Dear fashionistas, welcome to the first fashion story in the series from South America on the Mr.M blog. April, as well as the following months, will be dedicated to one unusual continent – South America, I will show you the countries that I had the opportunity to visit and I am sure that you will enjoy it and want to spend your vacation in one of the destinations. At the very beginning of this fashion story with the Brunello Cucinelli fashion house, I would like to thank the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), local ministries of tourism, national and city tourism boards, as well as other partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America. With their help, travelogues from Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo) and other countries were created, as well as numerous fashion stories that you will have the opportunity to read during this series of posts, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

Posts from Brazil were created with the selfless help of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), EMBRATUR (National Tourism Organization of Brazil) – Visit Brasil and Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel.

The pictures for today’s fashion story were taken at one of the most famous tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro – the Selaron Stairs (Portuguese: Escadaria Selaron). Escadaria Selarón, locally known as “Lapa Stairs” (Escadaria da Lapa) because it is located in the “Lapa” neighborhood, is a set of world-famous stairs in Rio de Janeiro. These stairs are the work of the Chilean artist Jorge Celarón who did it as a sign of gratitude to the Brazilian people, for accepting him nicely. Almost more than 30 years ago, in 1990 to be exact, Mr. Selaron began renovating the dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house.

At first, his neighbors mocked him for his choice of colors as he covered the stairs with fragments of blue, green and yellow tiles, the colors found on the Brazilian flag. It all started as a hobby and because of his great love for art and painting, but soon this venture became a real obsession. During the renovation of the stairs, Mr. Selaron ran out of money, so he kept selling his paintings to finance his work. It was a long and exhausting job, but he completed his idea, eventually covering the entire flight of stairs in tiles, ceramics and mirrors.

Running from Calle Joaquim Silva and Calle Pinto Martins, officially known as Calle Manuel Carneiro, the steps extend through the Lapa and Santa Teresa neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. There are 215 steps 125 meters long that are covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world. As soon as one part of the stairs was “finished”, Mr. Selaron started working on another part, constantly changing it so that it is an ever-evolving work of art. Mr. Selaron considered the work “never finished” and claimed that “this crazy and singular dream will only end on the day of his death.”

Initially, the tiles for the works were collected from various construction sites and piles of urban waste found on the streets of the city, but later most of the tiles were donated by visitors from all over the world. Of the over 2,000 tiles, 300 were hand-painted by Selaron depicting a pregnant African woman. Many wondered why she was the muse for his work and on one occasion he stated that it was one of his problems from the past, there is no more information about his work.

Many curious passers-by and tourists admired this creative endeavor of artist Selaron during the day, while during the night hours he guarded the stairs from drunkards and selflessly received compliments for his work. He really loved those steps in front of his house because they were his home. At any time of the day, you could find Mr. Selaron hard at work, beautifying this poor part of town. There are many legends about his death, some say that he was killed by his assistant a young boy who joined him in working on the stairs, while some say that he was killed by a drunkard and that numerous burn marks were found on his body. The body of this artist was found on January 10, 2013 on the stairs in the early hours of the morning.

Today, the Selarón steps have become the second most visited tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro and I strongly advise you to go there and enjoy the beauty of colors and unusual street art.

Today I will present to you my favourite fashion pieces from the Brunello Cucinelli SS25 collection that are made to last for seasons and years with the guarantee that you can leave something of exceptional quality to new generations to come with a timeless cut that will always be fashionable. Each manufactured piece is designed so that it does not follow blind trends, but on the contrary remains its own and consistent with the style of timeless elegance and refinement. Brunello Cucinelli is a brand that cherishes the values of “quiet luxury”, that’s why you’ll never see an aggressive brand logo on their clothes, leather goods or other fashion accessories, but the design and material will tell the story for themselves.

Brunello Cucinelli is an Italian luxury fashion brand that sells menswear, womenswear and accessories in Europe, North America and East Asia. The company was founded by Mr. Brunello Cucinelli in 1978. Mr. Cucinelli started his fashion house in 1978 specializing in Mongolian cashmere clothing for women. Today, the company owns 94 of the 124 stores worldwide. A few years ago, more precisely in January 2017, the company launched its online web store.

Mr. Cucinelli controls and manages the brand through Fedone Srl. Cucinelli’s family fund owns 57% of the company’s shares, and has also set up a special fund for the benefit of his daughters, Camilla and Carolina, to guarantee the proper handover of his eponymous company. This is an inspiring fashion story about a family.

OUTFIT

Shirt: Brunello Cucinelli

Trousers: Brunello Cucinelli

Loafers: Fratelli Rossetti

An impressive fact is that the company headquarters is located in a 14th-century castle on top of a hill in the middle of Umbria, an area known as the “green heart” of Italy. Brunello Cucinelli donates 20% of profits to its charitable foundation and pays workers wages that are 20% higher than the fashion industry average. Also interesting information is that the employees of the company have extremely flexible working hours and that e-mails are not allowed after working hours. This is one of the few fashion houses that have such good working conditions, which is commendable in today’s age of classical capitalism.

