Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – In November, company Fiamma, a jewellery producer from the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, is going to participate in Jewellery Arabia for the second time. The jewellery sector fair is going to take place in Manama, capital of Bahrain between November 23 and 27. The company is going to leave Brazil with scheduled meetings with clients in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, where the company is going to participate in another fair. "I did not expect so many calls from the region," stated the designer and director of Fiamma, Anna Vitória Motta e Motta.
The clients that have already scheduled meetings with the businesswoman are retailers from the region. "My expectations regarding the fair are very large, mainly due to the fact that people already know our products. I am anxious," said the designer.
According to her, the company has been exporting to Bahrain, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Kuwait. "These are markets that like our jewels very much," she said. Fiamma foreign sales vary from between 40% and 60% of production. The Arab countries represent around 15% of this total.
"Participating in the fair for the second time I hope that our sales to the region will rise by at least 20%, but I believe that the growth potential is even greater. I am being conservative," stated Anna Vitória. She believes that to increase exports to the Arab countries it is necessary to find a distributor in the Middle East. Apart from that, the designer is also interested in participating in other fairs in the region. "I would like to participate in fairs in Kuwait and Qatar, which take place in the first half of the year," she added.
After Jewellery Arabia, the designer is going to participate in another two fairs in the United Arab Emirates, one in Dubai and another in Abu Dhabi. "It is a pity to spend so long without visiting the Arab countries. The last time we came was last year," stated Anna Vitória.
Novelties
The designer is going to take the entire Fiamma collection to the fair. Apart from earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces, she is also going to take novelties for the Arab women, party purses that become necklaces. "The women may change the purse straps so as to vary," stated Anna Vitória. Some of the straps are made of pearls and other kinds of gems.
According to Anna Vitória, large earrings, in yellow gold with stones and movement are the main jewels exported to the Arab women.
Minas Gerais
Fiamma, which means passion in Italian, was established in 2000 by Anna Vitória and João Bosco Calais Filho, a designer, in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. According to the businesswoman, company production varies very much, there is not an average production. "Our production after fairs rises very much, for example." Another factor influencing production is the design of each product. "If the product is very detailed, it takes longer to be produced," she added.
The company currently counts on 50 employees and exports to around 20 countries. The main client is the United States. In the North American country alone, Fiamma participates in seven fairs. "Our export to the region rose by 20% when compared to last year," stated Anna Vitória. The company already has a distributor in the country, a fact that, according to the designer, contributed to the increase in exports.
*Translated by Mark Ament
