Fashions Future is Brazilian: New Showcase Highlights Sustainability and Innovation

 

This conviction is the core motivation behind ‘Brazil: Creating Fashion for Tomorrow’ (BCFT), a project Pacce spearheads alongside sustainable fashion specialist Camila Villas and fashion designer Marilia Biasi. The initiative began in 2023, following a conversation between Biasi and the Embassy of Brazil in London, which sought to elevate the global conversation around Brazilian fashion by highlighting its responsible practices, innovative materials, and leading creators.

 

The project’s first edition launched that year during London Fashion Week as a hybrid exhibition and panel talk. “We opted to showcase Brazilian brands and designers that were based in the UK and Europe, but that used more sustainable materials,” Pacce explains.

 

The debut presentation featured a curated selection of pioneers. This included Joao Maraschin—the first Brazilian designer shortlisted for the LVMH Prize that year—known for artisan designs using recycled and upcycled deadstock. It also spotlighted UK-based labels founded by Brazilians, like Karoline Vitto and Renata Brenha, celebrated for their upcycling techniques and inclusive ethos.

 

Beyond the designers, the exhibition itself served as a material innovation lab. Pacce highlights the range of sustainable resources showcased: “For example, Pirarucu fish skin, microbial biopigments for textile dyeing, and experiments from the Royal College of London, where they utilised bacteria to develop different fabrics.”

 

Through this focused lens, BCFT successfully framed Brazilian fashion not just by its aesthetic, but by its commitment to a more sustainable and equitable future for the industry.

 

Sisterhood mindset

 

Due to an overwhelmingly positive reception from both the public and the Embassy, BCFT was transformed from a single event into an annual fixture. The 2024 edition, again in partnership with London Fashion Week, deepened this commitment by adopting the powerful theme ‘A Chain of Women’, focusing exclusively on female creatives across the fashion ecosystem.

 

 

This focus was a direct response to sobering data. A March 2023 International Labour Organisation (ILO) report revealed that nearly 60% of garment workers globally are women—a figure that rises to 80% in regions like Brazil. “For that reason,” explains Pacce, “last year’s BCFT spotlighted brands that were not only female-led but also supported other women within the whole supply chain.”

 

The exhibition deliberately made the often-invisible visible. “We showcased the designers and creative directors, as well as the women who make the clothes behind the scenes,” Pacce adds. “Especially in Brazil, most of these women are probably responsible for providing for their families through their work in fashion, which is not often spoken about. It’s made invisible, despite being so important.”

 

Attracting over 1,000 visitors, the 2024 edition maintained BCFT's core emphasis on sustainable and artisanal practices. It featured stunning examples of traditional techniques like fuxico (internationally known as Suffolk Puffs or fabric yo-yos), lace, and macramé. Highlighted designers—including Catarina Mina, Flavia Aranha, PatBo, and Lenny Niemeyer—exemplified this fusion of female leadership, cultural heritage, and innovative, responsible design.

 

From the Amazon, with love

 

Marking a significant evolution, BCFT’s 2025 edition strategically shifted from its traditional London Fashion Week slot in September to align with London Climate Action Week in June. Held at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, the exhibition, titled ‘(re)weaving Amazonia’, directly engaged with the urgent global climate conversation by spotlighting the Brazilian Amazon. The timing is pivotal, as the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled for Belém, an Amazonian city, this November. In preparation, the BCFT team is actively in talks to bring the project to Brazil for the conference, aiming to bridge international discourse with on-the-ground realities.

 

 

Curating this edition presented unique challenges. “This was potentially the most difficult edition to put together so far,” Lilian Pacce admits, citing a shorter timeframe and the theme’s inherent complexity. Her personal connection to the region made it a dream project. “It’s such a rich part of the world in terms of biodiversity, materials, creativity and this ancestral knowledge, which is very diverse,” she explains. The team approached the subject with deliberate care, moving beyond homogenized narratives. “When we talk about the Indigenous peoples, we tend to put them all in the same category, but they are not the same. There are specific cultures, styles, and traditions, and we had to be super careful to put this all into the exhibition without sounding patronising.”

 

The exhibition was bolstered by key partnerships with the Amazon Concertation and Arapyaú Institute, which provided both financial support and crucial content expertise. This collaboration helped facilitate vital panel discussions held alongside the showcase. A standout participant was Indigenous activist and communicator Samela Sateré Mawé, whose voice anchored conversations on climate justice. For Pacce, the dual format is essential: “An exhibition is a great way to engage with people… they leave the space with more information.” However, she values the dialogue equally, noting its power to “discuss solutions… and bring consciousness and visibility to these topics.”

 

The showcase itself presented a growing portfolio of brands, blending established names like Alexandre Herchcovitch, Lino Villaventura, FarmRio, and Cris Barros with rising forces such as Dendezeiro, Normando, Nannacay, and Misci. This selection reflects a core goal of BCFT: to explore the intersection of fashion, sustainability, and innovation while actively decentralizing the narrative of Brazilian fashion. “Although [Rio and São Paulo] represent local hubs for the industry,” Pacce notes, “there is a myriad of relevant designers, brands and artists from outside those areas.” Through ‘(re)weaving Amazonia’, BCFT successfully wove together environmental urgency, cultural specificity, and design innovation, positioning Brazilian fashion at the heart of the global sustainability dialogue.

 

 

A – transformative – drop in the ocean

 

While the growing momentum and support for BCFT is a profound validation for founder Lilian Pacce, she views it as just the beginning. For the project to sustain its global relevance, she argues, it must evolve beyond its current core of UK-based Brazilian creatives. “It’s not easy for us to earn respect and this space internationally,” Pacce reflects. “There’s still a strong stereotype, and people don’t know a lot about our fashion; they don’t access it.”

 

This year’s partnerships with major players like Headland, The Nature Conservancy, and King’s Cross mark a significant shift. “When you realise that those people are seeing what you do and understanding its value, it means a lot,” she says. This backing fuels a clearer mission: to use London’s cosmopolitan platform to redefine Brazil’s global image. “We want to showcase the positive and creative sides of Brazil, where we can work with regenerative practices and responsible materials,” Pacce explains. “We want to offer an alternative to the world, and we don’t want people to see us from this extractivist mindset.”

 

Pacce observes that international interest in Brazilian fashion has historically been sporadic and thematic—from the beachwear and bikini boom of the 80s to the supermodel-led spotlight in the late 90s. “But it’s not something that continues as an ascending curve,” she notes. “It’s still a wave. It would be great to see some sort of stability.”

 

Her ambition extends beyond being a muse for foreign brands. “Brazil inspires a lot,” she acknowledges, “but they don’t really do any partnerships with local brands to maybe showcase our product better.” The future she envisions is one of visible, equitable collaboration rather than covert inspiration. Ultimately, BCFT is the manifestation of this conviction. “That’s why this project gathers everything I believe in,” Pacce concludes—not just showcasing fashion, but forging a new, respectful, and sustainable model for cultural exchange.