Photo: Ronaldo Fraga 2017 / viroutendencia.com
Brazil may be famous for its beach culture, but São Paulo Fashion Week is about much more than just swimwear. The country has produced many now-internationally renowned designers, including Carlos Miele and Francisco Costa. Both men made their debuts at past São Paulo Fashion Weeks, which from humble beginnings and just 100,000 visitors back in 1996 now attracts more than one million people, and it ranks fifth behind Paris, Milan, New York and London as one of the largest fashion weeks in the world.
Staged bi-annually in São Paulo’s Ibirapuera Park, the March/April event has traditionally shown spring/summer wear with autumn/winter collections being presented in October. However, São Paulo Fashion Week 42 was declared a transitional season by founder Paulo Borges, embracing the industry’s ‘see-now-buy-now’ mood, “We aren’t using seasons anymore to give the designers freedom to do what they want to do at their own pace,” he explained.
Here are a few of our São Paulo Fashion Week favorites…
Reinaldo Lourenço
Sophisticated tailoring, colorful prints and sixties and seventies silhouettes were championed by Reinaldo Lourenço, one of Brazil’s best-known designers who has participated in São Paulo Fashion Week since its launch.
Lolitta
Former stylist Zutia Hannud, whose designs were recently featured on Moda Operandi, is known for her feminine take on fashion. But this season, styles were distinctly sportswear-inspired, injecting an element of streetwear-cool into the collection.
Lilly Sarti
Another Moda Operandi favorite, the two sisters behind the Lilly Sarti label stayed true to their soft, fluid silhouette, delivering an ethereal predominately white, peach and pale gold palette of easy-to-wear dresses and statement separates.
À La Garçonne
The new label from industry favorite Alexandre Herchcovitch, this was the designer’s second collection for À La Garçonne. A mix of sportswear, army-influenced and historical-inspired styles made for an eclectic catwalk, which featured designs produced in collaboration with several local companies.
Água de Coco
Despite our swimwear sentiments, we do look to Brazil for the latest in beachwear inspiration, and Água de Coco is a local fashion favourite with international appeal. Label founder and former stylist Liana Thomaz took inspiration from the Maldives for her latest offering, with tropical prints featuring local fruits adorning the relaxed shapes of her sports-inspired collection.
Photos: vogue.com / theimpression.com