Dylan Perrigo, shot on film in her Botafogo neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I spent a recent weekend in Rio de Janeiro with my good friend Dylan Perrigo (the embodiment of laughter, lightness, inspiration and openness), bonding over our love for our adopted country, sipping on natural wine, and reading our tarot while dreaming up new adventures and joint weaving projects.

I met Dylan in 2018 and we became instant friends. She was one of our very first customers and supporters in Brazil, ordering foutas for her store Santuário Botafogo, an actual sanctuary in the Botafogo neighborhood in Rio, home to her namesake clothing brand of wardrobe essentials and a handful of curated brands, all reflecting Dylan’s impeccable taste. Santuario was Fouta Harissa’s home in Rio and we’ve shared an easy friendship ever since–our brands and personalities a perfect match.

A Tennessee and California native, Dylan describes herself as very Aquarius, a creative who will sew up a pilot when inspiration hits. She’s a true designer and stylist, and not just because of her brand and gorgeously curated store. In Rio we hung out at her home in Botafogo that she spent 3 years renovating (it’s featured in Historias de Casa, a popular Brazilian blog–and spot the FH linen throw in there ;) )

Over the weekend Dylan and I walked around Botafogo, had a loooong lunch at the delicious Italian restaurant Sult, went to a happening bar for drinks called Chanchada (perfect spot for a Campari tonic), and had coffee with taro in her kitchen on Sunday as it poured rain outside.

Glimpse our extended conversation with Dylan below.

How long have you been in Brazil and what brought you and kept you here?

I’ve been in Brazil for 12 years. Bruno (Dylan’s husband) and I met and got married in San Francisco but then decided to move to Rio (his home) and we’ve been here ever since.

What are your favorite ways to use your fouta?

To wrap it around myself like a cape or poncho. I’ll do this around the house, on the beach, vacation, and traveling on a plane.

Did you have anything fouta equivalent growing up?

I had a lot of women who quilted in my family and this habit of wrapping blankets around myself definitely came from a quilt that my great grandmother made! By the time I discovered it in my house when I was young it already had holes and had been worn and loved which made me love it even more.

Your most treasured handmade object(s) in your home?

My children’s drawings, my foutas, and my caneca (mug) that I made in collaboration with Noni SP.

What inspires your clothes designs?

Visuals, feelings, intuition, other people.... I used to design from a place of being inspired by something specific and then translate that into clothing…but now I truly design based on simplifying what women ACTUALLY want to wear and why. That moment when you get out of the shower and are getting ready and you think “what do I feel like wearing today?” That’s my inspiration…that moment. I think about how the clothing is going to feel on the skin, in the body, or just the mood and the way you want to present yourself to yourself. It has little to do with the outside world or trends…I want people to have clothes they actually wear time and time again and simple enough that they can style and add their own personality.

What's a word or phrase in Portuguese that you really like? why?

Omg so many. I’d say “sem noção”, which feels a bit negative to say, but because I will find myself having conversations in English and there’s no better way to encapsulate this specific reaction in English…

*FH Note: Sem noção essentially means clueless

What's the first thing you tend to do when you visit the US, where you grew up, after a long time away?

Well my family moves a lot and so I have a lot of homes in the US. But I think the common thing to do in any of those places upon arrival is food! Food with family…so in each place there’s probably a specific restaurant/meal I’ll be wanting the second we land.

Anything in particular that would make you curious to visit Tunisia?

First I’d like to arrive, grab one of those harissa sandwiches, the history is so interesting, so definitely the ruins of all the past cultures…and then have a conversation with Lamia’s mom (who I want to meet because she sounds dope). But I’d be lying if I didn't add wanting to see the foutas being made because the video of the men working on those looms have sat front row in my mind since I saw it.

Can you tell us about a moment of tenderness you shared with your mom that marked you? A moment that made your whole body smile and feel loved or touched you in some way?

My mom is undoubtedly my best friend…my whole life is, fortunately, is riddled with those moments. The LD moments I call them. My mom is the ultimate Sagittarius and I’m the Aquarius…so doing simple things like going to the grocery store–we would be so ridiculous and silly in public and make ourselves laugh so hard, as if nobody else was around. And It still happens to this day. And that big laughter, that being free and silly, not taking yourself so seriously dynamic that we share, keeping the inner children alive…that’s my moment of tenderness with her. Laugh hard, big, and often.

What was the most surprising trait that came with being a mom? Something that surprised you about motherhood?

I think that started right after birth! I always saw these women saying they saw their babies and said they knew them immediately…and the second I looked at Elias’ eyes in my arms the love I had was overwhelming, but I distinctly remember thinking “I can’t wait to discover who you are”. Because it’s mind blowing to wrap your head around the fact that these eyes and this person was just inside of you growing and then they’re there. I also learned so much about how to be a mom from my mom. I say the same sweet things my mom said to me now to them, and then they repeat it. It’s like an heirloom. And I know they’ll pass it down one day too.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

What colors are you most wearing/attracted to these days?

Attracted to: Bright lavender

Wearing: Black

What's the spiciest snack in your pantry?

I made a banana plantain ceviche with pimenta dedo de moça and sriracha.

Do you like harissa? If so, where/how do you remember liking eating it?

I do! And my friend Osama has his own family recipe he makes and it’s delicious.

Last conversation topic with your mama? With your kids?

Mom: Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Kids: Their interpretation of the wordless book “migrants”

Top 3 items in your beach bag?

2 foutas (one clean smaller one and the big one that gets sandy) and a sunscreen stick.

Shop Dylan's current favorite Fouta and Throw on Fouta Harissa right now!

<3