One of the Rio highlights was knitwear brand Coven's Autumn Winter outing. Of course, the term AW is vague over here with Rio's winters often warmer than European summers Still, designer Liliane Rebehy and her two colleagues managed to present a collection straddling both seasons - and staying true to its South American roots. Heavily inspired by the Maya Indians in Guatemala and the cultural treasures in Antigua, the design trio mixed indigenous patterns with ultra modern fabrics.

Also the colour palette testified to a brand that is capable of fusing local traditions with the modern demands of 21st century customers; natural shades like beige and brown were intertwined with strong pink and green fluorescent tones. Also silver and gold glitter featured throughout. Jacquard prints came out on tight trousers and cropped jackets, hand embroidered glitter tops brought a touch while colourful diagonally cut jackets perfectly married Coven's domestic heritage with their forward-thinking use of knitwear techniques.

Dazed Digital: What was the starting point behind the collection?
Coven: It was inspired by Antigua, the city in Guatemala... all the beautiful hand made and well-crafted artisanal products that you can find there.

DD: There is a nice mixture of strong almost fluorescent shades and more subtle and natural colours...
Coven: The bright colours came from the light of the city, the fire and the colour of the land.

DD: Someone mentioned a 20s Art Deco feeling to the collection, is  that correct?
Coven: Well, some of the shapes are inspired by geometric window shapes that go back to that time epoch, and the colonial architecture.    

DD: Tell me about some of the fabrics...
Coven: The whole collection is knitted using different fabrics. We experimented with different textures and materials... some of them have cotton, polyamide and a few very Brazilian fabrics.

DD: What were the embroidered faces on some of the tops?
Coven: They are Guatemalan masks that we have transferred to the jumpers. All of this hand knitted and hand embroidered. 

DD: What does 'Coven' mean, where did you get the name from?
Coven: It refers to a meeting of witches, it's a Portuguese word...

DD: Do you have a favourite piece in the collection?
Coven: The mask pieces sum up the collection for me, they are very Guatemalan and colourful!