Trendsetters, if you’re searching for this year’s Next Big Thing, look no further. It’s Brazil. From design to music, via fashion and film, the country that spawned the bossa nova, the G-string and the world’s first footballing superstar is more “in” than ever before.

Take movies. Hot on the heels of the Oscar-nominated City of God, this month sees the release of two Brazilian films, Carandiru and Bus 174, both tipped for the big time. Or fashion: in May, the Brasil 40° exhibition, a month-long Brazil-themed event at Selfridges, will see the department store given the feel of a Rio street market. Brazilian design is also making waves: in June, London’s Design Museum will stage the first UK exhibition of work by the trailblazing furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana. And as for music: the Brazilian rap song from the Nissan X-Trail advert, remixed by Fatboy Slim, is filling dancefloors; sampa nova (electronica mixed with bossa nova) is the chillout music de nos jours; London’s two most exciting drum’n’bass DJs are the Brazilians Marky and Patife; and Bebel Gilberto’s Tanto Tempo album recently became the bestselling Brazilian record of all time.

Why all this buzz now? Brazil’s new-found confidence can be attributed to two things: last year’s inauguration of a bearded former shoeshine boy, Lula, as president (Lula is the first Brazilian leader in a decade to attract high levels of international attention); and an increasing interest from the outside world in the Brazilian way of life. Why are we so attracted to it? Because it’s different. Large, self-contained and isolated enough to have developed a parallel society with particular attitudes towards important issues such as religion, race and sexuality, Brazil is the “other”: a tropical new world of freedom, musicality and exoticism, bubbling with energy and promise. Carnival is not just about dressing up in drag, but about breaking down social barriers.

Brazilian culture also fosters an inclusivity and diversity that is highly attractive to an Old World looking for inspiration, a refreshing reminder that there is an alternative future to the one with a Starbucks on every corner. Sure, the fact that Gisele Bundchen is the world’s leading supermodel, and that Brazil are World Cup champions, means the country still has a reputation for exoticism. But Brazilian culture is about so much more than that.

In 1914, an expatriate German writer called Stefan Zweig published a book called Brazil: Land of the Future. Land of the Future? Perhaps not quite yet, but it’s certainly on its way.

THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO BRAZIL

SEX

The rules of courtship are different in Brazil. When a guy chats up a girl, the first question she will ask is: "Are you married?" It is easy to have affairs because there are love hotels — saucy playrooms where you pay by the hour — on every other block. Most middle- class Brazilians lose their virginity in love hotels, the best of which come with flashing dancefloors, hot tubs and a wide variety of television porn. Also, before a relationship gets serious, Brazilians will insist on a "beach date" so they can have a look at a prospective lover's body before making up their minds. Men are most interested in women's bottoms: the larger and more rounded the better.

THE BEACH

Nobody reads at the beach. Why would they? Instead, they flirt, pose and check out the talent. The female fashion rules are: wear as little as possible, but come with hair done and make-up on, decked out in earrings, necklaces and ankle bracelets. The girls who modelled the swimwear for these photos were actually rather distressed that the bikinis we provided were not skimpy enough. Competition is fierce: you want to look as good as possible. The beach is divided up into invisible sections — pot-smokers here, gay men there, surfers over there, and so on. Every 800yd, there is a post with a number written on it to help identify locations. (Just after Post 9 is the trendiest spot on Ipanema Beach.) Women bring sarongs to lie on, but spend more time standing up, chatting and posing. Men never bring sarongs. They sit together on the sand or approach women with the line "Can I sit on your sarong?", which is the local equivalent of "Do you come here often?".

MEAT CULTURE

Meat is a religion here, and its churches are churrascarias, or traditional Brazilian barbecues. Ostensibly a type of restaurant, the best churrascarias are like meat theme parks. Once you've paid your entrance fee, you are allowed to eat as much flesh as you like.

PLASTIC SURGERY

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