It is a cliché that Brazil has a diverse and colourful culture. However, going by the spectacular display at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, this is a reputation that Brazil is happy to embrace. To kick off the event of the summer were fireworks, lightshows, Samba dancers – even model favelas. It was a spectacle of creative joy.
It is perhaps her Brazilian heritage then that gives Rio-born artist Bebel Franco her passion for vibrant design. Her collection of homewares is designed to captivate, injecting colour and flamboyance into any room. “Less is bore” is Bebel’s motto – and so her designs pack a colourful punch, celebrating creativity almost to excess.
It is evident that the flora and fauna of Brazil’s tropical rainforests have been a source of inspiration for the designer; flowers and animals motifs were abound when Bebel collaborated with Macy’s back in 2012. Her designs decorated the department store for its spring event,
Brazil: Paradise Gardens.
Now Bebel is turning to fashion, and her clothing line is starting to attract quite a bit of attention. For the moment, most of Bebel’s following remains domestic, but with the Rio Olympics generating a lot of interest in Brazilian culture, perhaps we will soon be seeing more of her – and her vibrant prints.
www.bebelfranco.com
