Clara Borde de Castro turns Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar into art dresses | OneFootball

Franco-Portuguese artist Clara Borde de Castro stitches images of Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars into dresses about football and identity. Her latest set moves beyond Ronaldo, focusing on four icons believed to have played their final World Cup.

According to L'Équipe, the series comprises four new pieces: a monochrome Ronaldo spanning collar to cuffs, a blue Messi dress, a Brazil-toned Neymar study, and a Luka Modric mosaic.

On the body the images distort and flow, turning the dress into a moving surface that adds meaning. The project began informally before becoming art.

It stems from Euro 2016, when Portugal won. She bought a vivid Ronaldo beach towel, used it despite teasing, and began to view bootlegs differently. Ronaldo sparked pride at school, and Portugal's 1-0 win over France reinforced that belonging.

After studying in Portugal she wanted better-fitting matchwear for Porto, could not find it, so revived her grandmother's sewing machine and reworked T-shirts. By 2023 she had enough to chart Ronaldo's path with Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Euro 2016, creating seven dresses titled CR7-Bootlegacy.

Each piece follows her own pattern with flared sleeves, a boat neck and generous length, reflecting training at Arts Déco de Strasbourg. She seeks emotion, questions and tribute, not a clothing line, and says it will never be commercialised. For this year's World Cup she widened the scope and, with Josh at bootleg shop A Store Like 94, printed visuals directly onto textiles.

Source: L'Équipe

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