São Paulo – Inspiration from Morocco was translated into jewelry pieces in Vitória Garcia’s new collection. The Paraná-born 29-year-old moved from Londrina to São Paulo two and a half years ago after she had started the brand in her hometown five years ago. “I feel the brand was structured and professionalized here in São Paulo. Here things happen at a different pace,” Garcia told ANBA.
In Paraná she used to perform a one-women-job from piece production to management and sales. Now she has a small team, and she outsources some parts of production but continues to design the pilots.
Sales abroad are sporadic now. Nevertheless, Garcia is eyeing the foreign market and plans to export her pieces, even to Morocco. “The main focus remains the domestic market, but I do want to export. I believe people abroad are very open to new things; they value handwork with an authentic identity,” she said.
The main sales hubs in Brazil are São Paulo and Paraná, but Garcia has already sold pieces in Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, and some states in the Northeast.
The Odisseia collection, inspired by Morocco, was launched on August 1st. The jeweler holds a bachelor’s degree in Fashion, and she said she has been fond of the Arab country since an early age. “I even felt a certain call to learn a little more about Morocco’s culture,” she said.
In late 2021 she had the opportunity to spend five days in the country visiting Marrakech and Casablanca. “It was lifechanging from the moment I stepped there. It was an invitation to resignify several things within me. I admire the culture and traditions they keep,” she said.
“Morocco is an inspiring place in itself, and I was able to draw inspiration from different elements. The habits there are highly preserved, and that fascinated me. Technology has not slaughtered habits or the country’s real culture,” she said.
The beauty of Moroccan handicrafts also caught Garcia’s attention. “I’ve always been very fond of handicrafts, and seeing such rich manufacturing up close, so much talent, was inspiring. I joke that this collection is a contemporary reading of that visit,” she said.
Garcia said the collection inspired by Morocco will have two or three other launches. The next one will be September 28. “It’s about always having something new,” she explained. “I wanted to bring this collection as a way to encourage people to get to know Morocco; it’s very easy to go there, and it’s very close to Europe,” she said.
“I like places that impress me in some way and make me rethink my life and see the world in a whole new light, and Morocco is the perfect place to do just that. I was dazzled by the country and the Berber culture,” she said.
Garcia stayed in Marrakesh for most of her trip and went to Casablanca only to catch her return flight. “Marrakesh is surreal as it offers you a little bit of everything – the mosque, the souk, the traditions of Morocco speak to the traditions of Brazil, the trade, the warmth, the welcoming people. Not to mention the buildings, the rich architecture, the palaces. The vegetation was also very inspiring for me, with so many species of cacti. Morocco is inspiring in every detail – you only have to look close,” she said. Some pieces will have a cactus designed by Garcia that’s inspired by Moroccan cacti.
Odisseia is the most transgressor collection that Garcia has ever designed, and the pieces of the first launch are more commercial, she said. The next launches will feature mouth jewelry, ear cuffs, hand jewelry, and others.
“Besides the manufacturing innovations, I’ve explored new textures, plates. It’s very elegant this sandblasted matte [of the necklace], and it really makes you think of Morocco. I’m in love with this collection, the material, the campaign we made translated exactly what we wanted, this contemporary, authentic Morocco that has power, beauty in it,” she said.
Vitória Garcia said she was extremely careful not to appropriate a culture that isn’t hers but to pay a tribute to it from her contemporary perspective and subtle elements, items and symbols. “I was very pleased with the result, and I believe it showed my view, my perspective,” she said.
The jeweler said she wants to go back and visit Morocco and other Arab countries, too. “I do contemplate connecting my work with the Arab countries and export, and the jewelry industry in these countries is very strong, so I want to make these connections to expand and boost the brand reach,” she said.
The brand still has no brick-and-mortar store but a studio in São Paulo. “My primary focus in sales is online, and I plan to sell to multi-brand stores in the future. It’s important to have a brick-and-mortar point for people to see the pieces, feel them,” she said. Garcia also giver jewelry making classes.
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Translation by Elúsio Brasileiro & Guilherme Miranda
