Built By One. Inspired By Many. Designed for Cabo Verde.
Meet the Creator: Eden N.B. Soares — From Graffiti Illustrator to Cultural Storyteller in Fashion
My journey from graffiti illustrator, to graphic designer, to director of design, to cultural muralist, to founder of a premium cultural apparel brand spans over 30 years.
I was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, raised in Lisbon, Portugal, and immigrated to New Bedford, Massachusetts at the age of four. That early global movement shaped how I saw the world—and more importantly, how I wanted the world to see me, a Cabo Verdean. Over time, my art evolved from sketchbooks and street-style illustrations to graphic digital art, to product designs, to bold Cape Verdean murals, and ultimately, clothing that speaks for an entire generation of Cape Verdeans longing to be seen, heard, and styled with purpose.
The Spark: New B. T’s (1996)
Before CVEDEN… before Trigrfx… it all started in 1996. I launched my very first street-style t-shirt brand called New B. T’s (short for New Bedford T-Shirts). Armed with my graffiti-inspired designs and DIY spirit, I released a small batch of original tees - featuring raw graffiti art and logos I created for local Hip-Hop groups and community creatives. The response? Real sales, authentic feedback, and early belief that my creative voice could live not only in logos and murals but on people’s bodies.
That early hustle planted the seed for everything that came after.
Origins of the Brand: From Ellie Paris to CVEDEN
In 2013, I traveled to Cabo Verde with the Cape Verdean Student Association (CVSA) from UMass Dartmouth, where we visited and donated supplies to an orphanage that left a lasting impression on me. Just before that trip, Dr. Ellie Paris-Miranda, a Cape Verdean college professor, envisioned creating a meaningful gift, a t-shirt design that reflected our love, pride, and attitude for all Cape Verdeans. She provided a powerful quote, and I developed an original design to complement her message.
We printed a small batch of shirts to wear and to gift to local organizations on the islands. The response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. That reaction sparked something deeper. On our flight returning to the U.S., Ellie and I made a decision: this wasn’t just a one-time design, it was the beginning of something bigger. We co-founded Ellie Paris, a Cape Verdean clothing brand rooted in identity, empowerment, and purpose.
We hit the streets hard, launching promotions, photoshoots, pop-up shops, fashion shows, and showing up at nearly every Cape Verdean event we could reach. In less than 11 months, the concept of a thoughtful t-shirt gift evolved into a full-blown clothing brand with a physical storefront in Brockton, MA by June 6, 2014
That momentum confirmed one thing: the Cape Verdean community was ready, thirsty for a brand that truly represented them.
That creative spark continued to evolve. In 2015, I launched Trigrfx, a streetwear label heavily influenced by my graffiti roots and Cape Verdean culture. Then, in 2025, one month before retiring from my 30-year career in design, I rebranded to CVEDEN, a Cape Verdean cultural streetwear brand that is as personal as it is global.
The Mission Behind the Fabric
CVEDEN (pronounced suh-veh-den) is not a team, a collective, or a corporate-backed label, it’s a solo mission.
Every design, every concept, every graphic, and every story is created by me. While some garments are fulfilled through print-on-demand to meet growing demand efficiently, I also design and hand-print many of my pieces offline. I personally direct the visual identity, the storytelling, and the cultural relevance of each product. No templates. No outsourcing of ideas. Just pure expression.
This isn’t just fashion.
It’s resistance.
It’s representation.
It’s art with a mission.
For Cape Verdeans who’ve long been left out of the cultural conversation, CVEDEN is a bold voice. Whether I’m honoring Amílcar Cabral, reclaiming pride in our flag evolution, or placing Cabo Verde on the map, each product carries a cultural fingerprint, a creative love letter to our people, our history, and our future.