World's Most Fashionable Nations

French and Italian fashion houses have dictated clothing trends for many years, but are these nations really the most stylish in the world? In fact, when you take a look around the world's biggest cities, you will soon discover that Barcelona, Melbourne, Copenhagen or Sao Paulo easily rival Paris, Milan or Rome. Today, the best fashion scenes are not the catwalks but the streets where people are dressed with style, look uniquely and sexy.

Below are five most fashionable nations presented in alphabetical order:

1. The Australians.

It must be the sun, ocean and a laid-back attitude towards life that make Aussies look so great, relaxed and well-dressed. Australian fashion, with its casual and individualistic approach, can be clearly distinguished from European style that is still a bit conservative. Let's make it clear - no one wears flip-flops to the theatre in Europe. Most of the clothing designs in

Australia

are influenced by the surf culture, outdoor activities, graffiti and arts that form impressive fusion of styles and colours.

Still, Australian dress-code is more than foot thongs, swimming suit and a pair of old jeans. Today, the country's fashion industry has grown big and its designers are world-renowned and internationally acclaimed. The streets of Sydney, Melbourne or Perth are filled with super-dressed people wearing innovative unique clothing that can rival the best European haute couture.

2. The Brazilians.

Sao Paulo Fashion Week, one of the flagship events of the Brazilian clothing world, provides some evidence for

Brazil

's passion for fashion. It is not the latest trends straight from catwalks that make the Brazilian fashion so interesting, however. The nation's great sense of style, full of colors, mosaic patterns and well fitting or actually, skin-tight clothes, capture the optimistic spirit of Brazilians best. Exotic and sexy style of the women is admired and envied all around the world and the Brazilians' unique mix of different cultural influences, from Africa to Europe and Asia, make the country's fashion extraordinary and internationally acclaimed.

Today, Brazilian clothing industry has grown strong on the global markets. Original design and custom-made lines rival the world's largest industries - the country is currently the second largest denim fabric producer and fifth largest apparel producer in the world.

3. The Danish.

Oh,

Denmark

is trendy! The Danes have this great fashion sense simply running through their veins. It can be easily observed on the streets of Denmark's largest cities, Copenhagen, Aarhus or Alborg, where literally everyone is dressed with style. Still, the Danes don't seem to care as much about the latest trends, they rather follow their own fashion rules - the clothes are somehow both classical and innovative - their simple cut, organic colours, perfect fit and top quality materials accompanied with stylish patterns and original detail make Danes look absolutely gorgeous.

Today Danish fashion is one of the main pillars of the country's export industry. Despite its small size, Denmark is the 9th largest exporter of clothes among the OECD states, and it holds 2.8 % of the international export market.

4. The Japanese.

Fashion in

Japan

is not only the bizarre and insane look of crazy teenagers occupying the streets of Harajuku, the trendy shopping district in Tokyo. Actually, Japanese have an amazing sense of aesthetics and there are no other countries in the world where art plays such a big role in the history of the nation. From ink painting on silk and paper and subtle calligraphy to more recent manga and cartoon, Japanese's need for expressing themselves through art can be observed in every aspect of their life. Also in the clothing world, Japan is a place where fashion meets art.

The way Japanese dress is refined to the last detail, unique and rich. Fashion in Japan reflects the latest trends of the world's biggest fashion houses but it can also perfectly combine modern ideas with classical Japanese look.

With such big names as Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo, Issey Miyake and Comme des Garçons 's Rei Kawakubo, who developed a new way of cutting, today Japan is one of the most interesting fashion markets in the world.

5. The Spanish.

The time is now for

Spain

. In fact, saying that Paris, Rome and Milan are fashion capitals of the world would be a bit of cliché - today these are Madrid and Barcelona that dictate fashion trends in Europe and worldwide. Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Mango and El Corte Ingles dress Europeans, Americans and Asians and it is the Spanish designers like Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Pura Lópe, Pedro del Hierro and  Paco Rabanne that have revolutionized the international fashion industry.

Fashion has always been an integral part of the Spanish culture where people look sophisticated and stylish. They just know how to combine sleek, casual and smart pieces of clothing into one perfect outfit. And the shoes. The shoes are always bang up to date. Spain, with its rich tradition of leather craftsmanship, is the second largest shoes producer in the European Union, after Italy.