Boutique to Introduce Brazilian Fashions
Flavia Mosci opened her first boutique, called Mosci, at 7813 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles, on Sept. 13. She’s gambling that California fashionistas will buy new Brazilian fashions.
“Americans think that Brazilian fashion is just the soccer shirts and cheap, stretchy jeans, but these days Brazilian fashion is defined by quality and creativity,” said Mosci, who was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, but grew up in Florida.
The 1,000-square-foot store is anchored by the fashions of two Brazilian labels: Colcci, based in Florianopolis, Brazil, and Vide Bula, based in Belo Horizonte.
Price points for Vide Bula are $50–$250 for such items as jeans and an argyle sweater featuring silver, lurex details. Colcci has a similar price point, with $76 cargo pants for women and $69 for a baby-doll top with pink polka dots.
Mosci also sells clothes for men, such as an $85 military shirt and $35 T-shirts graced with American- style logos. One shirt’s logo bears the English-language slogan “Have a Drink Boys Club.” An $85 jacket carries the slogan “Minnesota Speedway.”
The fashions are sold in few other boutiques in the United States, Mosci said. But they’re making headway. Colcci maintains a boutique in New Jersey, and Brazilian manufacturers may be riding the crest of a wave of Latin-inspired fashions in the United States, said Constance White, the New York–based style director for eBay.
“They appeal to anyone who’s interested in body-conscious clothes,” White said. “But with the increase in the Latino population, Americans can expect to see a rise in Latin influences in fashion.”
Mosci, a finance graduate of Florida State University, in Tallahassee, said her store would stock some Brazilian fashions that Americans are already familiar with. By January, Brazil’s national soccer team will compete for the World Cup; she’ll be selling the yellow- and-green soccer jersey that’s one of her homeland’s most popular style exports. —Andrew Asch
