Some 80 per cent of costumes on show at Brazil’s iconic carnival festival this year have been imported, and almost exclusively from China, according to the president of the country’s Association of Textile Importers.

From the more traditional creations flaunted by competing samba schools to the stranger outfits such as Elvis Presley suits and Osama Bin Laden masks, the vast majority are made from Chinese polyester and nylon, along with the odd piece from South Korea.

Cheap Chinese imports have flooded the Latin American country over the past few years, partly as a result of the local currency’s rapid appreciation, bringing several parts of the economy to a halt and presenting Dilma Rousseff with one of her biggest political dilemmas yet as Brazil’s new president. Now even the country’s famous four-day carnival, which ends on Tuesday is “made in China”.