Campana Brothers base Cangaço furniture on Brazilian bandits' clothing

design duo Fernando and Humberto Campana have created a collection of furniture that references the decorated leather clothing worn by Brazil's 19th-century Cangaceiros bandits.

The Cangaço collection was created for São Paulo gallery Firma Casa – also designed by the Campana Brothers – and consists of six leather and wicker furniture pieces.

It is based on clothing associated with the late 19th-century Cangaço movement of nomadic bandits, which occurred when peasants in Brazil's arid northeast rose up against wealthy landowners.

"In addition to their swashbuckling attitude, the Cangaceiros were also known for their peculiar clothing – wide-brimmed hats, side bags, boots, belts, vests – made of decorated leather, which protected them on their long journeys through the backlands," said a statement from Firma Casa.

The collection was made in partnership with Espedito Seleiro, who comes from a traditional family of leather craftsmen that made clothes for the Cangaceiros.

All of the pieces are manually covered with sections of colourful leather. Stitching, embossing and studs are used to accentuate swirling patterns, which vary across the collection.

Curved sections are included at the joints of a freestanding shelving unit, which tapers inwards towards the top.

Wood is used to create the base forms of the bookshelf and a peach-coloured cabinet, and the star-shaped mirror is crafted from aluminium and steel underneath red and orange leather.

The chair has an aluminium frame, while the the sofa and armchair are made from steel tubes. All are fitted with seats and backs woven from wicker, which is visible in small sections between gaps in the pattern of the leather covers.

The range was first launched at Firma Casa in June, and is currently on show at this year's Design Miami fair from 2 to 6 December 2015.

Also on show at the event are a chair shaped like a killer whale, seats that look as if they were squeezed out of a tube, and a table that fuses metal and volcanic rock.

The Campana Brothers are best-known for their unusual furniture designs, which include a cabinet made from the skin of the world's largest freshwater fish and a chair made from almost 500 metres of rope.