Osklen boy

For those that usually pass there, you might recognize this face. The store is very famous. I can’t remember the last time I walked in there, but I don’t even have to do it to be sure that it hasn’t lost its attributes.
In Portugal, there are two ways of judging anything that comes from Brazil. It’s possible to hear the word “Brazilian” being used in the most depreciative way, and seconds later listen to someone’s sophisticated vision of that country, its tropical enchantment or the natural charm of those that live there. It’s as if, for the Portuguese, there are two countries far away from each other… The Brazil of the “crioulo” and the “Sertão”, and the Brazil of Floripa, the São Paulo Fashion Week (that Osklen attends since 2003) and the German last names. I just don’t understand if we prefer the last one because of its charm or because it has more money (or can’t we just tell one from the other?).
When I look at the pictures covering my bedroom wall I get the feeling that the summer five or six years ago was sponsored by this brand. Those days, walking into that store – as far as I’m concerned, surely when it was on sale – with such a clean look, relaxing music, nice Brazilian accent and irreverent clothing, it wasn’t indifferent to no one. Half a dozen years later, it’s still something remarkable. It’s not just because it can mix coolness with sophistication better than any other brand in the market. Much of that merit also comes from this boy and its mates that approach you, laying a hand on your shoulder and asking you with their accent “suits you just fine, doesn’t it?”. The same question (disguised as a statement), in any other shop, would leave you cursing over that harassment. But in that shop, it draws you a smile, like this… as genuine as this one.