Poland

On October 18th, UMA by Raquel Davidowicz celebrated the opening of a new store. Once located on Bleeker Street, the family-owned brand has relocated to 13 Crosby Street which calls for more room to showcase the contemporary, classic womenswear manufactured in Sao Paulo.

The function, a classy mixer, gave guests and press a chance to rome through the store and go through the clothing racks as Sao Paulo native and DJ, Beco Branoff, provided music. Although hors-d’oeuvres were provided by SoHo’s The Smile, Davidowicz was sure to include flavors from Brazil, paying homage to the place her parents were born. Traditional Brazilian cocktails called caipirinha were served while sweet desserts, known as Brazil’s national truffle, called brigadeiro sat on their own pedestal near the entrance waiting for guests to indulge

Amongst the crowd, enjoying the food and cocktails was Emma Ferrer, Elle Dee, and Alexia Bontempo, as well as Lolita Cros and Lily Mortimer who both wore a white, zip-up jumpsuit from UMA’s current collection.

“I make clothes for women of all ages, mostly for women who are involved in art and women who like to work,” Davidowics explains as she points to the wrap sweater she’s wearing. “This collection was all about the refugees all over the world,” she continues, “the fashion show was in Sao Paulo’s Museum of Immigration, it’s the place immigrants were received in Brazil during the 30’s and 40’s.”

Davidowicz is from Poland, but uses fashion to pay tribute to refugees, like her grandparents who migrated to Brazil, by creating clothes with simple colors, black, white, blues, and earth tones; that are easy to travel in and can be worn in many different ways. At first each piece looks laid back, however, they can be dressed up or down easily.

Although there is only one UMA located in New York, consumers can head to the UMA website where the current and future collections can be shipped internationally. Be sure to check out the new location and shop the latest.