Graduation can be a significant moment in a person's life, but it can also become embarrassing and uncomfortable for black people with kinky or curly hair or braids when wearing the capelo. The traditional black hat, common in graduation attire, does not accommodate various types of hair.
Ana Carolina dos Santos, 30, was unable to wear it on the day of her biochemistry degree ceremony in 2015. "It was a very happy day for me, but I didn't feel complete," she says.
Nearly ten years later, after overcoming her frustration, Santos relived that moment, but this time the capelo fit perfectly over her voluminous, unbraided hair. She was part of the #RespeitaMeuCapelo campaign by Vult with the Dendezeiro brand. Four models of the item were designed for different hair types.
"When we understand the symbolic weight of the capelo, that it doesn't work for us, it says that we don't belong in that place," says Igor Hermes, art director of GUT, the agency that developed the project.