São Paulo – A haute couture parade by Brazilian designers was featured during the Arab Fashion Week, held online last week in Dubai, UAE. It was the first-ever edition of the Brazil Noble project, designed to spread awareness of Brazilian high-end fashion in the Middle East. The parade on Thursday (22) featured items by Sandro Barros (pictured above), Vitor Zerbinato, Emannuelle Junqueira, Maison Alexandrine, and AAVVA Fashion, which wrapped up the show, plus jewelry by Andrea Conti.
Brazil Noble was created by Dubai-based partner companies High Class Corporate Services, represented by Larissa Wilson and Cecília Bicca, and AAVVA Fashion, represented by Vincenzo Visciglia; by Cia Paulista de Moda, out of São Paulo, represented by Reginaldo Fonseca; and by Brazil’s Rejane Silva, who’s also the ambassador of the event, which relied on support from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). The 12thArab Fashion Week
streamed online featuring 2021 spring-summer collections in Dubai from October 21 to 24.
The Brazilian fashion show aired at Dubai’s Palazzo Versace hotel to an audience of some 50 Brazilian and Arab guests, with a cocktail reception and dinner in compliance with social distancing rules.
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High Class and founder Larissa Wilson spoke with ANBA. The cofounder of the Brazil Noble project, she was the one who organized the event in Dubai. “Brazil Noble was created not only to showcase the quality of Brazilian fashion, but also to foster deal-making between Brazil and the Arab world. We’re aware that trade between Brazil and this region currently revolves around commodities, and Brazilian fashion needs to be seen because of its relevance, its quality and its excellence. We want to showcase Brazilian fashion not only in the Middle East, but around the world. Brazil has huge potential in this industry.”
Businessman Reginaldo Fonseca sees the project as a chance for brands to get exposure away from Brazil and to get new deals. “Fashion needs those two factors and they go hand in hand: you need to show and you need to sell. I believe that this is exactly what the project is about. We, the founders, have always had the goal in mind of bringing that fashion out here and to have it be seen and get sold. The event exceeded our expectations.”
AAVVA Fashion designer and Brazil Noble creator and cofounder Vincenzo Visciglia also spoke with ANBA. His brand has been in Dubai for about five years now, and this is his second time at the event. “I got good results at the Arab Fashion Week last time, and I’m getting good results from being in Brazil Noble this time around. We are advertising Brazilian fashion by joining other Brazilian designers, doing a good job of showing the items on the local market.”
“We can tell that Brazil is very well-known around parts for its sugar, soy, poultry and beef, commodities in general, so it’s great to see a value-added event such as this one. It truly shows the value and improves the image of Brazil,” said ABCC international office chief head Rafael Solimeo, who attended the event. He also said that when it comes to fashion, Brazil is best known in the UAE for the beachwear and sandals. “What we’ve seen here is Brazil has a lot to offer in haute couture, with beautiful, high-level clothes.”
Larissa Wilson said many thought the project was risky because it was done amid the pandemic. “At a point we all stopped, and we were unsure about what would happen, so one of the goals of this project was to give everyone a boost. The fashion industry won’t stop, the vents won’t stop, and we must take this step forward. It’s a way of encouraging the reopening of a market that has great potential.”
The clothes by the Brazil Noble project designers are on sale at the AAVVA studio in Dubai. Plans are also in place for an e-commerce outlet. The second edition of Brazil Noble will take place in March 2021, the organizers said.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
