Brazil's Cultural and Creative Capital: Fashion

Due to Brazil’s emerging economy, prices are high in the nation’s biggest city and some chefs are becoming concerned about a growing public that can’t afford to indulge in meals at expensive restaurants. Since eating out is arguably the most popular way to socialize in Brazil’s capital of gastronomy, São Paulo residents are trying to find a way of resolving this problem. Some new spots are championing their homemade “grandmother” appeal, banking on the fact that people enjoy going out to eat at cozy restaurants that remind them of their childhood. During the summer, outdoor seating is especially desirable and Sabará Café, located in a noble area, is quickly becoming a hot-spot.

The 32nd edition of São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) just culminated this past January. As the most famous fashion happening in the country, the goal of the event is to propose a reflection on richness and diversity of the creative process and thoughts that feed ideas and invent solutions for new worlds. Although Brazil is a cultural melting pot, its diversity is somewhat of a social concern. Occupying an area of 3,000 squared-meters of the Biennial building on Ibirapuera Park, SPFW meditated upon this through the expo “Universo Criativo – Projeto Brasil 2,″ a mosaic of micro-universes illustrating the versatility of creation and thought and its variety of influences.

São Paulo Fashion Week bets on Brazilian fashion innovation and improvement. Organizers and sponsors debated as to how this edition’s novelties—and fashion, in general—can act as a transformation agent in society. Paulo Borges, president of Luminosidade and director of SPFW, claims the event is the perfect example of the creative economy. Besides inserting Brazilian fashion into an international setting, SPFW reinforces the city’s vocation for creative economy investments and shows that the country’s national fashion has been embraced on a global stage. SPFW offers a reflection on the creative process, a reflection upon richness and diversity, and a reflection upon thoughts that feed ideas, invent solutions and imagine new worlds. What is to “be Brazilian”—and how this is reflected in our feeling, thinking, creations, products, and businesses—has been a constant quest throughout this event.