Luis Santos, a Franco-Portuguese designer born in Portugal.
Captivated by the world of art and design as a form of identity and both universal and individual expression, he developed an early passion for fashion and architecture, which coexisted and are intertwined.
His interest in creative processes, his sensitivity to striking and disruptive volumes, materials, the serenity of strict and decontructed lines, and the emotions they evoke became his driving force.
“I have never separated clothing from space, nor space from the silhouettes moving within it. I love the idea of perfect harmony and coexistence between the two, as if they were a single element.”
Over time, his interest in garments, cuts, and silhouettes imbued with style—rather than fashion itself—became a reality.
“Clothing can tell stories, transform, and empower an individual through personal, playful, and innovative design.”
In 1992, Santos moved to Porto to begin his studies in fashion design. He later decided to relocate to Paris in 1995, to pursue his studies in fashion design at Atelier Chardon Savard and ESMOD International.
His first steps in the industry were at Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix.
However, it was Santos’s encounter with couturier Dominique Sirop, longtime right-hand man to Hubert de Givenchy, that marked a turning point. Sirop hired him as his first assistant, and they worked closely together.
Santos later joined Paco Rabanne, but it was at KENZO that he experienced what he considers his most comprehensive professional journey.
In 2011, the French cosmetics brand Clarins invited Santos to design uniforms for their hostesses, sales teams, and SPA staff.
This led to further collaborations in the same field with Hermès, Montblanc, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Derma Center (L’Oréal Group).
“Designing uniforms is still about creating clothing, but in a different way than fashion. The constraints are not the same, yet the brand DNA remains the most important factor.”
Since 2019, he has been the creative director for the New York-based brand FURI and TFP by FURI, where he introduces a design philosophy that plays with contrasts in gender, volume, and technique.
Aware of change and the ecological transition in fashion and luxury, Santos felt the creation of his own brand in 2024 was an obvious next step.
His approach is based on more responsible sourcing, moving away from the traditional seasonal collection model.
In collaboration with Nona Source, a platform dedicated to surplus textiles from LVMH fashion houses, he sources most of his materials.
As a starting point, Luis decided to develop limited-edition unisex capsule collections, entirely Made in Portugal.
“I don’t want to limit myself with masculine and feminine codes that are becoming increasingly blurred. On the contrary, I want to break them.”
“One size fits all” was also a deliberate choice—each piece is designed to adapt to all body types.
“The Luis Santos brand is a coordinated or thoughtful mix of ideas, tastes, and obsessions that have followed me for a long time. It has to be cool, but not too much; chic, but not stiff—definitely sophisticated.”
