Fabio Barreto on leading Farm Rio's international growth mid-pandemic

According to Fabio Barreto, global CEO of Brazil-based Farm Rio, its tropical, eye-catching designs, along with its prioritization of digital and its unique brand story, have fueled the fashion brand's popularity since its launch in the ’90s.  To Barreto's point, Farm Rio's ability to connect with a younger audience through digital channels singlehandedly helped the brand stay afloat during the height of the pandemic, when customers couldn't access its physical retail locations.  "[Ours is] a unique brand. It's a new story, it's a different story, and it's a very strong story. We know a lot of what we are and what we're not and the lifestyle we care about," Barreto said on the latest episode of The Glossy Podcast. "[Our ability to tell] that story in such a strong way, with sophisticated messaging, assets, imagery and visual merchandising, is something that [resonates] with the customer."  Since Farm Rio's inception, it has opened over 90 stores in Brazil alone. And it recently forayed into international markets. In 2019, it opened three stores in the U.S., including in New York and Miami. And in June, it opened its first permanent location in L.A., following a slew of pop-ups. Farm Rio also has a store in Paris.