São Paulo – The company is a small one. The work is done using handlooms. And the people who work there have found, in their trade, an opportunity to improve their lives. However, the horizon, at Moça Prendada, a maker of scarves and purses based in the state of Paraná, is broad. The small company manufactures a wide range of high-end products, for boutiques with sophisticated clienteles, and despite having existed for only two years, it has already placed its items on shelves in many different countries, among them Egypt.
Exports to the Arab country took place after the brand attended the Première Classe fair, in Paris, France, last September. The buyer, according to Jeferson Grassi, a partner of Moça Prendada (Portuguese for "gifted young lady"), was a local distributor, and the sales included products such as scarves, purses and handkerchiefs.
The company’s product portfolio comprises scarves, handkerchiefs, necklaces, purses, waistcoats, boleros and skirts. The items have differentials ranging from the raw materials used, namely lace made of Italian rayon, to the dyeing, which is German, and the use of products such as stones, pearls and crystals. Add to that the work of the weavers, and a scarf is sold to storeowners for roughly 225 Brazilian reals (US$ 143.5). Grassi explains that the company makes a point of keeping the work handmade. “To generate jobs.”
And where did this company come from? It originated from the story of a couple, Jeferson and Rosângela Grassi. In fact, it arose mainly from the entrepreneurship of Rosângela, who moved from the city of Cascavel, in the state of Paraná, to the capital Curitiba, along with her husband, approximately 10 years ago. “I had to move because of my work as a trade marketing coordinator at supermarkets,” explains Grassi. After the transfer, Rosângela began working in the same field as her husband’s, but found herself in want of things to do when the company she worked for was shut down and dismissed all of its employees.
That was when the entrepreneur began to seek a new occupation. She learned to weave scarves, at first for herself. Later, the products became gifts to friends. Then, along came orders from here and there. Rosângela, who did the work for free, had to begin charging. She called her sister to help, then her other sister, then her mother, and then the person who worked at her mother’s house as a helper. Then, Moça Prendada turned into a formal company, in 2009.
Participation in a trade show in Japan, in 2009, opened the doors to foreign markets, in the Japanese market itself. Last year, Grassi quit his job to help run the company, of which he was already a partner. Aside from Japan and Egypt, the list of foreign clients includes countries such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Italy and Mexico, among others. But Grassi explains that foreign sales are restricted to 5% of the production, due to the appreciation of the Brazilian real against the dollar.
Moça Prendada, however, will not cease to invest overseas, and is setting up a strategy to that end. The plan is being kept secret for the time being. However, Grassi reveals that in the Arab world, the intention is to obtain more clients and distributors, and that includes Egypt. He also claims that he wants to strengthen the brand’s presence in Brazil as well. An own store was opened in Curitiba two months ago, as part of a pilot project. Production has already grown by 20% this month, and should increase by another 20% before July is over.
Contact
Moça Prendada
Telephone: (+55 41) 3027-7658
Site: www.mocaprendada.com
E-mail: comercial@mocaprendada.com
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum