The Sónar adventure in the land of Samba

The acclaimed electronic and advanced music festival has conquered the heart and soul of Brazilian in its first venture in this country. 31,000 people took to Sónar São Paulo to see the likes of Kraftwerk, Modeselektor, James Blake, Justice, Flying Lotus, Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Squarepusher and Brazilian names such as Emicida, Dago, Psilosamples, Ricardo Donoso and DJ Marky vs Dj Patife. Parque Anhembi was the venue chosen to host in May 11 and 12 fifty shows on 3 stages of which Krafwerk and Sakamoto were the most acclaimed, along with the wild beats and the sounds of Modeselekor and Squarepusher.

Under the same format of its main event which takes place every year in Barcelona and which attracts 90,000 on average to this Catalan city, Sónar draws a very positive balance from Sónar São Paulo, the biggest event so far outside the Spanish borders. Sónar has hosted until now 31 events around the world since 2002. London, Lisbon, Hamburg, Tokyo, Rome, Buenos Aires and New York were some of the cities covered. But none of these events has had the dimension of Sónar in São Paulo, a city were this festival hosted a smaller event in 2004.

Brazil has been raising its profile in recent years and musically is keen on proving that it is not just the land of Samba and Bossa Nova but also a place where all music combinations are possible. A proof of the importance of events like this was given by the country’s government which designated Sónar São Paulo "a cultural event of national interest" not only given the presence of some of the biggest names in international modern music but also given the chance it provided to show new Brazilian talents to the world, considering that this event was broadcasted on Youtube.

Flash back and flash forward at Benetton

The Italian brand which is synonym for both color and knitwear has just presented its coming Autumn Winter collection. 11 months after the public announcement of You Nguyen as creative director of Benetton his influence is there to be seen in many items Trendenz had the chance to see, feel and touch today at the Benetton showroom in Lisbon.

One of the most striking examples of the ongoing revamp of this brand is the new profusion of color bringing us back to the old colorful tones of the brand, something that somehow had been lost. Color is now back but in a new fashion and some colors are now mixed and combined with new tones and shades, bringing us back closer to the brand’s heritage.

A further positive aspect in this collection is the true plunge in the brand’s heritage operated by the creative minds of Benetton, bringing us back to the old patterns of the brand. A couple of years ago Bentton shoed an astonishing display of items which are part of the brand’s history. (Please refer to http://trendenz.blogspot.pt/2011/06/benetton-vintage.html). We are now pleased to see that the brand did research the old archives and brought back to life some of these items with a new touch.

Items with new knitting techniques thanks to the readaptation of existing machines under the guidance of Giuliana Benetton and fitted jeans with special seams and knitwear with particular effects to render women more sexy, along with designs inspired in the art world and new or improved knitting techniques to combine different kinds of wool are some of the new features of the new Benetton collection thanks to the work of Nguyen to a fair extent as the new creative director.

Trendy is the best noun for this new collection whose items can now be found in all stores and not only in showrooms for the delight of fashion produced. This was stated by both You Nguyen and Alessandro Benetton, the very same Alessandro who is now fully at the helm of the company, thus following the remarkable footsteps of his father, Lucciano Benetton.

Portuguese designer stages funeral party

Life and Death was the name of a collection shown at the Lisbon Fashion Week by the Oporto based designer V!itor. That was what he calls the Funeral. Now, this designer based in OPorto will give attendants the opportunity to engage in a piteous mourning during a themed dinner where the designer himself promises to play the deadman’s part.

But don’t take this as a farewell like the staged death of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. This dinner party which will take place at Miss OPO, Rua dos Caldeireiros nº 100 in OPorto on April 22 is a new way to see V!itor’s collection and a step further in this restless designer’s career.

Besides the dinner and performance there will be also a Pop Up store where you can acquire some prototypes, special editions and reproductions of items from the designer’s previous collections shown at the Lisbon Fashion Week, including pré-ordering of the Autumn/Winter funeral collection Life and Death shown last March at Moda Lisboa. Book now and eat and buy later. For further information and reservations write to info@vitor.com.pt.

Stripes by Dries Van Noten

Tendenz came across this jacket by Dries Van Noten and does recommend it for both the look a the fine quality of its materials. We do not want you to wear stripes all over but do check also the shoulder bags, the shirts and the ties, all featuring the same orange, white and black stripes. You can find them in Portugal or buy them online at www.wrongweather.net.

Marimekko for Converse

The Finnish designer Marimekko, designer and brand famous for its lively prints and colours, has come up with new cool models for the sneaker brand Converse after the successful collaboration and great colourful models from last Winter season. The new prints for this Spring Summer collection features the famous Unikko (poppy) prints designed by Maija Isola for the Converse models. As for the Chuck Taylor All Star, they now have a new and modern image thanks to the designs by Annika Rimala.

Sergio K causes stir with his new campaign

A 81-old woman, a transsexual and two newly acclaimed male models are the stars of the new campaign by Brazilian fashion designer Sergio K, one of the most renowned names in this Portuguese-speaking country. This campaign featuring photos by the star photographer Terry Richardson is causing a stir in the media worldwide given its provocative nature.

The photos depict the Patriot brothers with the American model and transgender Amanda Lepore and with the 81-year old Carmen Dell’Oreffice, one of the oldest American models who started working at the age of 15 and is still to be seen in the catwalks. As for the Patriot twins, they are the new stars in the male model constellation. This campaign is a great stunt by Sergio K and is raising the awareness towards his brand which is now set to raise the international public eye.

Sergio K is a designer whose brand is fairly well implemented brand in Brazil, a country where he began his career in 2004 selling handmade shoes and where he some years later began designing clothes, having established also successful partnerships with Land Rover, Jameson, Stella Artois or Reebok. Sergio K has a flagship store in the affluent Oscar Freire avenue in São Paulo and his clothing line can be found in more than 150 multibrand stores. His online store at http://loja.sergiok.com.br is also a good option for those wishing to check and buy his creations from polos to swimming trunks, accessories, shirts and even candles by Comme des Garçons.

Portuguese brands at the Milan Design Week

Portuguese design products exhibited like works of art in a museum is how visitors at the Milan Design Week will get to see some of most interesting brands in this event. Between April 17 and April 22 seventeen Portuguese design brands in the areas of lighting, furniture, tapestry, accessories and fashion will be side by side with the major international brands in Milan.

This group features both old and new brands which have decided to join together in order to show the quality of Portuguese design. Attitude, Antiga Barbearia de Bairro, Boca do Lobo, Boa Boca Gourmet, BRABBU, Corque, Dada, Delightfull, Insidherland, Kess Kiss Pass, LUZZA, Maus, Mood, N16, Renova, Rewash Lamps, So True, Tapeçarias Ferreira de Sá and Wewood are the brands that decided to take to this city. Some of them have already made a name for themselves thanks to their innovating products, whereas others are fairly recent projects which drawn already the attention of specialized retailers both in Portugal and abroad.

This presence in Milan relies on the collaboration with Portugal Brands which, since 2008 has promoted more than 60 brands abroad. With the support of this organisation and a fair deal of hard work, these brands can now be found in renowned shops around the world from Berlin to New York, Paris or Stockholm.