Sao Paulo Fashion Week was given a boost on Thursday by the high-profile return of Gisele Bundchen. The Brazilian is the world’s top-earning supermodel and had taken a year’s break from the biggest event in Latin America’s fashion calendar. <br /><br />Also showing off Colcci’s precociously chic Winter 2014 collection was fellow Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio. <br /><br />Colcci is heavily influenced by street and hip hop culture and is known for its sportswear, denims, accessories and footwear for the young. The Brazilian fashion company makes high-end clothing and accessories for men and women and operates in 31 countries. But the designers are also inspired by Mexican folk art, religious and historic images, and literature.<br /><br />Before Colcci’s line-up, Lino Villaventura bewitched the crowd with a haunted awakening of paint-splattered heads. This was the entree to an ethereal, wispy female collection highlighted by several long, colour-saturated gowns. Lino and Inez Villaventura established the brand together in 1982. Villaventura is also an award-wining costume designer for film and theatre. <br /><br />Fashion labels Gloria Coelho, Ronaldo Fraga, and Patricia Motta also had their chance in the limelight. They showcased their latest winter collections at Sao Paulo’s Villa-Lobos exhibition hall.<br /><br />According to organisers, Sao Paulo Fashion Week generates upwards of 30 billion euros in export revenues.
