Paulo Borges

An instrumental figure in the Brazilian fashion industry, Paulo Borges is chief executive of marketing and event production company Luminosidade and the founder of Sao Paulo Fashion week and Fashion Week Rio. Through Luminosidade, Borges maintains the official fashion week calendar in Brazil and orchestrates the production of the biannual fashion shows. Cited as the fifth-largest fashion event within the global community, both SPFW and Fashion Week Rio have gained significant international coverage and have helped launch the careers of designers such Lucas Nascimento and Alexandre Herchcovitch . 

Paulo’s longstanding career in fashion began in the mid-1980’s working for publications such as Vogue Brazil and producing fashion shows for local designers. In 1994 Paulo began working on Phytoervas Fashion, a project that showcased big domestic labels alongside lesser-known brands through a series of cultural events. Inspired by the showcase, Borges founded Morumbi Fashion Brazil in 1996. Quickly recognised as an important industry event, Paulo maintained creative direction of the show through the founding of Luminosidade in 1999 and in 2001 the event was re-branded as Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

Working through Luminosidade, Paulo has launched a number of other projects including Movimento Hotspot – a talent scouting program supporting designers in the fields of photography, visual arts and music – and Rio-A-Porter, a business lounge and showcase for international buyers.

Borges also works closely with government ministers through his role as a member of the National Cultural Policy of the Ministry of Culture, bolstering support for the industry through domestic initiatives and also acts as president of the Institute of Fashion and Design in Brazil.