“Since I changed my name from that dead one to the name Sioduhi, I have a different life, a different feeling, a different attitude. It seems that I have become stronger and more authentic,” Sioduhi tells us. The fashion designer is referring to the fact that for a long time, Brazil’s indigenous people were forced to stop using their original names on official documentation. However, recent flexibility in bureaucracy has allowed them to assume their entire identity on paper once again. “I have started to see a greater meaning in my life. I feel that I carry this legacy of art, this melody, this sensitivity for sounds.”

This profound shift has only helped to fuel his work in redefining what fashion production means in the Amazon. Originally from the Alto do Rio Negro, in the northwest of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, Sioduhi is descended from the Pira-tapuya people, which in Portuguese means ‘fish people’. He explains that the Indigenous name, which was previously used only among family and community, also carries the history of his heritage. “In the Alto do Rio Negro, the first time a child bathes in the port, they are smoked with a natural incense. Depending on the order of birth, each child receives a heart where the spirit is placed, in my case, Sioduhi’s.”

For the natives of this region, the river represents life; where the spirit emerged during the creation of the world. “The god who created the world took our spirit from the water, from the river. So when he passes his hand through the water, he feels a pulsating life inside, and from that the Pira-tapuya are born.”

All this speaks to his eponymous brand, which turns five years old in 2025. His journey has allowed him to reflect on the challenges of talking about sustainability while also thinking about the authorial aspects of fashion that represents his home. Ahead of his time, he has constantly positioned himself as a curious designer, open to trying new things while also investigating ancient creative techniques. “Indigenous futurism is the past, the present and the future all at once, it's in a place where these memories are brought to the current moment, following the spirit of the times,” he explains.

This visionary approach means his creations have increasingly utlilised the alta artesania (high craftsmanship) of loom-spun cloths and crafts of his territory — in addition to natural dyeing processes, experimenting with rubberised fabrics from the Amazon and developing new textile manipulations. “Using the term alta artesania is something very recent for me. High craftsmanship is in this place of ancient practices, of thinking about everything from handling to final creation, of fair prices so that people can eat well and have quality of life. It enters this place of sensitivity that we will not pay a low price for a piece that is handmade.”

These methodologies reflect the need to resignify the symbolic value of local materials such as tucum fibre through sophisticated designs. To do this, Sioduhi takes inspiration from the oral stories of his gods passed down to him since childhood. The resulting pieces can be worn in multiple ways and are named after the techniques applied in their conception, such as Ponto Puçá —a traditional stitch made in fishing nets. Thus, bags, belts, dresses and much more become the basis for expressing a contemporary take on traditional knowledge systems and beliefs.

“These are beings that in our language called Wihõ Mahsã, who had superpowers in the past and were responsible for the creation of the world. Our gods never bowed their heads to anyone. So my pieces have a place of self-esteem. It is a way for me to recover this spirit of grandeur, of stepping into this place that is ours.”

By consistently improving his aesthetics, achieving financial growth and investing in research and experimentation in his creative process, his business has gradually matured. “I have learnt that I need to think of Sioduhi Studio a company. So beyond the issue of the values of the brand, I have to keep my feet on the ground.” Now Sioduhi is proudly mixing originality and purpose to redefine what fashion made in Brazil means. As he speaks at the Summit Fashion System in Rio this week, and celebrates the anniversary of his brand, he promises new innovative products, including some made from 3D printing with biodegradable materials. This truly is futuristic design from the Amazon.