Rossildo Faria, Operations Director of Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT) said Brazilian apparel industries are seen with great interest by the international market thanks to an intense job being successfully carried out by sector entities and Apex Brazil.

Brazil is a country full of natural and cultural riches and has a prominent textile and apparel sector. But what is the foreign market’s image of Brazil and its products?

He stated there is an unusual interest in things from Brazil, thus creating a receptive environment in the international market for Brazilian companies and products, which is a potential business generator. Creativity is another strong point, says Mauricio Penha, technician responsible for Apex Brasil apparel sector projects.

In general, Brazilian apparel products are well received overseas. According to Maurício Penha, from Apex, our industry and our products may still be unknown, and they are striving to reduce such a lack of information.

"I think that image existed in the past; it just needed a little touch of seriousness," said Luciane Robic, marketing director for the Brazilian Fashion Institute (IBModa) and a specialist consultant in brands and fashion retail.

According to Milton Cezar, who has been residing in Paris for the past 16 years and works as a fashion consultant to introduce Brazilian products in the European market, there is still some resistance to Brazilian products.

The Scandinavian countries are just beginning to look at Brazilian products, but penetration in that market is still insignificant. Some of the contrasting problems in the culture in the two regions deal with climate and colors.

In Japan, where the market is very demanding and difficult to be conquered, the purchasing and cultural criteria are geared towards the European luxury brands. According to Rossildo Faria, Brazil has already created a pleasant image and now it needs to strengthen how it is seen in terms of competence.

Points for and against Besides creativity and quality, Milton Cezar points out the daring, the matching of colors on the pieces, the sensual cuts, the prints and the looks, making the pieces more feminine as other points that favor Brazilian products. Maurício Penha underscores the fact we have the largest textile park in the world and many international buyers are positively surprised by that.

However, there are many other points needing improvement. Milton believes the collections need better coordination. Ana Maria Rocha, vertical production manager for the Salsa Jeans youth fashion brand from Portugal and who came to Brazil to identify possible suppliers, says that working with production minimums just does not work. "I love to visit stores and see what is happening in other countries. And what I felt here is that the Brazilian market is very different from the European in several criteria," says Ana.

Luciane Robic is more incisive. "I think we still have big problems with delivery in certain regions, but that is a matter of scheduling, which is something other countries, such as China, have already developed and well. These are things that with investments in the area can be quickly solved."

The routine has changed in the apparel industry for both production and planning of collections as well as in the administrative area. The service companies and their factions are better prepared and more concerned in following orientations to be able to participate in the foreign market, which requires joint planning since it is a mid and long term investment.

Machinery, labor, storage and delivery logistics and product quality are key points for production to be successful.

The perspective for increased interest by foreign markets in Brazilian apparel products is very good, says Milton Cezar. He affirms that Brazilian companies are maturing and becoming more professional, which facilitates new business and provides greater credibility to European buyers.

From January to June of last year, Brazilian beach fashion exports grew 18.6 percent over 2004, one of the fastest growing segments overseas.

ABIT stimulates the evolution of the sector coordinating relevant initiatives in the social and environmental areas, besides sponsoring the sustainable growth of the Brazilian textile industry.
 
Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association 
 
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