Rio fashion week 2013: five things we learned - The Guardian (blog)

Second Floor, Ausländer and Sacada. Photograph: Agencia Fotosite

Brazil may be preparing to host the 2014 football World Cup and the summer Olympics in 2016, but that didn't stop fashion's biannual circus rolling into town last week. Cue Rio de Janeiro's autumn/winter 2014 shows. Thanks to Francisco Costa heading up Calvin Klein Collections womenswear and Alexandre Herchcovitch showing at New York, the fashion pack were talking about Rio this week.

Rio de Janeiro v Sao Paolo

Brazil actually has two fashion weeks, one in Rio and the other in Sao Paolo. The two differ in style and attitude towards fashion. You can compare them to the differences between Los Angeles and New York. Rio is like LA: very relaxed and beach-focused (and why not, when you have Copacabana and Ipanema around the corner?). Sao Paolo is more like New York: gritty, hard and urban. Traditionally, Rio is all about carnival, not just as an event but a way of life, and that makes for an interesting fashion week.

Alexandre Herchcovitch is top dog

There is one superstar designer in Brazil and that is Alexandre Herchcovitch. Creatively, he dominates the domestic fashion scene. Showing during New York, he then takes his collection on a two-city tour of Brazil, showing in Rio and Sao Paolo. Rio gets the diffusion line, a denim-focused brand with a casual and sporty direction. And Herchcovitch's dominance is such that his second line impresses more than any of the other participating mainline designers. He shows off genuine quality, a perfectly put-together show with a coherent theme. Herchcovitch also introduced anti-cellulite jeans in his collection this season. After testing the fabric for five years, the designer claims that the manmade fibre, Emana, harnesses body heat and turns it into infrared rays that are relayed back to the skin and stimulates the areas most at risk from dimpling.

Coca-Cola clothing at Rio fashion week. Photograph: Ze Takahashi/Fotosite

Coca-Cola clothing? Really?

As a sponsor, Coca-Cola's fashion collection is given one of the main spots during Rio fashion week. It's a bit like Topshop showing a catwalk line at London, but nowhere near as good. Whereas Topshop, a genuine fashion brand, has style and a purpose, Coca-Cola has neither. That void is filled with brash colours and C-list celebrities, often walking on the catwalk as opposed to sitting front row. For autumn/winter 2014, Coca-Cola went futuristic with a predominately white collection spaced out with bits of silver and gold. Who, when, where and why anyone will ever wear this remains to be seen.

The 'no bikini' policy

Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that Rio fashion week is jam-packed with bikinis and swimming costumes. That is not the case. Not one featured throughout the event. People often laugh at regional fashion weeks and, in Rio's case, assume that it's not serious fashion. There are duds on the schedule, of course, but overall Rio – and Sao Paolo even more so – shows signs of maturing its fashion. To name but a few, there is the futuristic fashion of Ausländer, Alessa's conceptual proportions, and the understated elegance of Sacada.

Herchcovitch, Ausländer and Coca-Cola. Photograph: Agencia Fotosite

The stand-out star

Although the name is questionable, Second Floor still showed one of the most consistent collections. Thiago Marcon focused on a monochrome floral print that was used on several fabrics. It was layered and clashed against a similar pattern with green or red accent colours. Frilly skirts and frayed seams made the flowers look less cute. The one eyesore was the Little House on the Prairie-style bonnet hats.