Sao Paulo Fashion Week was given a boost on Thursday by the high-profile return of Gisele Bundchen. The Brazilian is the world’s top-earning supermodel and had taken a year’s break from the biggest event in Latin America’s fashion calendar.

Also showing off Colcci’s precociously chic Winter 2014 collection was fellow Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio.

Colcci is heavily influenced by street and hip hop culture and is known for its sportswear, denims, accessories and footwear for the young. The Brazilian fashion company makes high-end clothing and accessories for men and women and operates in 31 countries. But the designers are also inspired by Mexican folk art, religious and historic images, and literature.

Before Colcci’s line-up, Lino Villaventura bewitched the crowd with a haunted awakening of paint-splattered heads. This was the entree to an ethereal, wispy female collection highlighted by several long, colour-saturated gowns. Lino and Inez Villaventura established the brand together in 1982. Villaventura is also an award-wining costume designer for film and theatre.

Fashion labels Gloria Coelho, Ronaldo Fraga, and Patricia Motta also had their chance in the limelight. They showcased their latest winter collections at Sao Paulo’s Villa-Lobos exhibition hall.

According to organisers, Sao Paulo Fashion Week generates upwards of 30 billion euros in export revenues.