Trend Report From Belo Horizonte
10-05-2010
There are two fashion catwalks at the show and during the event there are over 25 catwalk shows and also a series of seminars are held. Organisations such as Sindicalcados and Sindibolsas present trends and future predictions.
Ronaldo Fraga is the event curator and for this season the theme is centred on “water” (Agua).
He commented:
We selected a theme that defines, without doubt, the questions about our future. And water is vital for human survival. It is a magical element seductive and transformative…
The exhibition event has over 150 brands showcasing and whilst the market is diverse from evening wear to middle market the collections are all high quality and well presented on the stands. There are some excellent accessory designers and footwear is in abundance too.
Anticipated footfall is 3000 attendees per day which is small in comparison to many more prestigious events. There is a strong buyer and press presence from Portugal, Spain, France, Poland and Columbia.
The standard of the exhibitors has certainly surpassed expectations and reflects a diverse high quality range of merchandise for all sectors of the market place. Exhibitors are particularly strong on cocktail and evening wear however there are some excellent jewels to be found with collections from Printing, Coven and Alessa being particularly strong and accessory labels such as Rogerio Lima and Daniela Salomao spot on with trends.
Through out the course of the week certain trends emerged :
Suede and Leather
Hugely popular on the runway were materials such as suede, suedette and leather being used. Leather was used mainly in dresses, embellishment, jackets and shorts. Laser cut leather was very popular in dresses and created a petal effect.and was also used in accesssories, for example the opening show featured arm length, leather, laser cut cuffs. Suede played a huge part as well, with one menswear designer, Marcellu Ferraz, using it for entire garments as well as trim and detail.
Image 1 : Marcellu Ferraz
Image 2 : Opening show, styled by Ronaldo Fraga, mixed designers.
Image 3 : Patricia Motta
Petal Detail
Petal details were laser cut into leather, creating textured skirts and dresses. This featured strongly in many of the ladies collections. This layering style was very popular with many womenswear designers chosing to layer tiny petals adding an extra dimension to their collections.
This is also a huge current trend in the UK and featured strongly in London Fashion Weeks SS10 collections.
Image 1 : Patricia Motta in the Vector Theme Show
Image 2 : Faven
Image 3 : Vivaz
Beading and Embellishment
Many of the designers opted for excessive embellishment, using beading and applique details. During showroom trips it was made obvious that sequins are very much ‘in’. The Coven showroom featured pieces that bore metal sequin embellishment giving a chainmail effect which overlaps into the military trends. Occasion wear was the strongest for embellishment but many more casual collections also featured this.
Belo Horizonte is the third largest cities in Brazil and income levels are higher here than in much of the huge country, as we saw during the first opening night the Minas Trend Preview is very much an occasion to dress for and the evening wear market is strong.
Traditionally beading and embellishment was a trade in Belo Horizonte and many of the designers still source their fabrics from here. Jewels and crystals are brought it from the mining village of Ouro Preto that was home to a gold rush in the 1800’s, it is the only place where you can mine the Imperial Topaz.
Visiting the churches, you can understand where the designers get their lust for glitter!
The interior of the churches are decorated in ‘rococo’ style. This is thick, oppressive gold covering everything except the floor. One church that stood out was Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar which used over 400 kg of gold in its construction and decoration!
Image 1 : Apartmento 03
Image 2 : Patachou
Image 3 : Coven Showroom Detail
Image 4 : The Interior of Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar – Church in Ouro Preto
Bold floral prints
Strong colours and big floral prints were popular with many collections featuring large bold florals with flashes of bright colours. This included many swimwear collections that used these prints in cover ups as well as bikinis and swimsuits. Iodice Denim opted for black with flashes of floral brights to create an edgy, young collection.
The clothing industry in Brazil is booming and young people of the country are the strongest consumer market, spending their own and of course their parents money.
Recently in Belo Horizonte its biggest shopping mall to date has been opened and even on a public holiday, when most shops are shut, it is teeming with people. Looking around the audience and press room you see that most of the attendees are young, many writing for humble blogs but hugely passionate about fashion.
Image 1 : Theme – Resort
Image 2 : Iodice Denim
Image 3 : Reserva Natural
Image 4 : The BH Shopping Mall
Ditzy Floral Prints
Ditzy girly florals dominated a lot of the younger catwalks. They made up a large number of dresses and looked quite retro in collections such as ChouChou, where as they looked edgy in the Cavalera collection. In the prints we saw mainly tropical flowers instead of the homely daisys and roses of England! The washed out prints from Iodice Denim mixed with denim were very boho.
Much of the area surrounding Belo Horizonte is thick with vegetation due to its tropical climate and with the Amazon part of Brazil’s history and fame it is clear to see where designers get their inspiration. One of the biggest national preservation areas in Minas Gerais is supported by the city of Belo Horizonte and a huge tourist attraction with beautiful scenery and wildlife.
Image 1 : Iodice Denim
Image 2 : Cavalera
Image 3 : Fruto Do Mar
Image 4 : The Parque Das Mangabeiras – Image By Jose Gustavo Abreu Murta
Khaki and Military
Khaki green made a huge appearance on the catwalk, with muted greens covering both casual wear and swim wear. Sharp military silhouette’s were also present.
The Coven show room’s latest collection is mainly knitwear in khaki and grey with metal sequin chailmail and diamante details. The designer and creator of the brand told us that she did not design focussing on current trends or anything topical but from research and desires, although with fears of civil war breaking out between tribes .
The collection from Faven used khaki in a less military context, mixing it with washout florals and crochet, softening the colour and bringing away from war connotations and towards farm girl boho.
