Pedro Napolinário (1997, Rio de Janeiro) is a photographer and artist based in São Paulo, Brazil. His work has a sensitive approach on blackness and presents new ways of communicating blackness in fashion photography and seeks to push new standards on how diverse the black figure can be presented. In 2020 had his images discovered by a small group of fashion editors and since then has been collaborating with the most sought-after magazines and clients in Brazil and the world.
His first time in touch with the fashion industry was in September of 2020 and, since then, his work has been featured on Dazed, i-D, Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Vanity Fair, Forbes, among others. Among his clients are Nike, Adidas, Lacoste, Johnnie Walker, Havaianas, Netflix, and Farm.
Napolinário’s punch line in his creative process is to create images that portray the ordinary in a fantastic way. He has a sensitive approach to fashion imagery, seeking to portray different subjects coming from different social layers with the same beauty and passion. His major creative references come from visual arts, especially magic realism. He sees fashion as a tool but not the final point of his creations. His work has his childhood surroundings as a creative base, as he’s always opting to present new faces and visual devices from the slums of Rio de Janeiro such as street casting and props from the daily life of this geographic space.
