Four designers hailing from Brazil debuted their lines on Tuesday through Ponto Zero, a group show, at Hotel Americano in Chelsea, kicking-off New York Fashion Week.
There was a definite buzz in the air with anticipation of this launch, as the hotel lobby swarmed with bearded hipsters, Brazilian soccer players, and attractive women in bright red lipstick, sipping glasses of champagne.
Ponto Zero is sort of like Project Runway in which groups of top Brazilian designers go through cycles with eliminations, and the four winning participants get to showcase in New York.
The annual contest was conceived by Casa de Criadores and Mercando Mundo Mix. The contest pairs the designing hopefulls with prominent people in the fashion industry to nurture their talent. They then present their final collections on a runway judged by journalists, designers, and executives.
You’d think such scrutiny would prepare these winners for New York Fashion Week. Designer Arnaldo Ventura looked especially nervous as he walked down the runway, to the sounds of bongos, during the finale of his worldly line that featured lots of long fringe, top hats, and kimono dresses. Ventura got his inspiration for his winter 2012 line on a trip to the Orient that passed through Japan, Turkey, and Egypt. And all those cultures were blended into one grandiose look, perhaps a bit much for the average person but definitely something we’d see on Lady Gaga.
-Arnaldo Ventura-
The following line, by Isadora Zandron and Lucas Devitte was more structured in its tailoring. The pieces, inspired by the designers’ fascination with protection and security, specifically the technology or wars, featured mostly wool. They were turned on by bulletproof features, and several of the pieces, like a gray wool blanket bolero, and wool blanket dress not only felt really heavy and think, although it is winter wear, but also sexy and strong.
-Zandron + Devitte-
Cynthia Hayashi also featured items that could double as protective gear featuring eco-leather, and, again, wool. The garments also had a detail in the leather that looked like goosebumps and/or grips. The color schemes revolved around skin tones and had an easy flow between hard pieces like a leather dress and loose-fitting blouses.
-Cynthia Hayashi-
The show ended on a very high note with the designs of Gabriela Sakate. The line, influenced by the architecture of Paris, was very diverse and always kept you guessing. She featured a line with a mix of cotton, tule dresses, metal plague belts, shimmery pants, and it all had an air of sexual elegance.
-Gabriela Sakate-
Not bad for a bunch of NYFW virgins.