey beyond the image, extrapolate the scopes of the social network.
Check out some of the pieces created by the stylist:
Creator Links
Did you enjoy the interview with Túlio Melles? You can check and interact with him on his Flamus profile.
