On January 25th and 26th, at Centro de Eventos da FIERGS, in Porto Alegre/RS, took place Inspiramais. An event unique in its kind in Latin America, the Materials Design and Innovation Exhibit is a milestone in the history of genuinely national identity-building projects. The Exhibit is a reference point for the entire market, responsible for driving a process that involves the entire industry, serving the footwear, furniture, automotive, clothing, accessories, and jewelry sectors, gathering information that unifies language and methodology for the entire fashion production chain.
The exhibit that presented the new products for the 2023_I season kept part of the DNA of the physical event that was held for a decade in São Paulo. The organization of the event followed all the health protocols recommended by the competent bodies. The layout was the same as the last on-site event, bringing together solutions in design, innovation, and sustainability for segments such as footwear and components, clothing, furniture, and jewelry in the same environment. The new format leveraged and promoted new business: in addition to Brazilians, 50 buyers and 16 international journalists participated.
Sustainability was one of the highlights of the 2023_I edition. In addition to a special study contemplating guidelines for companies that want to invest in sustainable innovation – with concepts and cases – the show featured an island of sustainable materials, an evolution of the Sustainability Hall, the trademark of previous editions of the physical event. In addition to Inspiramais, the sustainability island toured the main international fairs on By Brasil Components, Machinery and Chemicals´ calendar in 2022: Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Ecuador, presenting the sustainable cluster of Brazilian fashion to the foreign market. The talks were held at the Innovation Arena and will also be broadcast on the exhibit's digital channels.
Inspiramais welcomed visitors to see products with innovations in creation, design, sustainability, and technology up close, an exhibit that brought together design solutions for the footwear and component, clothing, furniture, and jewelry industry from than 150 national exhibitors carefully selected by Walter Rodriguez.
Assintecal's superintendent, Silvana Dilly, highlighted the potential of the confirmed buyers, who together produce over 44 million pairs every year, apart from the large distributors that come from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Paraguay. “Inspiramais took place at a time when Brazilian component exports are bouncing back, which should boost business”, Silvana projected. Data prepared by Assintecal show that, in 2021, the sector's exports totaled US$ 410.3 million, 22% more than in 2020 and 9% above the 2019 record, not only recovering but exceeding the levels recorded in the pre-pandemic period. “There is a growing demand, especially from Latin American neighbors, who are having difficulties importing from Asia due to the increase in international freight rates and the current exchange rate”, explained the superintendent, noting that the average growth in exports of components to countries in Latin America is 44%, therefore higher than the total growth in shipments.
The exhibit is based on the pyramid methodology, implementing the 10%, 30%, and 60% stages, organizing your way of searching, creating, and processing materials, the 10% means innovations that are built on the company´s DNA, technology, and purposes. 30% of the Pyramid Methodology corresponds to the stage in which the results of innovation start to bear fruits, always bearing in mind the company´s DNA and technology. At the bottom is the last stage, namely 60%, at this point you should find out what the company´s initial products were, which brought about the enterprise's success and profit.
Body was the theme of the 2023_I season. The Research and Design Nucleus of Inspiramais explained the topic by thinking of the body as an archive of time. A record of human history. It is directly related to social, cultural, economic, and behavioral aspects. It is based on these premises that the Research and Design Nucleus of Inspiramais worked to create the references that make up the theme of the 2023_I season: Body. “The body is extremely important for the times we are living in. It expresses our fragility and our strength to continue to project hope and life”, highlighted the coordinator of the Research and Design Nucleus of Inspiramais, Walter Rodrigues.
Another narrative linked to the 2023_I theme is diversity and multiple bodies. The various physical shapes, the genderless pieces, persons with disabilities, all find their place in fashion. “Increasingly, these fluid genres, these perceptions, pass through the body's idea of transcending the issue of fashion. Those of us who are making raw materials have to assimilate all these concepts and put them into our products”, he explained. Sustainability is also remembered in the season integrated with the theme. And the corset is a piece that demonstrates a change in posture, linked to the image of power, with adjusted silhouettes and an air of sovereignty.
In relation to materials and shapes, there are pieces of waxed, polished leather, a light that falls on the fabrics, in addition to heavy materials, but with trim, in ample patterns, which create volume in the shoulders and collars. Neoprene and heavy knits also make an appearance, structured and new models of the perfecto jackets. Elements such as the print reminiscent of body stamps, the rubberized appearance, the glassy effect, the golden pieces, the fur, and the destroyer style – reusing already-made pieces – complete the elements that help to tell the story linked to the Body. Smart products and very creative.
Inspiramais Program.
The program had very curated conferences as an inspiration lecture 10%, 30%, and 60% of the pyramid. Another about Sustainability and innovation, materials presentation. Sustainability as innovation future, preview 2023_II Earth by Walter Rodriguez, sustainability creative solutions, leather preview conference 2023_II- Terra among others.
In the case of Preview 2023_II Earth, Walter Rodriguez remarked that after a catastrophe comes to an innovation boom, and he quoted Helmut Lang, who says: "Caring for the planet earth is the great maxim".
In his lecture, he spoke about biomimetics, which emulates processes or projects of nature to create design solutions, and mentioned the tendency to create textures, materials, appearance, hides, all inspired by mushrooms, the idea of mold. A second theme was symbiosis, the common life of 2 organisms that coexist harmonically, being benefited for that action, for example, things old textures with new. Linking technology with the new and the natural. The third theme was bionic, the subject assumes different needs, the metaverse, which is a computer program that emulates a reality through avatars. Mutation materials, aspects inspired by digital environments, fluidity of forms.
The promotion of Inspiramais was carried out by the Brazilian Association of Leather, Footwear and Component Companies (Assintecal) in conjunction with the Brazilian Association of Textile and Clothing Industries] (Abit), Brazilian Tannery Industries Center (CICB), Brazilian Association of Furniture Industries (Abimóvel) and Brazilian Exports and Investment Agency (Apex-Brasil). It was organized by the By Brasil Components, Machinery and Chemicals program and in partnership with Sebrae Nacional.
For more information
https://originalbybrasil.com.br/en/
https://www.inspiramais.com.br/en/
