Fashion Journalist Leona Liu (ASTONISH Paris) interviews rising Brazilian designer Juliana Moriya.

ASTONISH Magazine recently had the pleasure of chatting with rising Brazilian designer Juliana Moriya over champagne at Le Fumoir bar/restaurant off Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Juliana, 27, showed her first womenswear collection this past June in the 29th Casa dos Criadores as a prize for winning It MTV/Elle’s Fashion Fabric reality TV competition (Brazil’s twist on America’s Project Runway). The prestigious three-day fashion event, which takes place bi-annually in São Paulo, serves as a launchpad for fresh local talent. Juliana’s namesake label, which comprises of solely womenswear at the moment, is defined by its sleek lines, muted color palette, and understated elegance and femininity (think Chloé or Jil Sander).

I met Juliana this past July during an intensive course for fashion design and styling at the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Milan. Juliana had received a scholarship from the school as part of her grand prize package for winning It MTV/Elle’s Fashion Fabric competition (along with a one-day workshop at the L’Oréal Academy in Paris and a four-page editorial spread in Elle Brazil’s January 2011 issue). Since the program’s close, this young designer has been traveling through Europe on a quest to find inspiration for her upcoming collection.

ASTONISH: Tell me about your experience on It MTV/Elle’s Fashion Fabric reality show. Was it surreal winning the competition ?

JULIANA: Yes! Our final challenge was to design a cocktail dress for the top model Carol Ribeiro, who presented the show. I made her an asymmetrical violet satin frock that she absolutely adored. I hadn’t even expected to be chosen as one of the final six contestants on the show in the first place since there were at least a thousand who applied. So it was definitely surreal winning the competition. It was really a dream come true to show my collection at the Casa dos Criadores, which is an important fashion event in Brazil that qualifies new designers that are starting in fashion field.