Inside Estúdio 017’s neo-medieval identity for fashion label Valthera

Techno-feudalism, a term popularised by economist Yanis Varoufakis, describes a contemporary condition in which a small number of tech companies own the digital platforms, data and infrastructure that everyone else lives and works inside, much as feudal lords once owned the land. Valthera takes that premise for a fashion brand, treating clothing as the symbolic artefact of protection inside that condition, the way armour, heraldry and fortress walls once did. The Milan-based label is the work of Lucien Varela, preparing for its launch in late 2026. He had already been working in streetwear before starting Valthera, but had grown disconnected from how visually predictable the space had become. The label sits between luxury fashion and everyday wear. Its identity, designed by São Paulo-based Estúdio 017, makes that position legible across editorial, fashion and digital surfaces. The symbolic logic at the heart of the project draws a direct line between historical figures of authority and the people occupying digital space today. “What interested us was the idea that these structures of power no longer belong exclusively to institutions, monarchies or religious systems. Today, identity itself becomes a form of territory,” explains Wesley Freitas, Founder, Creative Director & Brand Designer at Estúdio 017. “We are all kings, soldiers and knights within our own constructed environments, digital spaces and personal identities.”