SYNESTHETIC COLLECTION
The Synesthetic Collection Ypê is an experimental, multisensory fashion-meets-fragrance project launched in 2024 by the Brazilian brand Ypê. The idea: translate scent into visual design, merging olfaction (smell), neuro-sensory data, and generative art to create clothing that embodies perfume — a “perfume you can see.”
At the core of the project is a collaboration between the fashion designer Tom Martins and the media-artist Anaisa Franco. Using neurotechnology — sensors placed on Tom’s head — the team recorded his brain’s electrical responses while he sniffed different fragranced softeners from Ypê’s concentrated line (fragrances like “Encanto”, “Inspiração”, “Liberdade” and “Blue Garden”). Those brain-wave patterns were then processed by generative-AI software into visual motifs. From over 200 initial “captures,” four were selected and translated into ten unique fashion “looks.”
Hence the name: “Synesthetic” — referencing synesthesia, the neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sense triggers experiences in another (e.g. “seeing” a smell). The garments reinterpret scent not only as aroma but as form, pattern, and visual identity.
ARTIST: Anaisa Franco
PROJECT TITLE: Synesthetic Collection – Ypê
YEAR/ LOCATION: 2024, São Paulo, Brazil during SPFW – Sao Paulo Fashion Week
ROLE: Neuro-Media Artist / Creative Technology Lead / Generative Visual Systems Designer
(Anaisa Franco / Anaisa Franco Studio)