São Paulo – Producing almost exclusively silk clothing, 12 years ago the Minas Gerais-based brand Printing started to conquer clients abroad. Today, the brand exports frequently to nine countries, with the Arab nations being its main foreign market.
In the Middle East, their clothing is sold in stores in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates. According to Márcia Queiroz, the brand’s founder and creative director, 7% of Printing’s production is exported.
“Currently, the Arab countries hold approximately 90% of our export demand. They are our main clients and hold the majority of the stores that represent Printing internationally”, says Queiroz. Saudi Arabia is the main destination of the brand’s exports. There, the clothing is sold in stores such as Mayass, Radar, Ganaj and Sabia.
According to her, the Arab stores import, mainly, dresses. “Party gowns, embroidered or not. There are slight modifications and they ask to bring up the neckline, the back neckline, but I also sell a lot of sleeveless dresses to them”, says the entrepreneur.
Queiroz emphasizes that besides using silk as base for the clothes, Printing doesn’t add synthetic fabrics to its clothes. “I only work with 100% natural fabrics”, says Queiroz. The entrepreneur also tells that the Arabs prefer plain rather than printed patterns. “They’re stylish, they have trained eyes”, remarks.
The sales to the Arab stores take place in Paris, specifically in the Showroom Mosaique, a space set twice a year in a hotel in the French capital. During the event, Printing showcases its pieces and gathers the importing stores for the clothing selection.
Every showroom is open for ten days and the next one will be held March 1st to 10th. On average, the price of Printing’s dresses goes from 500 to 1,500 euros, but there are pieces that can reach 2,500 euros.
Queiroz says that once she destined 22% of her production to exports but economic crises, here in Brazil and in countries that purchases come from, wound up reducing the brand’s foreign sales. Today, she says she is working to grow back again abroad and sees room to grow in the Arab world.
“It’s possible to grow. We were already over there in a lot of stores. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, there are a lot of important stores. We want to win back clients that disappeared because of internal problems” says she.
Contact
Printing
Website: www.printing.art.br
Email: estilo@printing.art.br
Showroom Mosaique
Phone: + 55 33 609 753474 / + 55 33 867 09663 (Sabrina or Michelle – staff members speak English, French and Arab). Contacts can be established all year round.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
