Ranking fifth behind Paris, Milan, New York and London as one of the largest fashion weeks in the world, São Paulo Fashion Week is also the most important in Latin America, and this week its 46th edition is taking place in the Brazilian city. Hosting familiar names as well as a handful of first-timers, a total of 31 shows will have been staged by the event’s close on Friday, and several designers have already used the platform to draw attention to causes they hold dear, as well as demonstrate their creative talent.
Osklen’s ASAP Oceans Collection / Photo: EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira.
Osklen’s ASAP Oceans Collection / Photo: EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira.
Opening the second day of the bi-annual event at a warehouse in the city's western industrial district was Oskar Metsavaht’s Osklen. Committed to a circular economy and the use of more conscious and sustainable raw materials, the brand’s "manifesto in defence of the oceans" was a tribute to the marine world. Though monochromatic pieces in a palette of white, blue and black dominated, print was also used depicting native fish and shellfish, as well as designs celebrating the country’s flora, and many of the accessories had a distinctly nautical influence.
One of the looks from Ronaldo Fraga’s intolerance-influenced collection / Photo: Xinhua/Rahel Patrasso.
Ronaldo Fraga was another designer whose runway show offered much more than the clothes. Just days before Brazil holds its most divisive presidential election in decades, he unveiled a collection that he said was a reflection on intolerance, strongly influenced by the Israel-Palestine conflict which he witnessed first-hand during a 2017 trip to Tel Aviv. "We're turning out to be an extremely intolerant society. Intolerant of differences, and of minorities. In this show, I wanted to talk about that," Fraga explained. The diverse line-up of models wore designs crafted in austere colors, and at the show’s close the runway moved to center around a large banqueting table with models as well as invited spectators sitting around it.
Models on the Bobstore runway wearing the brand’s Georgia O’Keefe-inspired designs.
Among the brands making their fashion week debut are Cacete Company and Piet, which are both scheduled for Friday, and Bobstore, which showed a Georgia O'Keefe-inspired collection earlier today. And on Monday, Torinno presented an urban-influenced collection that saw Brazilian actress Deborah Secco take to the runway.
Actress Deborah Secco walked the runway for Torinno / Photo: Marcelo Soubhia.