We were born in Mexico City Via Brazil

Zunga was born from a meeting of vowels and spellings between Portuguese and Spanish, sparked when I gave a traditional sunga (quintessentially carioca) to a close Mexican friend, or when I’d bring a little souvenir from Brazil for other gay friends to wear on Mexican beaches. From that came a beautiful *Portunhol* blend, lovely to behold: Zunga.

What started as a gift, a favor, or a small token for Mexican friends evolved into a pursuit that felt almost anthropological as I gained my first customers. I brought the physical and cultural experience of how a carioca wears a sunga to Mexico City, specifically the Condesa neighborhood. It encompassed everything from the style of wearing it to the settings where we wear it: at the beach, at a waterfall, or even at home during those scorching 40-degree days.

The sunga is a garment that is part of the carioca soul and way of life. It connects me to my childhood, to the times my father would work at his drafting table wearing nothing but a sunga in the sweltering heat, managing to get his engineering projects done that way. It reminds me of weekends spent at Icaraí or Charitas beach in Niterói. Then there were the Carnivals of my youth, years of youthful exuberance when I’d hang out at Ipanema Beach, specifically at Posto 9. Through it all, our Zung* was always part of the carioca scene.