Claro Rio Summer: The World Is A Beach

A string of the world’s best sculpted bodies smoldered down the catwalk in what Brazilians call dental floss bikinis on Thursday, Nov. 6, the opening day of the brand new fashion season, Claro Rio Summer. They were ideal icons for a project whose goal is to exploit this country’s key and uncontested contribution to global fashion: beachwear.

Leggy local lovelies strutted their stuff in a show by Blue Man, one of five on the opening day of Rio Claro – as people tend to call it, after its key sponsor, a local mobile company - whose main show area is Forte Copacabana, an elegant old military museum and former fort located on a promontory on the Atlantic Ocean.

The goal of Rio Claro, an ambitious and well-financed season, is to link foreign markets - including buyers from prestige international retailers like Rinascente in Italy, Harvey Nichols, Barneys and Kuwait's Villa Moda - with high energy resort and beach wear.

“I may not know much about fashion, but I understand positioning, and with this project we are tapping into what our designers do best,” explained Nizan Guanaes, a dynamic local entrepreneur and president of ABC Group, a giant ad agency which numbers among its clients the Brazilian national soccer team. An agreeably self-mocking figure, Guanaes is one half of a major power couple here - his stylish wife Donata Meirelles is the famed mega buyer of Brazil’s legendary giant boutique, Daslu.

The day’s activities began with a runway display by one of Brazil’s most noted designers, Carlos Miele, who unveiled his junior Miele collection along a cobble stone street in the fort with the Sugar Loaf in the background.

Miele sent out cleverly understated, easy-to-wear clothes inspired by the Rio de Janeiro lifestyle, which featured lots of environmentally sensitive fabrics, a big obsession in Brazil, whose Amazon forest is, ultimately, the world’s lungs. Carlos used bamboo fibers and a new denim in 100 percent organic cotton whose natural finish is achieved without using water.

His standouts included natty silk dresses with stylish local “fuxico” embroidery, made for the designer by the Coopa Roca co-operative, a community based in Rocinha, the world’s largest shanty town, or favela, where Miele donated land for a new center to house some 350 artisans.

Adding to the excitement, the show ended with a performance by AfroReggae, a energetic local swing band that marched down the street after the cast.

Rio Claro also featured a great selection of another one of the country’s greatest assets, its beautiful women, with runway appearances by likes of Isabeli Fontana and Barbara Berger.

But Blue Man, whose front row boasted Russian mega model Natalia Vodianova and retired designer Valentino Garavani, garnered the biggest cheer of any show. A hot local swimwear label launched back in 1972, Blue Man showed an inventive mix of Photoshop floral fabrics, devilishly well-cut leotards and contrasting texture bikinis, the iconic article of clothing for Brazilian culture.

“I love coming to Rio and try to do so at least once a year. Emerging countries, I am certain, will play a very important role in the future history of fashion, and this season is only going to make that happen more quickly,” said Valentino.

However, not all collections were stellar, as a rather bland show by Salinas underlined, whose far too casual and primly Victorian looks failed to impress.

Organizers took over all the rooms in this city’s hippest lodgings, Fasano, a splendid boutique hotel by design great Philippe Starck, staging an opening sunset concert by Brazil’s most famous singer Gaetano Veloso around its beautiful rooftop pool.

Visitors also got to check out the city’s most famous old hotel, the Copacabana Palace, where Adriana Degreas staged an overly long and badly paced show, even if her collection had plenty to be admired. A cleverly put-together homage to the fabled hotel, Degreas’ collection featured excellent sepia print images of famed local stars used in coolly cut swimsuits and extravagant cocktail dresses.

But, it being Rio, the night had to finish with dancing, and a final show by Sao Paulo's 284, Daslu’s junior private label, staged in a funky downtown club called Week.

Though confusingly presented on a scaffolding catwalk with absurd gymnasts gyrating around between the bars, the collection had plenty of smart youth orientated minis, flirty dresses and logo tops, all the better to display tans preciously acquired during afternoons spent on Ipanema Beach.

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