São Paulo Fashion Week Introduces Newcomers to Brazil’s Fashion Circuit

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Under the theme, ‘What is Your Utopia?’ the 47th edition of São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) kicked off its first full day on Tuesday, inviting visitors to participate in the construction of increasingly creative and collaborative futures.

“Our story is starred by several examples of transformation and success. With the new brands, we have expanded the creative hub nourished by brands that have been experimenting and sharing this belief for many years,” Paulo Borges, SPFW creative director told journalists.

This year’s SPFW edition brings five new brands to the São Paulo runway: Haight, Neriage, Flavia Aranha, Another Place and Ocksa, which according to organizers, reinforce the strength of new entrepreneurs in Brazilian fashion.

Well-known brands and designers, who in the past made headlines with the event, decided to do individual shows outside SPFW, fragmenting the Brazilian season. Their decisions led to some criticism from those presenting their collections in São Paulo this week.

“Can everyone put on a show when he or she wants to? This is very bad for Brazilian fashion, it does not happen anywhere else in the world, everything is becoming too vague,” said Brazilian designer icon Reinaldo Lourenço, quoted by the daily paper Folha de S. Paulo.

In March, Alexandre Herchcovitch presented his collection for the label À La Garçonne at the São Paulo Cultural Center.

Earlier this month, Animale presented its collection on a large runway show in Rio de Janeiro and the AMC group, Colcci and Forum, called press and buyers for their shows in the Brazilian southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where their production is located.

One of the hottest brands in past SPFWs, Rio’s Osklen, has already announced that it will focus on solo projects.

SPFW organizers, however, downplay the reduction of famous designers at this year’s show, saying that the event’s objective is to expose the fashion newcomers to the general public. “Great names and brands are built, not born. It is to allow these potentialities to develop that SPFW exists,” adds Paulo Borges.

Reinaldo Lourenço opened this year’s SPFW on Monday night with a Miami-inspired collection of art deco buildings stamped on skirts and shimmering long dresses reminiscent of the American city’s sunsets.

On Tuesday, Bobstore’s collection brought back Brazil’s tropicalia era with bright colors and nudes.

Of the 36 brands represented at this year’s event, only three, Bobstore, Lenny Niemeyer and Cavalera, have more than five stores. Most designers displaying their creations this season have a single physical point while some sell their collections exclusively online.