The four days of the online event, over a thousand materials were released. The only exhibit for solutions in sustainability, technology, and fashion for clothing, jewelry, footwear, and furniture in Latin America – Digital Inspiramais – started on Tuesday, July 13 with the main released for the 2022_II season and finishing July 16. In this edition, the program included an exclusive physical exhibition at Abicalçados, in Novo Hamburgo.
The coordinator of the Research and Design Nucleus of Inspiramais, Walter Rodrigues, opened the event with a talk on the theme of this edition of the event: Future Proof, which corresponds to 10% of innovation, according to the product pyramid methodology. “We are talking about a very important moment, of recovery, which will take place in the near future. Therefore, we asked the following question: what is the transformation key for the fashion market? The answer was relevance”, Rodrigues emphasized.
In the assessment of the coordinator of the Research and Design Nucleus, it is important to translate feelings into the form of materials and products, making them desired and necessary. “It will be necessary to inject a dose of purpose into our brands”, he observed. The first narrative linked to the theme is Quantum – the smallest particle of any element that exists in the world, which refers to the essence of things. “We have the opposition of textures and finishes. The contrast between smooth and textured, a combination of multiple textures in the same product. We also see the materials being recycled, materials that already exist, and the use of prints of rocks and precious stones”, he explained.
Sports is another keyword presented in the research. “Luxury and casual brands are incorporating materials that are perfect for performance, sports, comfort, technology, body involvement and interaction with sweat”, the coordinator says. In the talk, he showed cuts and dynamism in the use of colors and shapes, in addition to technology in the soles. Boning is the expression used to demonstrate the removal of the structure of materials to ensure softness and fluidity. “We see models, including furniture, with an abundance of fabrics and more pleated leather. We have volume, but without structure, with cutouts and a lighter appearance”, he added.
Hypervisual is the second narrative linked to the theme of the 2022_II season. Maximalism is connected to this concept— with inspiration from graphics, hackers, and geeks. “The sources of inspiration are TV series, an explosion of colors, movement, youth, and energy. They are innovative models, graphics, contrasts, almost holographic effects”, he reveals. With the pandemic, borders were closed, and, with that, materials became difficult to import. This finding is linked to the idea of strengthening tribes. This is what the keyword Ancestry is associated with. In materials, accessories, furniture, designers use African matrix references, translating feelings into graphics, in a timeless language.
At the end of the presentation, Rodrigues showed the color palette planned for Future Proof: Scuba Blue, Yellow Iris and Purple Heather, from Pantone´s color identification system. “In this edition, we show how inspirations are translated into materials based on the work of managers in designs that accompany Inspiramais´ program”. Audiences can see how Quantum and Hyper visual have been decoded into materials.
On July 16, the public saw a preview of the theme for the 2023_I edition: Body. The official program ended with pieces produced by tanneries that participated in the Leather Preview project.
Inspiramais Program
The program began with the formatting of research on behavior and global context — the basis for design management that the Inspiramais Center provided to exhibiting companies. The objective was to guide the development of materials and expand business with other sectors. At Digital Inspiramais, materials developed from research and special projects that foster innovation and sustainability are presented.
Inspiramais is promoted by Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Componentes para Couro, Calçados e Artefatos [Brazilian Association of Leather, Footwear and Component Companies] (Assintecal), Associação Brasileira da Indústria Têxtil e de Confecção [Brazilian Association of Textile and Clothing Industries] (Abit), Centro das Indústrias de Curtume do Brasil [Brazilian Tannery Industries Center] (CICB), Associação Brasileira das Indústrias do Mobiliário [Brazilian Association of Furniture Industries] (Abimóvel). It has partnerships with Sebrae Nacional - Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas [Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Enterprises] and promotion from Agência Brasileira de Promoção de Exportações e Investimentos [Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency] (Apex-Brasil), through the By Brasil, Components, Machinery and Chemicals project. The main sectorial entities in the country are supporters and partners: Abest, Abiacav, Abicalçados, In-Mod, IBGM, ABVTEX, Ápice, Guia Jeans Wear and Abrafati.
On the last day of INSPIRAMAIS was marked by the presentation of the season 2023_I: The Body.
The body is a record of time. The record of human history. It is directly related to social, cultural, economic, and behavioral aspects. Based on these premises, the Inspiramais Research and Design Nucleus worked on the construction of the references that make up the theme of the season 2023_I: Body. "The body is extremely important in the times we are living. It expresses our fragility and our strength to continue projecting hope and life, "said the coordinator of the Inspiramais Research and Design Center, Walter Rodrigues, on the last day of the digital event, Friday, July 16, 2021.
Continuing with the tradition, Inspiramais ended by presenting the progress of the next season, the result of the work developed in April, based on a survey carried out by ten designers who make up the Research Nucleus. "The body is understood as a focal point, it gives meaning to the search for an understanding of its development, in the materialization of new behaviors, whether of consumption, health, communication, after all, it speaks," Rodriguez defended. The references demonstrate the connection of the subject with science. The body is linked to health, to the practice of exercises, to the maintenance of the physical form and the reactions of the body. Dance appears as a means of liberation from the body, a chance to be close to each other.
Another narrative linked to the theme of 2023_I is diversity and multiple bodies. The various physical forms, the gendered pieces, the disabled, all find space in fashion. "Increasingly, these fluid genres, these perceptions, go through the body’s idea of transcending the theme of fashion. We, who are making raw materials, have to assimilate all these concepts and bring them to the products, "he explained. Sustainability is also remembered in the season integrated into the theme. And the corset is a piece that shows a change of posture, linked to the image of power, with adjusted silhouettes and an air of sovereignty.
As for the materials and shapes, we can find pieces of waxed, polished leather, a light that falls on the fabrics, as well as heavy materials, but with good fall, in wide models, that create volume on the shoulders and necks. Neoprene garments, heavy knit fabrics, structured and new models of the perfect jackets also appear. Elements such as the stamping reminiscent of body seals, the gummed look, the glassy effect, the gold pieces, the coat and the destroyer style -with the reuse of parts already built- complete the elements that help tell the story linked to the Body.
In addition to the lecture on the theme of the upcoming Inspiramais, the closing of the event included the presentation of articles produced by tanneries that participated in the Leather Preview project, led by Marnei Carminatti, Consultant in Design Management of the Inspiramais Research and Design Core. In four days, Latin America’s only salon for sustainability, technology, and fashion solutions for apparel, costume jewelry, footwear, and furniture featured inspiring conferences, national and international business rounds exhibited materials, and promoted networking among participants. Experimenting with the semi-face exhibition format, Abicalçados received a physical and exclusive exhibition, attended by buyers interested in the main releases.
