Brazilian design, from fashion to architecture, is usually recognised simply for its flamboyance, but it is only recently that its unusual mix of influences is being embraced for its inventiveness, originality and sheer diversity. According to The Guardian:

Think Brazilian design and the first things that spring to mind may well be plastic flip-flops and minuscule beachwear.

But there is more to Brazilian style than Carmen Miranda‘s fruit basket headgear, and a new generation of Brazilian designers, mostly based in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, are pushing the boundaries of South American fashion, art and architecture.

Inspired by themes as diverse as urban disorder, impoverished sugar cane cutters, the Amazon rainforest and even the gothic movement, Brazil’s young designers are charting new territory and winning accolades the world over.

Last year the Brazilian clothing industry made $34.6bn, making it the world’s sixth largest textile producer and responsible for 3.5% of Brazil’s GDP. Some $2.4bn of that revenue came from exports[...]

via Inside Brazil: Brazilian design | From the Guardian | The Guardian.