Penha Maia

Penha Maia is the founder of the brands Pó de Arroz and Penha Maia. Originally from Paraíba, Penha moved to São Paulo in the late 1980s and launched her first brand in 2010, after working across various sectors of the fashion industry in the city—from retail to labels, from tailoring studios to runway backstages. With Pó de Arroz, an atelier focused on bridal and evening wear, Penha established herself by blending haute couture with a refreshed retro aesthetic, a signature style that continues to dress hundreds of brides across Brazil to this day.

In the early 2020s, Penha launched her eponymous label in response to a growing demand for her unique creative vision. Her dreamlike, imaginative world combined with inventive use of materials, textures, and techniques has attracted artists from various realms of Brazilian arts—from stages to runways, from behind-the-scenes to major red carpet events. Celebrities such as Pabllo Vittar, Paolla Oliveira, Ivete Sangalo, Luísa Sonza, and Duda Beat have all worn Penha Maia, and her creations have been featured in publications like Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, among others.

Today, Penha works both as the creative director of Pó de Arroz and the head designer of the Penha Maia brand, creating day after day from her atelier perched above the Santa Efigênia overpass—the main stage of the city where her fashion journey truly blossomed.