Brazil-based fashion brand PatBo is laying the foundation for a strong U.S. community through a newly opened Miami store specializing in limited-edition pieces.
PatBo, which has 1 million Instagram followers, has seen over 30% year-over-year revenue growth since its inception in 2012. The brand quickly became known for its unique designs, which include dresses with detailed embroidery and summery separates inspired by Brazilian culture. Its prices range from $100 for swimwear to over $1,000 for ready-to-wear styles.
Founder and designer Patricia Bonaldi said opening the Miami store was motivated by the local demand, communicated through social media, among the city’s Brazilian expats. According to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, approximately one-third of Brazilians living in the U.S. are in Florida, mostly in Miami. PatBo opened its first U.S. store in NYC in 2021, the same year the brand first showed up on the NYFW calendar. Globally, PatBo has 17 stores, including 15 in Brazil.
Currently, 50% of PatBo’s business is driven by wholesale channels, but the DTC side is growing and Bonaldi is focused on growing direct sales in the states. Increasing the opportunities to buy into the brand’s limited-edition styles is a key strategy.
“[Wholesale] validates the brand, but the future is definitely more DTC because of how closely you can talk with your clients,” Bonaldi said. The brand’s partners include Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Holt Renfrew and Neiman Marcus.
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According to Bonaldi, the product driving the most customer acquisition is runway pieces, or pieces that are included in the brand’s seasonal runway shows, rather than ready-to-wear. “The runway [clothes] are usually the more expensive, unique clothes, and we don’t produce a lot. [Our customer] is looking for that exclusivity — special pieces that she has not seen everywhere.” Currently, the brand makes just 5-10 pieces of about 38 styles per season, which are priced at $600-$3,000.
Fifty percent of PatBo’s DTC sales come from runway pieces. The brand promotes the runway collection through in-store events and social media posts showing their creation. To lean into the demand, PatBo is now expanding into eveningwear and pieces with more embroidery.
The renewed focus on pieces with next-level craftsmanship also complements PatBo’s unique production processes. In 2015, Bonaldi started a non-profit school in Brazil’s Uberlandia where local women are taught how to do embroidery. “We have already taught more than 500 students,” she said.
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Bonaldi sees the school as an investment into the future of the brand. “Many of them are super proud to continue to work with PatBo,” she said. “Others go on to open their own small business or start a brand.”
Today, as clients increasingly want to understand where and how the brand’s items are made, the school and its students are playing a more prominent role in the brand’s content on Instagram.
Overall, a Brazilian company running a U.S. business isn’t easy, Bonaldi said. “The most challenging part is connecting the operational side across cultures and people,” she said. “We have a language barrier, and people think differently. You need to put a lot of effort into ensuring [the brand] is cohesive.”
The brand’s current focus is growing in the Miami market and partnering with its local influencers to grow its overall reach in the U.S. Brands including Dion Lee, H&M and Ralph Lauren have also opened Miami stores in the last year.
