FASHION

Brazilian Fashion Industry Has Russia in Its Sights

By Galina Stolyarova

The St. Petersburg Times

For The St. Petersburg Times A multi-colored knitted outfit from the winter collection by Triton.

SAO PAULO — Originally it was the Brazilian models — Gisele Bundchen, Caroline Ribeiro, Adriana Lima — who sparked an interest in the country as a fashion destination. When fashion experts who research emerging trends started travelling to Brazil, however, they quickly noted Sao Paulo as an emerging international fashion Mecca.

Established in 1996 by Brazilian entrepreneur Paulo Borges, the Sao Paulo Fashion Week stormed onto the international fashion scene and now rivals in its scale and importance the prestigious “Big Four” — the fashion weeks in Milan, Paris, London and New York. Brazilian brands are rapidly winning over the U.S.., Asian and Western European markets, and, according to Alessandro Teixeira, president of ApexBrasil, the country’s trade and investment promotion agency, in coming years the export focus is to be on expansion in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, with Russia seen as a particularly attractive market.

“On a recent visit to Moscow Fashion Week, I once again saw that there is a vast niche for Brazilian designers to fill,” Teixeira said in January at the 28th SPFW. “There is a lack of color, a lack of diversity and a lack of inspiration.”

For The St. Petersburg Times Menswear by Alexandre Herchkovitch.

To the uninitiated, the words Brazilian fashion are often closely linked to tropical exoticism and one bright image in particular — a colored bikini. Some would expect the country’s fashion weeks to be something of an echo of Rio de Janeiro’s carnival. What stuns newcomers is that the local designers observe the industry’s key rule: To become a fashion capital you have to offer designs that are at the same time both unique and cosmopolitan, which is to say universally appealing.

Fashion in Brazil is not ethnic in character, yet some collections by certain designers do occasionally reflect the influence of a folk tradition. This year, at the 28th SPFW, the winter collections of the 39 designers represented at the event were inspired by subjects as drastically diverse as the choreography of Pina Bausch, the architecture of Lina Bo Bardi, the spirit of African Safari, the martyrdom of Jeanne of Arc and detective games a la Sherlock Holmes.

Designer Alexandre Herchkovitch, who is something of a Brazilian fashion icon, relished his moment in the limelight with his menswear show, themed around Ingmar Bergman’s legendary “The Seventh Seal” which has a medieval knight playing chess with Death. Herchkovitch created a poignant, dramatic show, with the catwalk covered with a thick layer of black leaves and shaven-headed models made up like skulls presenting edgy goth raincoats, jackets and anoraks with a plethora of skull accessories.

For The St. Petersburg Times A dress by Triton.

Romanticism reigned on the catwalk during the Isabela Capeto womenswear show, the epitome of captivating feminine charm. Capeto’s colorful and sophisticated yet sublime dresses featured intricate tapestries covered with beads.

Ronaldo Fraga, who deservedly enjoys a reputation as Brazil’s most intellectual and conceptual designer, remained faithful to his provocative theatricality. His collection, dedicated to the art of the late contemporary German choreographer Pina Bausch, was a funky, sassy drama that started with a female dancer playing accordion and featured models wearing large puppet masks worn back to front. Rich in color and refined in shape, Fraga’s chic and sophisticated creations — experimenting with volume and cut — are meant to be striking. Watching the show, you begin to wonder if an experimental, cutting-edge theatrical troupe such as the famous Catalonian La Fura dels Baus might be tempted to make off with the whole collection for its own productions.

More highlights came from Huis Clos (French for behind closed doors) in the form of delicate, beautiful, flowing satin dresses with extremely fine textures. Osklen, a favorite with New York’s buyers, offered three-dimensional geometrical shapes, subdued colors and felt-wool as the collection’s core fabric. Rosa Cha swimwear — created by Alexandre Herchkovitch — blurred boundaries between swimming suits and lingerie, while Reinaldo Lourenco dazzled with a glamorous military-style collection with a tangible note of pre-Second World War retro aesthetics.

For The St. Petersburg Times An outfit by Isabela Capeto.

Unlike Russian fashion designers, Brazilian couturiers can rely on the massive support of the country’s highly developed textiles industry, allowing them to experiment with a vast range of fabrics, ranging from organic cotton and leather to the finest velvet to innovative materials fusing the finest silks with metallic threads.

Brazilian fashion offers an astounding fusion of faces and voices. One of the most ethnically diverse regions on the planet, the country is inhabited by more than 200 ethnic groups representing local nationalities as well as descendants of immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

“Brazil is a melting pot of various cultures and traditions,” said SPFW creative director Paulo Borges. “The fashion industry enjoys the benefits of this stunning variety.”

For The St. Petersburg Times Menswear by Osklen.

Although many would argue that Russia desperately needs diversity, it is not an easy market to win over. “With the exception of Moscow, this country is a fashion cemetery,” recently commented the director of an influential St. Petersburg fashion company that runs a string of the city’s most prestigious boutiques, including a Versace store.

“We bring whatever sells, as do our colleagues who deal with upper class clientele,” he explained. “Yes, the way people dress here is a nightmare: regardless of their income, they buy mostly black, whether it is winter or summer, and even, if they have the money, when they are buying top brands.”

In Russia nobody, it would appear, wants to stand out from the walls that surround them, whether it be by making a political statement that runs against the grain or by making an original fashion statement. Standing out, regrettably, is not in the traditions of the Russian people. Similarly, the majority of people have failed to acquire that mindset in their more recently acquired perceptions.

For The St. Petersburg Times An Isabela Capeto hair design.

“Clothes do not make the man,” “pretty is as pretty does,” “never judge a book by its cover” — such sayings reflect an attitude that has reigned in the country for decades.

In Brazil, however, most people dress to project a message about themselves, their character or even their mood on a certain day. In the South American state, fashion is regarded as a communication tool, and people are afraid of looking boring. Indeed, you struggle to find a dull-looking person on the streets of Sao Paulo, whether you’re in the bohemian Vila Madalena, the chic Oscar Freire street adorned with boutiques or the renowned gastronomic food halls of Mercado Municipal.

In both countries the gap between the rich and poor is staggering yet, unlike in Brazil, in Russia, fashion is an issue that still serves to divide society. A fashion statement in Russia is de facto a financial statement, and most discussions about buying certain pieces of clothing usually revolve around whether or not you can afford a certain brand item. Lower social status is generally seen as presenting barriers to entry into the world of fashion.

The inspired Brazilians are out to change all that.

“We bring to the catwalk the Brazilian way of life, celebrating sensuality, openness, sincerity and happiness,” Borges said. “Brazilians are extraverts, noted for their body-consciousness. Naturally, I would not call us narcissistic; yet many of us take pride in our physical shape and invest happily in our looks and health. Most people in Brazil are interested in fashion, which brings people together regardless of their social status.”

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