André Gurgel —
Beyond the Object
An idea can begin as a line and grow into an object, a system or an entire world.
A portrait of the industrial designer and entrepreneur whose work with Mula Preta carries the imagination of Brazil’s Northeast into contemporary global design.
Design as
a way of thinking
André Gurgel describes himself as an industrial designer and serial entrepreneur. Across more than fifteen years, his practice has moved between furniture, emerging technology, brand creation and the development of products whose identity begins long before their final form.
In 2012, André founded Mula Preta with architect Felipe Bezerra in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Their collaboration grew from a shared interest in design and a determination to create from outside Brazil’s traditional production centres. The name, inspired by a song by Luiz Gonzaga, anchors the studio in Northeastern culture while refusing to reduce that culture to a familiar visual cliché.
For André, regional identity appears through humour, lightness, boldness and the freedom to experiment. This attitude gives Mula Preta its particular tension: playful references meet precise construction; memory meets technology; an object can feel sophisticated without losing irreverence.
His process moves continuously between scales. A drawing becomes a prototype. A material sample suggests a surface, a piece of furniture or a textile language. The same curiosity extends into connected technology, mobility and independent brands, revealing design not as a category but as a method for organising ideas.
The photographs follow this movement from thought to touch. André appears first in concentration, then handling fabric samples from Off Label, and finally arranging materials against drawings. Hands, texture and observation become as important as the finished object.
Through Eden’s lens, the portrait is less about presenting a single product than revealing the person and the decisions behind it — a designer whose work remains grounded in place while continuing to look outward.
