How the "CARNAVAL" Collection Came To Life

February changed everything.

After my first real Carnival in Brazil, I couldn’t unsee it. The color. The movement. The way Rio shifts when the sun goes down and the city turned into a never ending music video in the favelas.

When we started working on the CARNAVAL collection, I knew the entire line would be inspired by Rio. But this first drop? It had to be Carnaval itself. I wanted the feeling.

Translating a City Into Fabric

When I sat down with my design partner, I didn’t bring references from Pinterest. I brought emotion. I explained how Carnival feels when you’re in it, when the music doesn’t stop, and bodies moved without apology and how the air feels warm even at night.

Rio in February isn’t pastel. It’s saturated. The colors are vibrant and they pop.

Yellow like afternoon sun hitting concrete. Orange like heat radiating off melanated skin. Blue like the horizon just before night falls. Green that nods to Brazil without becoming costume.

The goal wasn’t to replicate Carnival I wanted to see if I could distill it and turn it into something wearable and elevated.

Which lead me to-

The Brazilian Flag Speedo

I knew one thing immediately:

There had to be a Brazilian flag speedo.

Not because it would sell. But because it means something and my design partner agreed.

If you’ve traveled in queer spaces long enough, you know Brazil during Carnival is almost a badge of honor. It’s one of the biggest destinations in the world for gay travelers. It’s on the bucket list.

The Brazilian flag in that context isn’t just national symbolism it now becomes the mark of visibility. A reminder of what freedom felt like. It’s “I made it.”

So yes — we designed it.

But then the conversation shifted.

The Ethical Pause

I remember thinking: how do we justify this?

How do we create a piece that literally uses the Brazilian flag — profit from that symbolism — and not give anything back to the country that inspired it?

Carnival wasn’t built by luxury brands. It was built in Black neighborhoods. It was built by samba schools. It was built by working-class communities rehearsing all year.

And today, Rio’s LGBTQ+ population is still navigating real political and social challenges.

So if SLTBURN is going to celebrate Brazil publicly, we should contribute privately.

That was non-negotiable.

We decided that part of the proceeds from the Brazilian flag speedo would be reinvested into a Brazilian fund that supports the LGBTQ+ population of Rio.

Not as marketing but as principle.

Designing With Intention

The "CARNAVAL" collection was meant to be loud. It’s colorful and unapologetic.

But behind it was restraint, discussions, a lot of rediting and of course questioning.

Every color choice was intentional. Every reference was considered.

I didn't want to make something “tropical.”

It was about honoring a place that changed my trajectory — creatively and personally.

Rio inspired this collection and Carnival gave it rhythm.

But the people gave it meaning.

And that’s what makes it different. Thank you for everyone that supported and shopped the Pre-Sale Carnaval Collection