São Paulo – Out of the Nova Friburgo municipality, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, there come some of the garment that women in Dubai and Beirut wear to sleep. Yasmin Lingerie, a manufacturer of nightgowns, pyjamas, panties and bras, exports to the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. The company makes a sexy night clothing line and the two countries buy the more sensuous items, which include ornaments such as costume jewellery in golden and silvery tones or Swarovski crystals, according to the company’s managing director, Amin Ahmed Mazloum.
Yasmin Lingeries makes roughly 12,000 items per month. The flagship is the sexy nightgowns and pyjamas, which the panties and bras are meant to complement. The products are made from sophisticated, varied raw materials such as silk, satin, chiffon, liganete, tulle, and organza, to which embroidery and lace are added. “These are items to be worn with elegance, items to be sexy in,” says Mazloum, who is of Lebanese descent.
Yasmin exports 5% of its production. The leading importing countries are United States, Angola and the Emirates, according to Mazloum. The company also sells to France, Portugal and Lebanon, though in lower volumes. However, the managing director, who is also the company founder, says that between 2002 and 2008 exports were much stronger, and once accounted for 20% of sales.
Presently, Mazloum does not believe exports should increase. The reason is the international economic crisis. The executive explains that the appreciated Brazilian currency (real) also affected sales, and thus the focus shifted to the domestic market. As a result, the company lost some of its client base abroad. Besides, competition abroad has been fierce, says Mazloum. “The people are very enterprising right now, not only in Brazil, but worldwide,” he says.
The managing director believes that there is only room for keeping exports at current levels, and that includes the Arab countries. Mazloum explains that in the Arab world there are two types of consumer profile, the higher upper class, who want famous European brands, and the more popular type, which buys cheaper items. “Our product doesn’t fit in.” Thus, many of the items he exports to distributors in Dubai end up going to African countries.
But Yasmin Lingerie items are also sold in those countries. Proof of it is the fact that the brand’s buyers in Beirut and Dubai are distributors and storeowners. Mazloum believes that in Lebanon there are buyers of Yasmin’s nightgowns and pyjamas in both segments: the higher-income women, who buy the items to replace European brand-name pieces, and the lower-class women who buy them to “dress up” eventually.
Domestically, Yasmin has plans to grow. The company has two stores, both in the city of Nova Friburgo, and intends to open new units. Mazloum, however, has no details concerning the project yet. Yasmin Lingerie keeps 80% of its production at its Nova Friburgo plant, and the remaining 20% are outsourced. The company has 50 employees and was established 12 years ago by Mazloum and his wife, Maria Luiza.
Born in São Paulo, the Lebanese descendant lived in Egypt for five years, where he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Relations and in Lebanon for another two, where he worked in Pharmacy, in which he holds a degree. That was in the 1980s. In the early 1990s he returned to Brazil. First he owned a textile mill in São Paulo and then he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he established a fabric distributor along with an old supplier of his. After two years in business, Mazloum left and founded Yasmin Lingerie.
Contact
Yasmin Lingerie
Telephone: +55 22 2522-5178
Website: www.yasminlingerie.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
