The main examples of how the creative economy can improve the development of a city and a country in Brazil are known through São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW). This annual event helps the world to better understand the active and transformative role that community and fashion production can play in people’s lives, as it converges ideas from different areas of everyday life that impact the global population.
SPFW N57
The 2024 edition took place from April 9th to14th at Shopping JK Iguatemi, Centro Iguatemi São Paulo and other tourist attractions in the city. The Heliópolis Symphony Orchestra took part in the opening ceremony, representing a part of Brazilian identity, and the closing ceremony was held in the Martinelli Building, which carries much of São Paulo‘s history.
In all, 27 fashion shows were presented with renowned designers such as Reptilia, Az Marias, Dendezeiro, Glória Coelho and Walério Araújo.
Walério Araújo: the Brazilian who always looks for innovation
Agnaldo Walério Ferreira de Araújo is a fashion designer born in Lajedo, Pernambuco, in the 70s. His family was made up of seamstresses and embroiderers, which led him to invest in a fashion correspondence course in 1987 in order to hone his skills to become a fashion designer. In the following year, he traveled to São Paulo to take a face-to-face course in fashion design.
In the 1990s, Araújo returned to his hometown and began working as an entrepreneur in the fabric business. A year after starting this job, he returned to São Paulo to work as a designer in fabric stores.
His story changed dramatically when, in 1999, he was invited to join the design team at the former “Amni Hot Spot“. In this place, he had the opportunity to further enhance his well-designed clothes with controversial themes, but now on the catwalks.
A reunion with THE roots: a celebration of an anniversary and his career
Walério’s collection show at SPFW Edition N57 started at 7pm on April 12th, his birthday, by the way. So… you get the hint, right?! YES, a piece of his clothing was made, paying special attention to this, to commemorate this very special day.
And it all started in true Brazilian style: playing a very popular national song called “As Andorinhas“, by Trio Parada Dura, a country music group. This song, released in 1985, compares the singer to those little birds that move from place to place during the seasons in search of better conditions, but always return home. In this way, the lyrics have some parts that can be interpreted as representations of Araújo’s life to this day:
“The swallows have returned / And I too have returned / To land in the old nest / That I once left here […] Sometimes it returns tired, wounded, bruised / But it returns home, flapping its wings with great pain […] One swallow flying alone does not a summer make.”
This is because the first six verses of the song can be related to the fact that Walério has returned to his origins in his collection – as he usually does, but in a more intense way this time – by making references to his family back home. In addition, there were references of his birth decade, the 70’s, with floral, polka dot and flowy dresses, comfort and familiar foods (cuscuz and fried egg dresses) and, of course, of his state, Pernambuco, creating a look with the head of a “boneco de Olinda” (Olinda’s puppet – a symbol of Pernambuco’s Carnival).
The last verse of the song, on the other hand, reiterates the importance of all the influence he has received during his life, as it means that no one is capable of building a story and things alone. Everyone needs their families, friends and people to inspire and support them along the way, and that’s exactly what he did in the evening’s most striking outfits.
The tributes were made more directly to his mother (Dona Neném) and father, by placing some of their photos in the costumes presented, in order to pay homage to them. How cute!
Going further with this birthday experience he planned, there were some bright and festive looks and others related to one of the things you can’t miss at a celebration: colorful balloons.
Remembering who we are
So, with all this homage and recounting of his past, Walério Araújo once again touched all hearts and souls, leading each individual who was there (or who had somehow come into contact with his collection) to rediscover their individual history and past. And that’s why he received a standing ovation at the end, which made everyone feel at least a little more admiration for him. (Nobody’s surprised, are they?)
Looking for the complete collection of this year?! Check here.
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The article above was edited by Mariana do Patrocínio.
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