Brazilian art on a plate...Mateu Velasco

Because I can’t be in Brazil all the time, I always make sure that I have a few contacts over there who keep their eyes open and an ear to the ground for me. In fashion, that’s often my friend and colleague Carol Althaller from WGSN and in youth culture, it tends to be family friend Clarissa Alves. This time, it was Clarissa who delivered the goods, after she had dinner at a restaurant in Santos, where we were both born, and really liked the plates. The restaurant had collaborated with artist Mateu Velasco, who grew up in Rio and specialises in graffiti art.
He’s only 31 and already has worked with the likes of Nike and Converse (via Brazilian fashion chain Farm). I like his work and he is capitalising on a trend in Brazil for graffiti art, led by the brilliant twins Os Gêmeos, who have achieved fame both in Brazil and internationally. I think Mateu has a bright future ahead of him.
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LN-CC targets Brazil

It says something about Brazil’s cool status when London boutique LN-CC wants to target Brazilian shoppers. For those of you not familiar with LN-CC, it’s one of those outrageously stylish concept stores, divided into seven rooms that house the coolest fashion brands, a library and a club. You can only visit the shop (situated, of course, in Dalston) if you make an appointment and the owners say on the website: “We don't care if you come here but don't actually buy anything - we are happy for you to take whatever you want from this, whether it be product, information or knowledge.” As a fashion business journalist, I worry about their bottom line, but as someone who appreciates innovation and beautiful things, I applaud what they do, “they” being John Skelton (formerly of Oki-Ni and Harrods) and Daniel Mitchell. Now, LN-CC has translated the prices of the product on their website into Real, the Brazilian currency, and plans to add additional content in Portuguese, like they do in Chinese and Japanese, by Christmas. LN-CC has even taken on Brazilian Ana Minozzo to handle its PR and marketing, such is the business' commitment to engaging with the Brazilian consumer.



“Brazil is super important,” Ana tells me. “The big fashion houses are opening loads of shops in Rio, São Paulo, Brasília. But I think other brands are still a bit reluctant and are trying to understand Brazil better before taking that extra step. I believe that we’ve always been known as a country to visit on holiday, but as a fashion market, we’re still a bit of a mystery.”
Ana thinks fashion-savvy Brazilian shoppers will be attracted to labels like Maison Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten and Rick Owens, which aren’t readily available in Brazil. LN-CC also has exclusivity on several Japanese brands outside of Japan and the shop even has a bit of Brazil in its line-up of brands…Paula Gernase, the designer behind 1205, is from Porto Alegre.
It will be interesting to see how LN-CC gets on in the Brazilian market. The fulfillment of online orders will be neither easy nor cheap, but as a boutique rather than a volume-led retailer, and with Ana’s “organic” approach to growing in Brazil, LN-CC may well attract fashion-hungry, Brazilian shoppers. I hope they do.



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Brazilian art booms at Frieze and Brussels

(A Gentil Carioca)

Before I set off to Frieze, London's annual art fair, this afternoon, I read in The Observer that Latin Americans are "investing" in art. Frieze's co-founder Matthew Slotover said: "They buy more contemporary stuff by living artists under 50. And they live with the work, rather than put it into storage. It's not a trophy or an investment."
So, I made sure I visited all the Brazilian galleries exhibiting, and listened out for Portuguese-speaking visitors. There were plenty.
I know this blog focuses on Brazil's impact on the UK, but the Brazilian arts market is gaining such international recognition that I was asked by Belgian lifestyle magazine The Bulletin to write a feature about a three-month Brazilian arts festival in Brussels. The feature has just come out, so take a look here.
And take a look at some of the photos I took of works exhibited by the Brazilian galleries (whose names are in brackets above each set of photos) at Frieze. What do you think?

(Vermelho)


(Galeria Luisa Strina)




(Galeria Fortes Vilaça)



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