My outfit today is adorned with two pieces of clothing from the latest Brunello Cucinelli SS25 collection, namely this beautiful unusual shirt, one side of which is a solid light taupe colour, while the other side is beige with brown cuffs and linen trousers. This is a new shirt model, which drastically deviates from the classic offer of Brunello Cucinelli shirts that can normally be found in the Brunello Cucinelli collection, it is special and original, ideal for men who are looking for a new expression of art. Light summer pants are something I really like to wear and I usually wear linen trousers, which was the case during this trip through South America because of the high temperatures. With this model of trousers, my heart was won by the interesting cut and colour.

If you want to stay updated and find out what iconic Italian fashion house Brunello Cucinelli has prepared for us this fashion season, follow this brand on social media: Facebook and Instagram.

Today’s fashion adventure ends with old well-known friends of Mr.M blog – Fratelli Rossetti. This Italian footwear brand that I’m sure everyone recognizes for their comfortable shoes that are made from the highest quality materials Fratelli Rossetti footwear is fantastic for the reason that this brand makes classic shoes that are elegant and simply unbeatable, shoes for all time! You had the chance to see their most famous model, the Brera, in my Jordan fashion stories.

What is the story of this brand? In the middle of the 20th century, more precisely in 1945, Mr. Renzo Rossetti started his story from scratch, where he worked alone to cut leather for several types of sports shoes. His shoes were sold at the famous Brigatti store in Milan, one of the few remaining stores of its kind in the city. After a few years, Fratelli Rossetti saw success, but, wanting to develop further, they transferred the brands and equipment for this special production to Atala Sport in Padua.

So they decided to start their story again from the beginning and decided to switch to the production of classic shoes. Those were the years between 1952 and 1957, which witnessed the orientation and acquisition of new skills in the creation of women’s ballet flats and elegant, simple men’s footwear characterized by extremely flexible and high-quality workmanship. All this led to the creation of a small collection of men’s shoes with contours that differed from the various styles sold at the time. Renzo Rossetti consequently engaged in work that demonstrated his aesthetic sense and artistic perfectionism.

The story of the Fratelli Rossetti company is an inspiring story of a successful Italian family business that opened its doors in 1953. This is not just an ordinary company story, but a family story: the founder, Renzo Rossetti, and his wife, Lisetta, were dedicated to their work all their lives. The Fratelli Rossetti company is currently run by the second generation of the Rossetti family, the brothers Diego, Dario and Luca, who, due to their different roles and by developing their own different skills, have successfully brought their company to its 60th anniversary, always in search of quality and united by their passion with strict respect for tradition.

Fratelli Rossetti has a long tradition of “big little innovations”. In this company, tradition and quality have always gone hand in hand with insatiable curiosity and commitment to innovation. From the introduction of tassels and the invention of shoes designed to be worn without socks, to stylistic innovations and the launch of the “masculine” style, to the application of colors in unique chromatic shades. It was Renzo Rossetti who emphasized the importance of embracing new materials, styles and shapes: as early as the 60s, he was already experimenting with different color combinations on leather. Today, the company continues its research and development activities thanks to the knowledge of its craftsmen and the creative spirit of the styling department.

Fratelli Rossetti in its collections for men has timeless classic lines that you can find all year in their offer, some of the models are: Brera, Brera Sport, Hobo Sport, Yacht, La Giusta. 

In today’s post, I present one of the iconic Brera models. Brera is the bohemian quarter of Milan where, in the sixties of the last century, sculptors, painters and writers struggled to leave their mark with a new language and new forms. The liberal and cosmopolitan spirit was the source of inspiration for “Brera”, a moccasin with tassels, a style revolution in a country that is just rediscovering its joy of life. Brera combines different materials and colors as a true work of art. The special composition of materials and shapes makes moccasins a successful chapter in the history of Fratelli Rossetti.

Today you have the opportunity to see the famous Brera moccasins in brown color made of soft open-weave leather with evenly spaced holes in the upper part. Special high-quality processing and production. These moccasins have a hand-dyed leather sole. The shoes are handmade in Italy, like all other Fratelli Rossetti shoes.

If you want to stay freshly updated and find out which models of shoes and leather goods the Fratelli Rossetti brand has in its offer, visit their official online store and follow them on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.

My dear fashionistas, we have come to the end of the first spring fashion story from South America in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, where together we discovered the beauty and brilliance of Italian craftsmanship with the cult brand of footwear and leather goods Fratelli Rossetti, elegance and prestige with the luxury Italian brand Brunello Cucinelli, partners with whom fashion stories are a real adventure. I sincerely hope you got some inspiration for your ideal spring outfit!

See you soon and continue our fashion adventures from South America on the Mr.M blog! How did you like my outfit today? I really tried my best to prepare today’s post with lots of love and I hope you like it!

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or any message for me, you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social media channels, which you can find on the CONTACT page. I’ll see you soon!

With Love from Rio de Janeiro,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Brunello Cucinelli and Fratelli Rossetti brands. This post is my personal and honest review of their products.