Costumes in Brazil

Carnival : Creativity

Above, costume made by Academicos da Rocinha Samba-School.

 by Andre Skowronski from www.brazilcarnival.com.br
Rio de Janeiro, June 30th 2010
Carnaval costumes are an element I find particularly interesting to describe in the
Carnival of Rio. Without them, merry-makers, revelers, would not have the delightful
ability to forget – even for some days or hours, the tough realities of our lives. By
wearing a Carnaval costume in Brazil, we can fantasize whoever we want to be, as well
as the form we want to interpret that persona. From luxurious outfits seen in fancy
balls, to five dollar Obama masks used in one of the 400+ street-bands in Rio, no rules
are determined and everything is possible. Clowns, Brazilian Indians, famous thieves,
dull politicians, odalisques, retro-hippies, soccer players, sensual devils and nurses are
some of the common found costumes seen in Rio Street Carnaval.

On the other hand, literally everything has been used as inspiration for the official
carnaval parade costumes developed by samba-schools: astronauts, Aztecs, Zorros,
giant dices, dinosaurs & dragons, middle age entertainers, etc; you name it. At the
official parades, costumes compose an essential artistic expedient used by Carnaval
Producers to illustrate the plot themes and are considered important adornments.
Finally, carnaval costumes are a vital element to enable revelers to become not only
spectators of this massive party, but true participants. Let´s now take quick look at how
they are structured at the official parades.

Below we can see Carnival Costume of the Flag Bearer and Samba Host of Tijuca.
These are especially expensive since they have hundreds of peacock feathers.

Photo Credit: Levi Ribeiro - Agencia Foto BR

Costumes within the Samba-School Parades

At first, the samba-schools had their samba-school members just dressed up in baianas
costumes. The revelers were then grouped at the parade, with identical costumes-
uniforms (today they are called Alas – Wings.) According to the Velha Guarda (the
elder samba-school members of a samba-school) report, Vizinha Faladeira Samba-
School was the first school to dress up their revelers in costumes. Other authors said
that Império Serrano Samba-School was the first school to dress all of their revelers
in costumes in 1948, when they performed the theme “Castro Alves” and obtained the
first place. But it was only in 1952 that the parade regulation obligated the use of
costumes to all samba-school parade members as a mandatory requirement.

In terms of a formal definition of parade costumes at the samba-schools, they are

figurative outfits worn by wings and float members, and aid as adornments to the
theme construction and development. Wondered and created by costume designers and
carnival producers, they are at first elaborated in drawings, the so called “costume
design”. The materials used in the costumes are specified in this costume design as
well.

There are some carnival producers who are also costume designers and who design
such costumes. When this does not happen, the school hires a costume designer
specifically for such task. In this situation, it is necessary a perfect integration between
the carnival producer and the costume designer. João Trinta, a legendary Carnaval
Producer had a great connection with Viriato Ferreira, a competent costume designer
working with him at Beija-Flor Samba-School.

Above, you see a special kind of Costume: Those used by Parade “High-lights”. These
carnival costumes can cost up to US$ 60.000,00 in Brazilian Carnival.

Photo Credit: Alexandre Vidal - Agencia Foto BR

Costumes Logistics

The presidents of the wings and floatees are responsible for some of the costumes
confection and make sure they are loyal to the original designs. They can also be
responsible for material (factories, hats, shoes, and the other garments) purchase as
well. After that, the wing´s Directors calculate the prices for the costumes and exhibit
the costume designs and/or the prototypes in the samba school’s facilities on scheduled
days, so that the samba-school members are able to buy them. The materials and the
confection are included in the price (dressmakers, hat makers, shoes makers, etc).

The samba-school members are then able to go to the samba-school facilities and freely
choose the costumes in accordance with their preferences and price. Today, the
majority of the samba-school members do not choose the costumes in such way
though. They are committed with the wings in which they normally go on the parade,
and just follow the costume that was presented by the Wing President/ Director. The
payment is usually done by means of installments. The board of directors of the school
and/or the Carnaval commission establishes a limit for the number of the samba-school
members in each wing - in average, at maximum 100. When this number is reached,
they stop selling the costumes.

The presidents of the wings follow the elaboration of the costumes under the carnival
producer supervision. On a specific day, the Samba-School schedules a date for the
costume to be delivered to the samba-school members. The parade highlights –
destaques, or members that are placed on floats, deserve a special attention, under the
carnival producers’ guidance.

Photo Credit: Alexandre Vidal - Agencia Foto BR

Samba-schools provide an atelier with designers, dressmakers, embroiders, hat makers,

shoes makers, and assistants centralized at Rio´s Cidade do Samba, to produce the
costumes that are of responsibility of the school, like baianas and children wings,
mestre-sala and porta-bandeira, Drum section, opening section, velha guarda ( Old
school – elders ) , composers, directors, and stowage (people who push the floats and
adornments). Carnival producers supervise the overall confection of all carnaval
costumes within a samba-school.

The Carnaval outfits must also allow movements required for the choreography, the
samba dance, and naturally the samba singing. The solutions may be figurative,
symbolic, realistic, or stylistic, according to the several styles of the artists’ creation.

Above, we can see how Carnival costumes are sketched and before revelers use them at
the parade: Carnival fashion designer are responsible these first drawings. This design
was made by Academicos da Rocinha Samba-School.

Samba Costumes Requirements

Finally, as we stated before, costumes must follow a few “guidelines” in order to

present a positive image to the judging panel in terms of the costume relationship with
theme and other issues, such as:
• suit the theme (conception and fitness);
• be developed with an imaginative creation (originality);
• be diversified, as to utilization of the theme potential (variety);
• have an accurate overall look, in terms of confection (finishing);
• provide a good sensorial impression (effect);
• allowing favorable color use

Above, the Queen of Carnival of Renascer do Jacarepagua, in a gorgeous carnival

costumes: Some of these Queens costumes can cost up to US$ 20.000,00 - Photo
Credit: Alexandre Vidal - Agencia Foto BR