Shopping centres are to São Paulo what beaches are to Rio; a place to pass endless hours of leisure time, meeting friends, drinking beer and discovering potential new love interests. That’s not say that Paulistanos don’t take shopping seriously. São Paulo is the undisputed capital of shopping in Latin America and quite possibly a contender for the world title.
However, to the uninitiated, it’s difficult to know where to start in this megatropolis, especially if you don’t have excesses of time, so why not let luxury travel specialists Dehouche arrange a tailor made tour with a local guide and get straight to the boutiques worshipped by the locals themselves.
São Paulo is home to the shopping mecca of ‘Daslu’, sandwiched between a super highway and a shantytown with a helipad on the roof, this ode to consumerism, where a t-shirt easily costs more than the country’s minimum wage, has to some extent become a symbol of the economic injustice in Brazil and in recent years, shrouded in controversy due to allegations of tax evasion.
Nevertheless, a visit here is quite a unique experience, if only to ponder at the absurdity of it all. The exclusive home of Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton and Valentino in Brazil and frequented by the likes of Gisele Bundchen and Brazilian football star Ronaldo, the only possible way to arrive is by private car or taxi (or of course, helicopter) Let the doormen sweep you inside the revered ‘villa’ and so your journey into another world begins. The $50 million mansion is home to 120 designer boutiques and is renowned for its service; staff float unobtrusively yet attentively, something quite unique in a country anyone working on commission will traditionally pounce upon you the moment you enter the shop.
Certainly, this approach seems to appeal to Brazil’s elite who have made Sampa their home and ‘Daslu’ their stomping ground; however, if you’re not willing to pay $2000 for a pair of jeans, jump back in your limo and let Dehouche’s guide show you where you can get retail therapy at a more earthly price visiting up and coming designers actually in their studios and getting first bibs on items bound fr the European boutiques – the Dehouche shopping expert Luiza knows how to haggle and get the best bargain in the best craft shops too – time to start worrying about excess baggage!
Contact Dehouche to arrange your luxury holiday and let them arrange accommodation, transfers and insights into one of the world’s most fascinating cultures.
Dehouche Travel
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