São Paulo – The Catarina Mina brand uniquely reaches Brazilian and international consumers by delivering clothing and accessories along with a story. Founded in 2010 with the goal of rethinking the connections between artisans and consumers, the brand has gained customers in 28 countries, including four Arab nations: the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt, and Lebanon.
“The concept of the piece is created by the company, and the artisans develop the product. To foster closer ties with the creators of the items, both our bags, which are the flagship products of the company, and the clothing and accessories come with a QR Code. Through this code, buyers learn about the stories, see photos, and find the location of the artisans,” says the founder and creative director of the brand, Celina Hissa.
Completely handmade and using simple materials such as crochet, carnauba straw, and bobbin lace, the bags are among the items that most enchant Arab women.
Artisanal pieces are a hallmark of the company’s creations
“These consumers enjoy sustainable pieces that feature a cool design and are lightweight and versatile. They prefer gold-colored items and buy many bags that can be used with or without a strap. The wide variety of styles and colors in the brand’s products can cater to buyers of all ages, from mother to daughter to grandmother,” says Alessandra Marques, the company’s representative in the United States.
In addition to the positive commercial relationship perceived with consumers, Arab retailers also stand out, in Marques says. “I have a very good relationship with them. They are very professional, respond quickly, and are very transparent when it comes to saying which products are selling well or not,” she recounts.
Aiming to further step up this relationship with other Arab retailers, Marques is studying which new countries to begin selling Catarina Mina’s products.
Catarina Mina
The idea of creating the company emerged while Hissa was working in another field. “Before Catarina Mina, while I was still working at a communication agency, I had the idea to create products and work with crafts,” Hissa recalls.
The brand has grown and currently has over 300 northeastern artisans. It has a brick-and-mortar point of sale at Shopping JK Iguatemi in the southern region of São Paulo city and another one in Ceará state, from where the pieces are distributed to other states in Brazil and abroad.
In addition to the UAE, Kuwait, Egypt, and Lebanon, the products are sold at 104 brick-and-mortar points of sale in countries such as Portugal, Greece, Turkey, the Maldives, Denmark, Chile, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and the US.
“We had the idea that the products had an international profile, and in 2017 we received our first invitation to participate in a fashion fair in Paris. After that, we attended events in Miami, New York, and Milan. It was at these events that we made our first negotiations with international buyers,” recalls Hissa.
Partnership to export better
With the advent of the pandemic and the need to get closer to the North American market, one of the first buyers of the pieces, Hissa decided in 2020 to strike a partnership with Alessandra Marques, a Brazilian living in the US who had experience in exporting Brazilian products.
Very significant 20% of the total revenue of the company now comes from exports. However, before the pieces are sold abroad, some precautions are taken.
“I don’t buy and resell the products—I prepare them to be presented internationally. I handle pricing, promote the brand at launch events, reach out to retailers in different countries, study which stores might be interested in the pieces, among other things,” says Marques.
She adds that the brand has gained international space due to the increasing popularity of crochet. “The brand’s products have been very well received from the start. In addition to being unique, the brand stands out because it tells the story of those who produce the fashion pieces, which creates a connection with the consumer,” she adds.
To cater to Brazilian end consumers, Catarina Mina offers ready-to-wear items, while for retailers in Brazil and elsewhere, production is on demand.
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Report by Rebecca Vettore, in collaboration with ANBA
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
