Oskar Metsavaht: Osklen, Bodies and Materials

Osklen, Bodies and Materials

ÉPOPLI · 2026-10-12

Portrait of Oskar Metsavaht.Martin Lazarev · CC BY 2.0. Web-sized copy; source framing retained. · Source · Rights

Fish leather as a design material

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history can begin with a pair of 2013 shoes held by NGV. Pirarucu fish leather, rubber and cotton create an object whose surface differs from conventional cowhide. Nature enters through material rather than an applied forest image.

The question is how provenance connects with design. A shoe bends and meets the ground repeatedly, so a new surface must work with its sole, seams and interior. The environmental conversation becomes part of a usable object.

[1]

A doctor’s coat for the mountains

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history follows a designer born in Caxias do Sul in 1961. Trained in medicine, he worked as a sports physician and enjoyed mountain activities. Making a coat for an Andean expedition in the 1980s led toward activewear and the 1989 launch of Osklen.

Protection from cold preceded the label’s beach and urban wardrobe. His direct interviews connect medicine and design through observing people and responding to their needs, while resisting the idea that Brazilian clothing must mean heat and swimwear alone.

[2][3][4]

A vest that becomes a backpack

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history includes the 2010 Tropic of Capricorn collection and its vest-backpack hybrid. Metsavaht explicitly credited the idea to his design team. The object brought clothing and accessories into one structure.

Repositioning fabric and support changes how an object is read and used. A vest emphasizes the torso’s outline; a backpack emphasizes carrying. The hybrid carries the label’s outdoor origins into an urban wardrobe without relying on a decorative reference to adventure.

[3]

Summer forms in winter felt

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history also includes wool-felt bikinis and bodysuits from that collection. Felt can support a shape rather than merely follow the body. High collars and geometric shoulders contrasted fitted areas with projecting volume.

These pieces tested expectations about season and material. A swimwear form made with winter fabric changes spatially as well as visually. The experiment remained connected to protection, even while moving away from a purely functional swimming garment.

[3]

Ashaninka and the terms of collaboration

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history includes Ashaninka for spring/summer 2016, shown in New York in 2015. The 28 looks included tied skirts, low oversized pockets and draped fabric, combining silk, linen, leather and rubber in a restrained palette with red.

Project documentation describes royalties for the Apiwtxa Ashaninka community and support for participation in climate conferences. Those terms matter alongside the silhouettes: cultural reference also involves relationships, contributors and the distribution of benefit.

[5][6]

The research behind a material

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history connects with e-fabrics and Instituto-E, linking research institutions, producers and fashion businesses. A new material can change part of a familiar product while retaining its daily function. The production process links the experiment to a repeatable object.

A project’s environmental objectives are not identical to proof of an entire product’s impact. Metsavaht has himself discussed developing technologies and their limits. Reading a specific material choice together with its production route gives a more precise account than a blanket environmental label.

[3][4][6]

Continuing between ocean and city

Oskar Metsavaht Osklen history continues through both products and public engagement. UNESCO documented his participation in 2025 ocean and climate events, while the official site checked in October 2026 presents Spring Summer Rio 26/27.

The expedition coat, transforming vest, felt garments, fish-leather shoes and Ashaninka collection reveal a recurring set of questions: how to protect a body, source a material and work with another community. Function and provenance become part of contemporary Brazilian design.

[7][8][9]

Timeline

1961 — Born in Caxias do Sul.
1989 — Launches Osklen.
2010 — Tropic of Capricorn collection.
2013 — Pirarucu-leather shoes.
2015 — Presents Ashaninka for spring/summer2016.
2025 — Engagement around UN ocean conference.