Minas Gerais fashion surprises international journalists

The latest edition of Minas Trend Preview S/S 2015, which ended on April 8, showed the main trends form Minas Gerais labels to a select group of journalists and international buyers that were in the country at the invitation of Texbrasil (Brazilian Fashion Industry Internationalization Program). Fashion shows by the Vivaz, Gig, Mabel Magalhaes and Fabiana Milazzo brands put a sparkle in guests’ eyes.

Among opinion-makers were the editors of WGSN and Russia’s Fashion Magazine, reporters from the Uruguayan publication Paula – an insert in the El País newspaper – and from India’s Grazia publication, Canadian blogger Marika Borse, of Brose Nose, and a French TV crew from the A La Vie A La Mode show. The group of buyers was comprised of storeowners from the Middle East, England, Ireland and Chile.

In addition to fashion, Brazilian culture also fascinated the reporter for Grazia India, Spardha Malik, who was in Brazil for the first time: “We took a tour of the historic part of the city (Belo Horizonte), of the Praça da Liberdade and of museums, in addition to seeing the work of some brands such as Vivaz and Aua. It was, more than anything, a learning experience on Brazilian culture. I noticed that the event has a lot of embroidery, more elaborate than what is done in India. There are a lot of prints, tropical and vivid colors,” said the journalist.

For Jeanette Nkwate, from England’s WGSN trend bureau, the difference at Minas Trend is to promote a parallel between fashion and business. The artisanal side of Minas Gerais fashion is noteworthy, where embroidery and lace predominate, all done by hand. “The designers in Minas Gerais really focus on quality. At a time when technology allows us to do almost everything with a standard of excellence, artisanal fashion has become unique. As a result, the creators in Minas Gerais already know that consumers value products with this profile, in other words, that has a bit of a story and a historical heritage.”

Among activities for the communicators were visits to Minas Gerais-based brand factories.  Vivaz, Patricia Motta and Aua showed their work to the group. During the visit, they were able to see the stages in the production of dresses made by hand at Vivaz, the leather items developed by Patricia Motta and the collections done in partnership with indigenous communities and fine artists at Aua.