Following a formative year of recognition, hube caught up with Peruvian fashion designer Fernanda Castro Rios. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in Knitwear at the Institut Français de la Mode, Castro’s practice has found a second home both on stage and in print. She reflects on the search for self-discovery through craft, the importance of community amidst fashion’s relentless pace, and the quiet power of intuition. Castro takes us behind the scenes and backstage, into the contemplative space of the studio where ideas, intentions, and ambitions take shape. Rooted in openness and curiosity, Castro reminds us of the importance of trusting ourselves, one another, and the creative process.
h: You are currently pursuing a master’s degree in Knitwear at the Institut Français de la Mode. As a practice, knitwear is both highly technical and deeply rooted in cultural and anthropological histories. At a time when much of contemporary fashion is shaped by industrial production and synthetic materials, what role do craft and handmaking play in your practice? How can knitwear designers foster a deeper connection with materials and the processes behind them?
FCR: Knitwear involves not only the construction of a garment, but of the fabric itself. I feel increasingly aware of how things are made. Craft prioritises intention. It slows you down and forces you to understand how materials behave. As a knitwear designer, you have to consider the whole process from start to finish, including the leftovers. This can be used to your advantage, depending on what you want to achieve with each piece. I believe material consciousness is practiced by being ‘hands on’: touching yarns, testing techniques, pushing materials in the ‘wrong’ way just to see what happens.
h: Research is an integral component of the fashion design process. Where do you source your inspirations and influences? Your work consistently subverts our expectations of form and texture: see-through shorts, pleated leather, tulle polka dots, stripes as visual disruption. How do you synthesise your research into material expression?
FCR: My research process is quite intuitive. Growing up outside of major fashion cities, I was used to seeing fashion from a distance, through photos, films, and the internet. That became part of how I work.
I am drawn to things that feel slightly off; when the proportions are strange or materials do not behave as expected. When I design, I try to translate this into the garment by creating contrasts: soft versus structured, transparent versus opaque, playful but uncomfortable. Knitwear allows me to weave those ideas directly into the fabric.
