Folklore T-shirts earn R$ 55k a month in Brazil

How did Inverso turn Brazilian folklore into a profitable business?

Filipe Moreira, from Águas Claras in the Federal District, grew up listening to his father tell stories about iconic Brazilian folklore characters like Saci-Pererê, Cuca, and Caipora. In 2021, he channeled those childhood memories into Inverso, a brand that prints these mythical figures on T-shirts and backpacks.

How did the brand get started?

The idea clicked when Moreira, a graduate in Performing Arts, spotted a classmate wearing a Saci-Pererê T-shirt. He went home, searched for similar brands, and found none. With just R$ 2,000 he produced 15 pieces and launched Inverso. His first marketing move — paid digital ads — flopped. "I thought I just had to show the product and it would sell. Poor me," he joked.

What business model keeps Inverso lean?

The brand operates on a pre-sale model. Customers place orders first; only then does Inverso produce the pieces. This approach eliminates dead stock and keeps cash flow healthy. The team currently produces around 100 pieces every six days.

What are the results today?

Five years in, Inverso posts monthly revenue of R$ 55,000. Moreira sees the brand as a cultural mission as much as a business: "The more Brazilian culture occupies public spaces, the better," he told the TV programme Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios. He is candid about the journey: bureaucratic hurdles, fabric sourcing issues, and logistics problems have all been part of the learning curve.