The Rio Fashion Week begins this Tuesday, April 14, with an opening for invited guests and a runway show by Osklen at Palácio da Cidade. Starting on April 15, the program spreads across Píer Mauá, in the port area of Rio de Janeiro, where the event continues until April 18 with fashion shows, experiences open to the public, business meetings, exhibitions, gastronomy, and parties.
The debut of the new Brazilian fashion week occupies an area of 35,000 square meters and aims to put the city back on the international map of the sector. The event will take place between the Touring building, Warehouse 1, the balcony of Warehouse 2, as well as Warehouses 3 and 4. The main public entrance and access to the Rio Carpet, a blue carpet created to welcome guests and expand content production, will be through Warehouse 4.
In total, 20 brands will participate in the runway shows, distributed across two rooms: Leme, with 900 seats, and Pontal, with 400. The event is organized by IMM, the company also behind events such as Rio Open, Cirque du Soleil, Taste, and São Paulo Fashion Week, with presentation by the Rio City Hall and Senac Rio.
In addition to the runways, the program includes the Experience Hub, a space open to the public with large screens broadcasting the shows live and the movement of the Rio Carpet. The environment brings together art, culture, trends, discussion circles, music, gastronomy, and immersive experiences. It is also where the exhibition “Haute Couture at Carnival” will be located, centered on the work of designer Henrique Filho, conceived by Milton Cunha and designed by scenographer Gringo Cardia.
The hub will also feature the Espaço Saber do Rio, with an immersive experience created by the Penique Productions collective, founded in Barcelona by artist Sergi Arbusà, as well as a stage for talks and a pop-up from Livraria da Travessa. Another highlight of the program is the Boiler Stage, which will host debates and a sunset party with DJ sets.
The business side was also designed to add weight to the event. The Business Sessions will bring together national and international market names to discuss growth, circulation, and positioning of Brazilian fashion on the global stage. Among the guests are Alix Morabito, from Galeries Lafayette; Grace Neal, from Selfridges & Co; Imruh Asha, from Dazed Magazine; Luz Garcia, from Vogue Latam; Juan Costa Paz, from Love Magazine; Alan Crocetti; Luiz Mattos, from IMG Models; and Kristin Borland, from the Informa Group.
Meanwhile, the Rio Showroom will be aimed at registered professionals and will function as a B2B space to connect Brazilian brands with buyers, multi-brand retailers, stylists, agents, and strategic partners. Brands participating in this segment include Akera, Aline Rocha Brand, Andrea Muller, BlueMan, Falésia Carioca, Haight, Karoline Vitto, Nannacay, Normando, Totem, and Una-Ó, among others.
The numbers projected by the organization show the ambition of the debut. The expectation is to receive 6,000 people per day, totaling 24,000 throughout the event. Half of the audience is expected to come from outside the city. The production mobilizes 2,500 professionals and forecasts the creation of 7,000 temporary jobs. The estimated economic impact for Rio de Janeiro, considering hotels, restaurants, and services, is R$ 200 million. The organization also estimates more than R$ 500 million in earned media and more than 110 brands involved across shows and activations.