Texbrasil celebrates 20 years of history

Texbrasil is celebrating 20 years of history. The initiative, created through a partnership between Abit (Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association) and Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), has a long and prosperous history of supporting Brazilian textile and apparel companies that follow the export path.

Over the next few months, we will remember great moments of these 20 years, including several events around the world, participation in major fashion weeks, as well as showing successful cases of participants.

Since its creation, the Program has been dedicated to helping national brands to be recognized outside the country and to make lasting business, adapting their production and distribution to the target markets. “Texbrasil’s goal has always been to support companies to export high-level products and to help them achieve the most desired international competitiveness,” says the Program’s executive manager, Lilian Kaddissi.

Whether through international tradeshows, events with qualified buyers, showrooms, training or technical visits, the Program seeks to understand individually what each company needs to succeed in exporting. As a result, the actions have leveraged the competitiveness and export of USD 9 billion in textile, apparel, technical and nonwoven and towels and linens fabrics.

In 20 years, around 7 thousand actions were held, including 431 tradeshows, which generated business of over USD 317 million for participants. “The Program is always attentive to what the international market demands, and shows the best ways for Brazilian brands to succeed,” says Lilian Kaddissi.

“The Texbrasil Program is a successful example of supporting Brazilian textile and apparel companies in accessing the international market. In addition to the relevant figures (only in 2019, more than 360 companies were supported), it is a project that has been improving and adapting, always listening to companies and markets, says Apex-Brasil Industry and Services Manager, Maria Paula Sobral Velloso .

Spreading the word about Brazil

Another aspect that the Program has always highlighted over the years is the visibility of Brazilian brands abroad. In 20 years, it brought to Brazil more than 1330 international journalists, who were able to follow closely the national fashion events, besides understanding the productive wealth, such as cotton plantations and weaving. In addition, Texbrasil supports the dissemination of participants around the world through the contraction of local public relations agencies. “We take advantage of events with the presence of many Brazilian brands to do this work with the press and create awareness of fashion and Brazilian industry. In addition, we support mature companies individually with the interest of strengthening their image in target markets,” says Lilian.

20 years of success

There are plenty of successful examples over the years. Individually, numerous brands have stood out, such as the beachwear one Adriana Degreas, which opened its second store in the USA this year, or Skazi, which in two years has achieved 18 new markets around the world.

“Exporting generates many benefits for our industry. Besides expanding into new markets, it maintains the financial health of the companies, protecting them in times of crisis”, points out the Texbrasil executive director, Rafael Cervone.

In 2020, the Program broke the record for participating companies the Colombiatex, main event of the textile sector in Latin America. Even with the difficulties faced this year, Texbrasil continues to search for tools to help brands and, over the last few months, has been carrying out online actions such as virtual business rounds, lives with great names in the world retail and the support of companies in virtual marketplaces.

The Program also continues to create strategies, always aligned with the themes highlighted on the world stage. With this in mind, the last agreement created the Brazilian Sustainable Fashion League. The initiative intends to create a league of companies that follow sustainable parameters, or that wish to adapt their production in this sense, seeking new capabilities and good practices that are already developed in other companies.

About Texbrasil

The Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program (Texbrasil) works with companies in the textile and clothing sector to develop strategies to win the global market. Over nearly 20 years, it has helped around 1500 brands to enter the export trail, making USD 3.6 billion in business. The Program is carried out through a partnership between Abit and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).