SAO PAULO, Brazil — Designer presentations at the recent São Paulo Fashion Week and Fashion Rio reflected a sluggish economy that some experts said encourages more commercial, less creative merchandise.
The biannual events, held in late June and early July, drew large numbers to their latest editions, featuring 2006 summer collections. SPFW had 47 upscale, established designers and drew a record 105,000 visitors to Brazil’s fashion capital.
Fashion Rio in Rio de Janeiro, the nation’s center of tourism, highlighted 35 fledgling labels with an emphasis on casualwear and drew 80,000 people.
SPFW attracted several dozen foreign buyers. A few came from department and large specialty stores, such as Ripley, a chain of 30 Chilean department stores, and Saks Fifth Avenue. But most were from trendy North and South American and European boutiques, such as Opening Ceremony in New York; Club Morango, a chic Caracas, Venezuela, shop; Dot Store, a soon-to-open Buenos Aires boutique; Question Air, a six-store London boutique chain; Babulaque and Coco Ribbon, two smaller London retailers, and Onward Kashiyama and Spree, two Parisian concept stores.
Fashion Rio, which aggressively promotes itself abroad through consulates and chambers of commerce, attracted more than 80 foreign buyers, mostly small South American and European boutiques and fashion consultants. Virtually no foreign buyers were registered for both events.
Among the top labels at Fashion Rio were Maria Bonita and its sister brand, Maria Bonita Extra, a young women’s casual label; Colcce; TNG; Patricia Viera, and Walter Rodrigues, a top São Paulo designer who also takes part in Paris Fashion Week. Other ready-to-wear labels included Drosófila, Tessuti, Zigfreda, Animale, Alessa, newcomer Redley and swimwear houses Lenny, Blue Man and Salinas.
At SPFW, top designers included Alexandre Herchcovitch, who also takes part in 7th on Sixth and has shown in Paris; Fause Haten; Reinaldo Lourenço; Lino Villaventura; Patachou, whose export line is Tereza Santos, and Forum, the signature line of designer Tufi Duek. Other rtw labels included Zoomp, Zapping, André Lima, Raia de Goeye, Uma, Gloria Coelho, Lorenzo Merlino, Ellus, Triton, Iodice, Osklen, Isabela Capeto, Cori, Cavalera, Ronaldo Fraga and Vide Bula. Swimwear included the forward label Neon, Cia. Marítima and Rosa Chá, Brazil’s biggest beach brand.
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Brazilian fashion consultant Gloria Kalil said the collections were “less creative and more commercial than last year, because the economy has slowed, from a 5 percent growth rate in 2004 to its current 3 percent, which is likely to drop further by yearend. The quality is still there, but there was a bit less riskiness.”
Kalil said both venues also featured stylistic shifts. “The lines showcased fuller, more flowing cuts, as opposed to the tighter cuts seen at these venues last year,” she said. “Voluminous skirts and baggy Bermudas and pants predominated. So did ruffles. As a result, the fashion was still sexy, but more subtle and restrained.”
There was an abundance of long, white, flowered dresses at both shows.
Colleen Sherin, fashion market director for Saks Fifth Avenue, which carries Forum, Carlos Miele, Salinas and Rosa Chá, singled out Forum’s and Uma’s lines. “Forum’s collection had great jersey dresses with strong colors and stylish party dresses with bubble silhouettes,” she said. “Uma had slouching tank tops and trousers, rolled at the hems and with soft colors. Both designers have the sophisticated look that caters to our clientele.”
Magdalena Bulnes, a buyer for Ripley in Chile, also found Forum’s flowing silk dresses “beautiful and very commercial. Forum has the classic and conservative styles favored by Chilean women.”
At SPFW, a number of foreign buyers were drawn to more forward designers. Carol Lim, from Opening Ceremony in Manhattan’s SoHo, now carries Herchcovitch, Patachou, Lorenzo Merlino and Neon. She planned to stock up on pieces from those collections.
