5 Brazilian fashion brands you should know

Ever since yellow and green t-shirts took social media by storm, Brazilian culture began to attract the attention of the foreign public. Beyond funk and Brazilcore, in recent years some Brazilian brands have shown their original work, bringing as a creative charge the cultural roots of the Latin country and a great business vision. For many years, Brazil followed the ready-made recipe for how to interpret fashion: reproducing what is successful in the northern hemisphere. But since the pandemic, authorial creators have changed the game and shown how to be irreverent with their own history. 

These are some of them:

1. Ateliê Mão De Mãe

Working exclusively with crochet techniques, Ateliê Mão de Mãe  is created by designers Vinicius Santanna and Patrik Fortuna. The name of the brand, "mother's hand atelier" in English, is named after the inspiring muse and collaborator Luciene Santana, Vinícius' mother. It alludes to the crochet technique that is passed on from mother to child, representing maternal affection.  It has become a rage for being able to merge an ancestral art with fashion, transforming dresses, pants and bikinis with crocheted wool. To stand out, the duo usually adds buzios, shells and beads exalting Bahian heritage. Their timeless style pieces have already been presented at Milano Fashion Week and it dresses most Brazilian celebrities.

2. Misci

One of the main brands that has revisited the culture of interior Brazil, Misci by Airon Martin addresses the main symbols of Brazil in a non-obvious way. The name represents a diminutive of "miscegenation", a practice that fostered everything we know about Brazil in the sociocultural sphere. Founded as the final work of Airon's graduation in design, Misci evokes discourses of independence and authorial and manual industrialism about Brazil, transforming its political fashion into the spokesperson for Brazil globally. With a smart silhouette, the brand works with pioneering trends and innovative materials, such as pirarucu fish leather, water lily leaves and lots of color. The clothes, which have a seventies feel, could very well be in a Glauber Rocha film.

3. Neriage

With a sensitive perspective, Neriage by Rafaella Caniello's philosophy is the exploration of fabrics and combinations of details and raw materials. In fluid pieces, the designer emphasizes the meaning of the name of Japanese origin, which is the name for a technique of mixing different tones of clay to form a marble tone. With a totally São Paulo verve, Rafaella translates into her pleats a signature of femininity that transcends the ordinary. Presenting her collections independently, she has already been part of the two main fashion calendars in Brazil, São Paulo Fashion Week and Casa de Criadores. In her latest collection presented at Pinacoteca Museum in São Paulo, she paid tribute to the work of José Leonilson, an important artist for the LGBT community, in pleated denim dresses made in partnership with Levi's. 

4. Santa Resistência

When thinking about a reflection of Brazilian culture combined with characteristics of the African continent, Santa Resistência, a brand by Mônica Sampaio, has been creating a reverence for the customs of the Recôncavo Bahiano in fashion since 2015. Known for her romantic look in slow fashion, she has already referenced the pombagira Maria Padilla, poet Catulo da Paixão and all the bossa that Bahian women have. The main materials used by Mônica are cotton and linen, which are cool fabrics, perfect for Brazil's hot climate. These natural inputs are obtained sustainably, as well as the brand's entire production scale, with less disposal and greater use of textile waste, through donations and reuse.

5. Lucas Leão

Responsible for a tailoring style with high-tech touches, Lucas Leão comes from a traditional family of tailors based in Rio de Janeiro. Accustomed to using 3D molds and sculptures that transcend clothing, Lucas creates a sexy, minimalist silhouette that is almost extra-terrestrial. A pioneer in the use of technologies to build his clothes, he was one of the first designers in Brazil to build fashion in the metaverse. Currently, Lucas Leão not only has a brand that bears his name, but also a company that focuses on research and innovation in raw materials and fashion creation. This arm of the brand offers consultancy for companies and professional courses for designers, teaching technology in a disruptive and sustainable way with tomorrow's fashion in mind.