Brazil's Indigenous Fashion

Models wearing magnificent feathered headgear sing an ode to the rain, to herald Brazil’s first indigenous fashion show, the Intercultural Exhibition of Indigenous Fashion in Manaus, the Brazilian Amazon's largest city. 

Throughout the month of April, the catwalk will host the creations of 29 indigenous designers. 

“It’s a form of resistance, a way of overcoming stereotypes”, event organizer Reby Ferreira told AFP. 

“Here in Manaus, unfortunately, many people are ashamed or even afraid to recognize that they have indigenous blood. Our goal is to make everyone feel included and to show everyone our culture through these clothes”. 

Designers use natural elements in their creations, including the teeth of a peccary – an Amazon boar (Order: Artiodactyla, Suborder: Suina, Family: Tayassuidae) – red guarana, acai seeds and coconut shells. The same geometric patterns worn by the models are repeated in the fabrics that wrap them.

Saturday's show was hosted at the Palácio Rio Negro (English: Rio Negro Palace), an early twentieth century building that now serves as a cultural center. 

"I feel privileged to have been able to attend such an event in this place. We are generally excluded from such sites. Today I can see my people telling their story through fashion", said 24-year-old participant Bianca Mura. 

On the runway, the presenter announces the ethnicity of each model and explains the symbolism behind the clothes and accessories they wear. 

As the models walked down the catwalk to appreciative applause, thousands of indigenous Brazilians gathered in the capital Brasilia some 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) away, for an annual mass camping event called Terra Livre (Free Land). The gathering is both a rally for indigenous rights and a protest against the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is in favor of opening indigenous reserves – already hard hit by deforestation – to mining and agricultural companies.