Patricia Bonaldi plans to open the store in the Middle East

The luxury designer Patricia Bonaldi, from Texbrasil (Brazilian Fashion Industry Export Program) developed by Abit in partnership with Apex-Brazil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), plans to open a store in the Middle East over the next 18 months, reports the newspaper Valor Economico.

The city chosen was Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, where per capita income exceeds USD 60,000. “The investments should be in USD 400,000 for the opening of the store, which will take about 100 m² and around six and eight employees. The preview is to make USD 1 million per year,”says Luiz Morais, Director of the brand, which already sells for Eastern countries since 2008.

Exports currently account for about 50 percent of foreign sales of the brand. The first business contact was accomplished with a Kuwaiti buyer in 2009. The sales value reached 80,000 euros, with exports to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait. What is expected for this year is that the brand has a turnover of 250,000 euros in this market.

In Rafael Cervone’s opinion, Executive Director of the Program, exports begin from Dubai in order to use them as a “showcase” for the other countries in the Middle East, “Arab consumers value a lot our organic cotton, enjoy the colorful patterns, and although they dress with traditional clothes, underneath they wear fashionable clothes, with high added value. The party clothes are highly valued by this public,” he adds.

These countries already qualify with a high degree of relevance in importing products of Brazilian fashion, in particular, party dresses, children clothing, beach wear, lingerie and shoes. It is expected that the Arab countries import USD 6.7 million this year on clothing, fabrics, bath, bedding, kitchen and dinning from Brazil. Of this total, USD 5.3 million will come from clothing.