Cowboy Hat. Big buckle belt. Leather boot with cactus and rose ornament. Fitted jeans with glitter appliqué. Brown jacket with fringes on the sleeves. These pieces are not part of the look of female mannequins in department stores, they are not on the body of the best-known style influencers, nor are they on the catwalks of fashion weeks in Brazil.
However, they are worn by thousands of people in the states of the country where agriculture is an essential part of the economy. Practically ignored by those who set trends in the Southeast, country fashion has its own production and distribution ecosystem, in addition to a constellation of influencers willing to make country looks objects of desire and ostentation.
At the same time, in recent years, the agro style has taken over pop culture — it started to be shown to millions of people in concerts by sertanejos Ana Castela and Gusttavo Lima and in the Globo soap operas “Pantanal” and “Terra e Paixão”. At this year’s carnival, revelers jumped to the sound of Ivete Sangalo dressed as a “cowgirl”, in a bright red look.
“Country fashion is very old, but it became popular because of Ana Castela. In the past it was criticized, especially among women. Girls saw it as something very masculine and tacky”, says makeup artist and influencer Ana Júlia Bernardes, from Goiás, who has almost 120 thousand followers on Instagram @diariodeumabruta. “But as Ana Castela is so famous, she really broke the taboo.”
Bernardes also highlights social networks as disseminators of rural fashion. According to her, with the cell phone it became easier to find out what is worn in the corners of the United States, the reference country for Brazilians in this style of dress. That’s where an indispensable piece in the cowboy wardrobe comes from, also considered a classic of the 20th century —the Wrangler “boot cut” jeans.
Developed in 1947 and virtually unchanged to this day, these pants have slightly wider ankles to allow them to fit over boots. The original model is made entirely of cotton, without the use of elastane, which makes the denim resistant for the bump in daily work with cattle or for riding in rodeos. The pants are the official jeans of professional competitions in the United States.
It is at rodeos that country style reaches its peak. Lohana Martins, queen of the Expoacre 2023 rodeo, represents her title with an all-green outfit —one of the colors of the Acre flag— full of fringes and very, very bright. The crown sits on top of the hat and, in her ears, she carries large earrings. When choosing her costume, with which she parades on horseback, she says that she is concerned with not being vulgar or carnivalesque.
But the cowboy look is not restricted to competitions or farms, says costume designer Awa Guimarães, responsible for the style of the characters in “Agropeça”, a show by Teatro da Vertigem that criticizes agribusiness. According to her, who grew up going to rodeos, the hat, boots and jeans combo is used by men both on a daily basis and at parties and weekend rides.
The agroboy’s wardrobe also needs a plaid shirt with short sleeves or an oxford shirt, both models in a traditional palette. “There is no pastel tone in the country universe. We have solid colors, blue, black, brown that is from the earth, ocher green that refers to trees and mature nature”, says stylist Maris Tavares, who takes care of the image of singers and sertanejo singers, such as Zezé di Camargo and Maiara, from the duo with Maraisa.
“Country clothing is not fragile, it is associated with protection. It has no fragile fabrics, modeling, colors. They are subliminal messages of strength and security”, adds the stylist. For Tavares, the super-masculine look of country boys has become a fetish and stirs the female imagination, especially when worn by singers onstage. She argues that wearing a hat is not a joke, but an option, which is often linked to a large farm and a good truck.
To compose the costumes, one of the reference stores in the segment is Texas Center, in Goiânia, which defines itself as the Disneyland of agriculture. In e-commerce, the TXC brand is one of the most popular, offering not only agro-fashion, but also a selection of basic pieces and another one that leans towards streetwear, with t-shirts and graphic caps with the brand’s logo. As the purchasing power increases, the investment starts to include Diesel jeans, La Coste polos and Gucci pieces.
Those outside this universe have a hint of country fashion in the telenovela “Terra e Paixão”, aired on Globo. Some of the male characters appear in the fields with dusty and worn clothes, while others, like the one played by Tony Ramos, wear leather, suede and vests, giving the viewer the idea of power.
The soap opera’s costume designer, Paula Carneiro, says she receives many comments asking if Antônio La Selva, Ramos’ character, doesn’t feel hot for wearing thick fabrics. She says no, given that in the serial he lives in the air conditioning of his farm administrations.
“We create characters, not real people. It’s not a documentary series, we’re telling a story”, she says, adding that she spent a season researching in the interior of Mato Grosso do Sul, where the telenovela is located.
Another notable character in the telenovela is Irene –played by Glória Pires–, a former prostitute who became the wife of a rich landowner. The costume designer says that, as she is not an ordinary farmer, one way to highlight her was to think of a costume with colors inspired by wet cleaning wipes, that is, in muted tones of blue, yellow, pink and lavender.
“My research is not a trend. I think that costume is not fashion, it’s personality, it’s putting the clothes on to tell the story.”
