Colcci knows how to draw a crowd. The brand’s catwalk show launched June’s São Paulo Fashion Week and starred the world’s richest supermodel, the Brazilian Gisele Bündchen, soap star Rodrigo Hilbert, and Jesus Luz, the young Rio model more famous for his headline-grabbing relationship with Madonna than his fashion career. It was the hottest ticket in town.

The Brazilian textile industry turned over $33bn in 2006. That is projected to reach $41.6bn by 2010. There are 30,000 fashion companies, which turn over $50bn and employ 1.7m people.