Uxua. Rethinking Luxury

AN INTEGRATED NARRATIVE FRAMING DESIGN, CRAFT & COMMUNITY FOR A NEW MODEL OF LUXURY

UXUA is far more than a hotel. It is a long-term cultural, social and environmental project in Trancoso, Brazil, created by Wilbert Das and Bob Shevlin. Over the years, UXUA has become a living model that challenges conventional ideas of luxury, replacing excess with craft, community and environmental responsibility. Every object is handmade by local artisans, every material has a story, and every initiative reinforces a regenerative relationship with the region.

The publication conceived for UXUA was designed to articulate this complex reality: the craft ateliers, the agricultural work, the collaborations with local families, the educational programmes for children, and the philosophy of hospitality that has earned UXUA global recognition, including Condé Nast’s “Best Resort in the World”. The challenge was to reveal a form of luxury grounded in community, locality and long-term care.

Lidewij Edelkoort shaped the editorial vision and structure of the book, working closely with the founders, with additional creative direction on site. Twenty photographers were commissioned to portray the place and the people who sustain it, most of whom live and work within the community.

Within this constellation, Lopezlab designed the visual and narrative framework of the publication. This involved defining the book’s rhythm, editing the extensive photographic material, establishing a hand-crafted typographic tone, selecting materials, and engineering the irregular cuts of the pages to reflect UXUA’s tactile identity. The result is a memorable object that gives form to UXUA’s ethos: a rethinking of luxury where craft, community and responsibility become inseparable.

Today, the book circulates internationally, in the hands of travel curators, cultural institutions and design professionals, and was awarded the Fedrigoni Global Award for best editorial project of the year. More than a showcase, it embodies a contemporary model of hospitality built on shared value, long-term local engagement and the belief that beauty and responsibility can reinforce each other.