São Paulo – Shoe manufacturing company Dilly, based in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, baptized some of the shoes in its 2010 spring-summer collection with the names of Arab countries. Brazilian stores are starting to sell sandals called Morocco and Syria, peep toes with the name of Egypt, and low-heeled sandals named Algiers – an Algerian city – and Tunisia. Other regions of the world, such as Kenya and Luanda, are in the collection. The company manufactures shoes and leather purses for women.
According to information from Dilly’s press office, the countries were chosen because the company adopted an ethnical theme, in addition to nature, for its collection. The manufacturing of the shoes, the palette of colours selected, the finishes, some rustic and aged, were developed based on the countries. The region, according to information supplied by the company, has strong and rich ethnical information.
In general, the shoes in the collection have natural colour tones, mostly earthy, and some fluorescent ones. Some of the leathers are metal-like, others are scale-like and varnished. There are also shoes made with cloth, such as taffeta and satin, with prints emulating the bodies of animals. The heels are mostly luxurious, featuring stones and natural materials such as bamboo and banana tree fibre.
The Dilly brand, based in the city of Ivoti, is owned by the Dass group, a merger of the Dilly Clássico groups. The Dilly group existed since 1965 and the Clássico group, since 1979, as a manufacturer of sports items. The two companies merged and the resulting group, Dass, currently manufactures brands such as Fila, Umbro and Try On as well. The company owns factories in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Bahia, Ceará, Argentina and China.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
