The Clubber Community and the Role of Fashion in Belonging: A Comparative Analysis of the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Scenes

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21814/vista.6271

Keywords:

fashion, clubber, neo-tribalism, communication, urban culture

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the clubber scene and its relationship with fashion in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, using a comparative approach. The research seeks to understand the main events linked to the clubber culture in the Rio–São Paulo axis and investigate how its attendees relate to fashion and to the clubber identity itself, grounded in the concept of "neotribalism". The theoretical framework is based on the works of Maffesoli (1988/2000), Bourdieu (1991/2001), Thornton (1995), and Barthes (1967/1979), which help explain the symbolic, social, and aesthetic processes involved.

To achieve its goals, the study employed three methodological strategies: participant observation, in-depth interviews, and a survey. The analysis of the collected data reveals that fashion plays a fundamental role in shaping clubber identity, serving as both an aesthetic and social language. The clubber scene emerges as a space for experimentation, transgression, and constant reinvention. Furthermore, the research highlights how its signs and symbols are appropriated and redefined by the market, illustrating the dynamic of capitalist incorporation. In this way, the study sheds light on the complex relationship between style, belonging, and consumption within the contemporary context of urban cultures.

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Author Biographies

Guilherme Pecly, Departamento de Publicidade, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Guilherme Pecly holds a degree in Communication and Advertising from the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing in Rio de Janeiro. He participates in the Scientific Initiation Programme at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing for the 2022/2023 cycle, where he was recognised for writing one of the three best papers of the cycle.

Lilyan Berlim, Departamento de Design, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Lilyan Guimarães Berlim holds a PhD in Social Sciences from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro and a master's degree in Environmental Sciences from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, with a focus on transformations in the fashion market in relation to sustainability. She is a consultant on sustainability and new businesses in fashion at Sebrae. She is a member of the scientific committee of the Global Fashion Conference. She is a guest lecturer for the master's programme at the Nottingham Trent University Business School (United Kingdom). She teaches undergraduate and extension courses at the School of Advertising and Marketing, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, and the Istituto Europeo di Design, among others. She is a specialist in the luxury market, a course manager in the related segment. She has worked as a textile designer for brands in Rio de Janeiro since 1986.

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Published

2025-06-20

How to Cite

Pecly, G., & Berlim, L. (2025). The Clubber Community and the Role of Fashion in Belonging: A Comparative Analysis of the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Scenes. Vista, (15), e025009. https://doi.org/10.21814/vista.6271