The Brazilian shoe designers went to search in nature for the inspiration on next season’s combinations. This year there is a natural theme, with ethnic and indigenous elements.
The new shoes also sport colors of the earth, hay, jute, in contrast with details in stones, metallic leather and embroideries.
“It is the contrast of hay with stone. Of natural with precious,” explains Kênia Domingos, designer of the brand Spatifilus, from the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
According to the designer, it is exactly this mixture that ensures the differential in the 2005/2006 spring-summer collection, to be launched at the International Trade Fair of Shoes, Fashion Accessories, Machinery and Components (Francal), which will take place from the 19 to the 22 of July in São Paulo.
The collections inspired in the richness of Brazilian fauna, flora and stones and in national handmade artifacts, so familiar to the internal market consumers, added a high value to the product abroad.
According to the president of Francal, Abdala Jamil Abdala, this is the only trade fair of the sector in the country that motivates the development of a truly Brazilian design of shoes.
“This is one of the ways thought up by national manufacturers to overcome the difficulties of pricing the shoes in the foreign market, and the drop in exports due to the appreciation of the Brazilian real in relation to the United States dollar,” he said.
The shoe sector is one of those that have suffered the most with the appreciation of the Brazilian currency, which makes national products more expensive abroad.
Just to have an idea, between January and May 2005, the country exported 10 million pairs of shoes less, in comparison to the same period in 2004. There were 89.6 million pairs, against 99.8 million pairs last year.
In spite of the small exports volume, the revenue did not behave in the same fashion. From January to May, exports yielded US$ 765.9 million, against US$ 707.2 million in the same period in 2004. The reason was the increase in the average price per pair of shoe sold abroad.
Color and Model Trends
Spatifilus’ bet is in colors predominantly of dry tones, citric green, orange, turquoise blue, yellow, earth tones, coral pink. “The Annabelle sandals (with a full high heel) are the high point of the collection. With seams, rounded tip, a little curve on the heel, in other words, in all shapes and heights,” explains the designer Kênia Domingos.
The fine shoes now have an antiskid sole and colorful heels; the “party” line, floral and stone print material in the inner sole. The colors are between golden, black and old silver. Neutral tones, such as champagne and suave pink are also used. The slipper shoes that, according to Kênia, were already a success in the autumn-winter collection, are lighter and more colorful with prints on the inner soles. Some have flower appliqués.
According to the designer, one of the novelties is the brushed leather, which allows for suavity in the collection, which also has shoes inspired by animal fur. The line “animal on the loose” includes wildcat, snake and crocodile skin imitations.
Kênia also created her own brand of handbags, Josefine. “They are more sophisticated handbags, with selected materials, well finished, with stone appliqués. I also use a lot of fabric with glitter and snakeskin print leather,” she says. According to her, the sensation for the season will be “grandma” style handbags, with metal clasps, loops and chains. Created in October 2004, Josefine already sends 20% of their weekly production of 200 handbags abroad. The United States and Porto Rico are the importers.
Handmade
Another brand from Minas Gerais that will be present at the Francal is Paula Bahia. With monthly production of only 5,000 pairs of shoes, the brand has its articles in the windows of the Portuguese chain Lanidor and in various boutiques in Europe, Australia, the United States, South Africa and Porto Rico and will be one of the 11 companies to participate in the National Design Space, special are inside the fair reserved for companies with personalized products, made in practically handmade manner.
“Our collection is based on ethnic, on the rustic. From low casual sandals to those with very high heels, and many details in stones, tacks and flowers,” explains the designer and owner of the brand, Paula Bahia. The brand will present 150 models, predominantly with earth tons, yellow, orange and coral.
Elaine Grams, stylist at Rafitty, manufacturer of handbags based in the city of Campo Bom, in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, explains that the handbags also follow the natural trend, with earth tons, coral and green. “The greatest demand will be for medium sized and large handbags. The straps are shorter,” she explained.
As well as that, the company will present its traditional line, of synthetic material personalized with the brand RR. “Within this line, there will be handbags with floral embroidery and the “straw” line, with leather flower appliqués,” she said.
For men’s shoes, the brand Galvani, from the city of Franca, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, presents its more traditional line with classic models, in various shades of brown and black, and the youngster line of ‘shoestennis’ and the great novelty for this year’s Francal edition: the Adventure line, for practicing adventure sports.
“We believe in comfort and in innovation in alternative materials that are appropriate to practice sports, even in water,” explains the director Norival Galvani. According to him, they even have orthopaedic inner soles to ensure more comfort to the athletes.
The Tradeshow
Francal 2004 will cover 44,000 square meters in the Anhembi Exhibit Pavilion, and should gather about 1,000 exhibiting companies and 60,000 visitors.
Of the 54,000 visitors in last year’s edition, 27,000 were shop owners, people interested in doing business. There were also 3,000 importers representing more than 100 countries, which is within the shoe industry’s strategy of opening new markets for the Brazilian product.
Francal is considered as the great annual meeting of the whole productive chain with the buying market. Participating in the event are from the greatest producers of shoes, fashion accessories, equipment, technology and shoe components, to the small and medium sized companies in these segments, which are looking for growth and strengthening their business.
Service
Francal 2005
Period: From 19th to 22nd July 2005, from 10 am to 8 pm (on the 22nd, from 10 am to 5 pm)
Venue: Anhembi, São Paulo, SP
Information: (+ 55 11) 4689-3100
Website: www.feirafrancal.com.br
ANBA – www.anba.com.br