Oskar Metsavaht

Background Oskar Metsavaht was born and grew up in Caxias do Sul, a city in Rio Grande do Sul state in Southern Brazil. His paternal grandparents came from Estonia to Brazil ("Metsavaht" means "forest guardian" in the Estonian language). His father was a doctor. His mother was a teacher of philosophy and was involved in various humanitarian projects in the Southern Brazil. In 1998, Osklen incorporated principles of sustainability – ASAP ("as sustainable as possible, as soon as possible") that in 2018 was adopted as official company's motto) and sought to use more sustainable fabrics (also applying socio-environmental criteria) such as Pirarucu fish leather, According to the WhiteWall Magazine, in 2018, "Osklen had 47 percent sustainable pieces in its collection from 38 suppliers that the company had developed for the last 20 years". As of May, 2019, "Osklen" operated in more than 80 stores across Brasil and also had stores in USA, Uruguay and Greece. In 2016 he showed the exhibition Christ the Redeemer at the City Historical Museum in Rio de Janeiro. In 2017, Ipanema by Oskar Metsavaht exhibition opened at Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro and 'Soundtrack by Oskar Metsavaht' was shown at the Museum of Image and Sound in São Paulo. For the latter, Oskar took an acting role and brought to life the final project developed by Cris, an artist portrayed by Selton Mello in a movie alongside Ralph Ineson and Seu Jorge. The film also served as the starting point for Osklen's Fall/Winter 17 collection. The film, the collection and the exhibition were all developed simultaneously, in a collaboration with several artists. Osklen Spring/Summer 18 collection was inspired by Tarsila do Amaral. The idea came from an invitation made by Tarsila's family, who made the works and historical details of the notable Brazilian female artist available for Oskar and his design team. In December 2017, Oskar opened OM.art, an experimental space that houses content for contemporary reflections on art, science, politics, economy and philosophy.

Environmentalism In 2000, after encountering issues finding sustainable fabrics for his company, Metshavaht launched E-brigade, a movement intended to raise awareness and disseminate environmental information in Brazilian society. The movement later developed and lead to the creation of Instituto-E in 2006, an NGO which focuses on the preservation of biodiversity as well as the historical and cultural heritage of Brazil, through the development of various socio-environmental projects. A number of sources report that the organization "identifies alternative (not prior used in manufacturing) materials found in different regions of Brazil to develop for people's use. “Future Creator” (2007),

Personal life Oskar Metsavaht lives and works between Rio de Janeiro and New York. He has a wife, Nazaré Metsavaht, and three children: Thomas, Felipe and Caetana.

Documentary 2015. Asháninka expedition (July, 2015) 2011. Royal Black artwork (Afro-Brazilian museum)