Spending time in Brazil and hearing about the history you can understand these military inspirations. Brazil began with early ‘Amerindians’ living happily in Brazil until they were colonized by the Portugese in the 16th Century who now make up a huge percentage of the population. In the 18th century slaves were introduced to the country and after revolts finally the country has a diverse racial mix. The civil wars and mixed cultures provide a huge inspirartional base for designers and this is obvious in the trends. Simple living in the countryside around Minas Gerais is common and washed out florals and casual crocheted cardigans suggest inspiration from the outskirts of the city’s.
Image 1 : Faven
Image 2 : Squadro
Image 3 : Fruto Do Mar
Image 4 : Ninfa De Gaia
Image 5 : Coven Showroom
Image 6 : Washed out houses.
Crochet and Lace
No longer does crochet belong to old women. This season crochet made a huge stand and featured in many collections, including swimwear and even menswear! Crochet mainly made up over garments, holey dresses and cardigans for example.
Lace also made a stand with lace panels and lace tube dresses from Vivaz. Sheer fabric sat over lace and embellishment, layer over layer of texture.
Sheer fabrics were very popular with the evening wear, embellished, wrapped and layered.
Fifteen miles from Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais there is a town called Sabara. Part of the towns heritage is its Turkish lace, a type of embroidery. This strong lace link is undoubtedly another source of historic inspiration for many of the designers.
Image 1 : Faven
Image 2 : Graca Ottoni
Image 3 : Fruto Do Mar
Image 4 : Marcellu Ferraz
Image 5 : Theme Moon Dark
Image 6 : Theme Vector
Image 7 : Vivaz
Image 8 : Faven accessories
Cycling Shorts
Leggings are still incredibly popular but this season has seen the emergence of the cycling shorts. Mesh, lace and opaque shorts were in many of the shows. Worn under shorts or skirts this new trend is fabulous. When Vivaz stormed the catwalk with evening wear they too brought out the cycling shorts, lacy, delicate and embellished.
This trend even slipped into menswear, with Marcellu Ferraz featuring shorts worn over cycling shorts!
Although this trend is a hideous reminder of the 80’s, with garish prints already selling in the UK its impossible to not love the cheeky little shorts poking out under skirts, these are a welcome addition to many wardrobes.
Image 1 : Squadro
Image 2 : Squadro
Image 3 : Vivaz
Image 4 : Marcellu Ferraz
Image 5 :Vivaz Detail Shorts
Photographic Prints
There were some truly stunning prints on the catwalk. Over the week a love for photographic prints emerged with two designers standing out.
Alessa’s photographic prints were based around jewels, another nod to the regions history and the unique Imperial Topaz. These prints were brightly coloured and psychedelic with a very strong kaleidoscopic nature. These beautiful prints made up womanly dresses with hourglass, cinched waists and simpler tea dresses too.
Another outstanding designer was Victor Dzenk. He based his prints around the wings of brazillian Butterflys, photographing them, blowing them up and warping the colours to create stunning prints for a gorgeous collection. The collection was very 70’s themed with smooth browns and red and huge bug-eyed glasses. What made Dzenks collection special, along with the prints, was the tailoring, pleats and folds creating armoured, cocoon like dresses and shapes.
One last designer had photographic, vintage prints that deserve a mention, Apartmento 03 mixed florals and dusty old images together to add to their desconstructed, aging feel.
Image 1 & 3 : Alessa
Image 2, 4 & 5 : Victor Dzenk
Image 6 & 7 : Apartmento 03
MINI TRENDS
Nudes
Amongst the brights there was a definate trend for nude colours. A charming soft pink was everywhere, as well as a definate dose of beige, classy once again!
Image 1 : Vivaz
Image 2 : Graca Ottoni
Layering
Layers over layers, skirts over trousers, petal layers, shorts over shorts. Considering the climate in Brazil it is hard to believe that any one will be layering! Many layered garments created great structural pieces.
Image 1 : Chiclete Con Guarana – Fabric Layering
Image 2 : Cavalera – Garment Layering
Oragami Style Folding
Folded and draped fabrics creating interesting silhouettes and feminine shapes.
Image 1 : Chiclete Con Guarana
Image 2 : Apartmento 03
Casual Tailoring/Workwear
Crop tops with suit trousers, jeans under smart skirts, cycling shorts under skirts and jackets loosely open. There are so many variations, but Squadro presented this best with their casual work wear that included dropped necklines showing off long line vintage bras as well as slouchy tailoring. Adding bright colours also gives workwear a casual edge.
Image 1 : Squadro
Image 2 : Patricia Motta
Swimwear
Cut away
The Brazillian swimwear market is very well developed due to the climate. The Brazillian swimwear is full of holes! With cut away sections in suits and bikinis that are completely un-wearable due to tan lines! Many bikinis were tied to the models with thick fabric strips rather than the usual spaghetti straps.
Image 1 : Cila
Image 2 : Ninfa De Gaia
Highwaisted Bikini Bottoms
With the popularity of womanly curves soaring and silhouettes turn back to the hour glass bikinis have gone retro and raised the waist lines!
Image 1 : Cila
Image 2 : Faven
The quality of the collections was very high overall and everything was forward thinking, trend aware and consumer orientated.
FashionCapital will be sad to wave good bye to Brazil. It is a beautiful country with a rich culture, friendly inhabitants and, so it seems, an incredible, booming fashion industry.
Thank you to Abit.org.br who organised for FashionCapital to go to Brazil – it was an amazing enlightening experience.
To view the full FashionCapital at Minas Trend Preview Gallery Please Click here!
By Jemima Daisy