The Brazilian flag served as an emblem of Jair Bolsonaro's far-right populist politics. But now designers like Abacaxi are reclaiming it for all Brazilians and celebrating the style of the favelas at the same time. "Who said that the flag doesn't belong to us?" Abacaxi wrote in one of his posts.
The photo shows models sporting the fashion designer's Brazilian collection: Clad in flag-inspired yellow and green shirts, skirts and bikinis, they wave the . The Rio de Janeiro-born designer released the clothing line in the middle of 's presidency (2019-2022). At the time, the Brazilian flag was seen as a political symbol of the and his followers.
"He ripped the flag away from us," Abacaxi told DW in Rio. "The Brazilian aesthetic disappeared from the , Brazil's dense urban neighborhoods, when Bolsonaro became president." This is precisely what he is trying to change with his fashion label Piña.
Abacaxi's goal is nothing less than to reclaim the meaning of the Brazilian flag and its colors as a symbol of national identity. A Brazilian fairy-tale summer In 2002, when Ronaldo led the team to its fifth world championship, Brazilian flags could be seen all over the country, decorating houses, cars and stores. Kids wore Brazil jerseys and dreamed of becoming soccer stars.
The jersey of the Brazilian team became a symbol of national pride. That is, until Bolsonaro arrived on the scene and instrumentalized the flag for his purposes. Now, Abacaxi wants to take the "Brazil look" back to it.