“Herchcovitch showed high-quality, structured silk dresses with muted flower patterns and leather-button detailing; Patachou featured innovative, knit tops and silk bodies and beautiful cotton voile tunics; Neon continued to be an edgy swimwear maker with big, bold, vibrant prints,” said Lim. “We continue to buy these brands because they appeal to our customers who are looking for fashion alternatives to current global trends.”
Laurencio Adot, owner of Dot, said he planned to buy at least 5,000 pieces from 12 Brazilian labels, accounting for 80 percent of his mix. Argentina, Colombia and Mexican labels make up the rest.
“I’m buying Herchcovitch, the ‘It’ boy of Brazilian fashion, because of his innovative patchwork of different prints; Fause Haten’s low-cut, embroidered or crystal-detailed jeans; Isabela Capeto’s bohemian chic, flowing and embroidered dresses; Rosa Chá and Cia. Marítima swimwear, and some lesser-known brands,” said Adot. “In Latin America, Brazil is practically the only market for quality, innovative fashion.”
Also at SPFW for the first time was Roberta Oprandi, the owner of Spree, a pair of Parisian boutiques offering forward, young designers. Oprandi expected to buy some pieces from Lourenço, including white and black corsetry, zippers and chains, inspired by Eighties rock and punk rock.
Sandra Moleirinho, of London’s Babulaque, was drawn to Lourenço’s ruffled, chiffon dresses with soft pink and powder blue flower-pedal prints. “These ruffled dresses enhance feminine beauty in a very minimal and elegant way, while still being sexy,” she said. “I’ll also probably buy Cia. Marítima, whose swimwear is more colorful than the earth tones of Rosa Chá, which I already carry, thus giving customers more choice.”
Alison Chow, of Coco Ribbon, said, “Our shops stock unknown labels because our customers like pieces they can’t find elsewhere, pieces that cause other women at a party to approach them and ask, ‘Where did you get that?’ So we’re buying vibrant Cia. Marítima swimwear; Triton’s below-knee, A-line dresses with bold colors and prints, among them giraffe prints, and Triton’s high-waisted dresses with bottoms featuring marijuana-leaf embroidery.”
American and European buyers said that, even though Brazil’s currency, the real, has increased in value by 10 percent against the U.S. dollar since the beginning of the year and 25 percent since June 2004, Brazilian fashion was still very price-competitive. “The current dollar-real exchange rate is not an issue for us,” said Sherin of Saks, “as long as we can find Brazilian designers to help us differentiate our assortments.”
South American buyers also said price was not an issue. “It’s a lot cheaper for us to buy in Brazilian currency than to buy European fashion in euros,” said Adot.
Bulnes of Ripley said that, “while we do import more cheaply from China and India, we also don’t mind paying more for Brazilian apparel because the fashion is so much better.”
After attending Fashion Rio, Roger Joseph, a buying consultant for boutiques in Boston (Gretta Luxe) and Toronto (Le Trou), plans to recommend to clients Patricia Viera’s light-suede skirts and tops; Salinas’ swimwear with persimmon orange, strawberry pink and citrus yellow fruit prints, inspired by Carmen Miranda, as well as its ruffled-topped, off-the-shoulder poolside wear, and Maria Bonita Extra’s white silk tops and jerseys, which he called “sexy, but sophisticated.”
“Fashion Rio designers showed clothes that speak to the sun, the beach and to nightlife, evoking a lifestyle that appeals to clients of the boutiques I consult for,” said Joseph. “What also makes these designers so appealing is their low prices and their quality. Patricia Viera makes inexpensive suede apparel that is so lightweight, it can be worn in the summer.”
Alexandra Santos, a buyer for Bubbles Co., a Portuguese retailer, is buying Maria Bonita for Bubbles’ upscale Lisbon store and Maria Bonita Extra for its lower-priced store in the coastal city of Cascais.
“I’m buying Maria Bonita Extra’s baby-doll knitwear tops, georgette silk dresses and black flamenco skirts because the price-to-quality combination can’t be beat,” said Santos. “I’m buying Maria Bonita’s asymmetric silk tops and dresses with embroidered circles for the same reason. Both brands sport a romantic retro look that fits our clients.”