Searching for the best swimwear Brazil has to offer, I recommend spending your hard-earned cents at…read moreLenny Niemeyer. This super fashion forward local brand is like the Gucci of the bikini world and your gorgeous beach wear is very likely to turn heads. The pattens are simply beautiful and the quality is top notch. There's everything from elegant one pieces to skimpy bikini sets and even beach wear. If you're looking to make a statement with your sunny day attire, Lenny is the place.

Osklen is a high-end Brazilian brand where one can find chic and trendy casual clothing, shoes and…read morebeach/surf gear. This Ipanema location is a beautiful, big, two-storey store. We went in looking for a specific pair of men's swim trunks and they brought out the right sizes straight away. The sales associates spoke limited English but were pleasant.

I've seen this chain store in a couple of other places and apparently they have branches in Copa,…read moreCentro, Largo de Marchado, and Niterói. This time I actually looked in and they had some cool designed t-shirts. They only sell men's and women's t-shirts and tank tops (at least at this store), which keeps it simple. They have Carioca styled designs and other general themes. It's a good place to get a simple design, decent quality and a good place for gifts. Staff was friendly and efficient.

Girls - If you want to buy yourself some clothes to feel "carioca" (which means, from Rio), this is…read morethe store. They have plenty of colors and hippie fancy clothes. It's not too expensive compared to other big Brazilian brands and it's supposed to be good quality. This store is available in a few malls, but this store specifically is like the "mother store" - the biggest and the nicest one.

Very hippie like vibe with lots of colorful bold prints. Very Carioca like.read more

Love this place. It has all the greatest Rio designs one can hope for. I usually like picking up…read moresomething to remind my visitors of their great time here. It's a perfect gift for visitors or even friend who never make it out to Rio. I like how innovative the design are and how they are constantly changing so that if you come back later you'll always find something different. Some bags are more about aesthetics than practicality but that's what makes it fun. With three stores in town and features in the Galeão airport and Pão de açúcar gift stores, Gilson Martins is making his name in Rio!

How carioca is this? The staff offered us tea, juice and wait, shots of cachaca while we browsed!…read moreHowever it was 9 am and my stomach held up the stop sign. Rude. But on to the goods...of all the souvenirs I brought back to the US, the change purses from Gilson Martins were hands-down the favorites. The designs are unique and the quality much better than items you would come across at other souvenir shops.

It's on the fourth floor of a small shopping complex on Rua Santa Clara, which I recommend you take…read morethe stairs since the elevator is super slow. Our friend told us about this place and heard it was a good place to pick up some beachwear and kanga wraps (cloth for covering up after the beach). It had a good sized space with a variety of dresses and tops. Everything ranged from grande, mediano,or pequeno (large medium or small) or it was a one size fits all. There are no changing rooms but they let you try things over your clothes. They have piles of kangas with a variety of patterns and colors but you have to sort through them and they're all folded and stacked in piles. I didn't see much of the more popular touristy ones like Cristo or Copacabana patterns but they might have been Ina different pile. I did find one with a brazil flag. It looks like the wholesale store for the beach guys. Definitely a place to look if you want a wrap or are looking for presents. The sales ladies are quite nice too.

Best prizes and selection on Havaianas. I come here and get what I can before going over to the…read moreofficial Havaianas store not too far away.

If your looking for sandals this is the place! Havianas everywhere in every shade and size. The…read moreprices are the best and you won't get a better price then here. Every time I'm in Brasil this is where I come to get sandals.

Fun spot, but the customization process is a little confusing. Paid for flip flops and then…read morerealized that you had to pick out charms and pay, before they put them on. So had to wait at register 2x and the charm station 2x. But all in all it was a good experience, we had fun!

Havaianas are a lot more expensive in the US than they are in Brazil... and we don't get the same…read moreselection. The Havaianas in Rio has so many cute designs, patterns and styles. I opted for purple (my favorite color) metallic flip flops and added a Brazilian flag charm to the right flip flop. This was the perfect souvenir to bring home to commemorate a great vacation. Locally made with some Brazilian pride. Love it!