São Paulo – Brand Patricia Bonaldi, from Minas Gerais, specialized in dress clothes, plans a shop in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The brand already exports to the country, as well as other markets in the Middle East, and wants an exclusive point of sale there for its products in the near future, according to company director Luiz Morais. “There are future projects for the opening of an exclusive shop in Dubai,” he said.
The shop should be continuation of a route that the brand started following in the region in 2008, when it exported to the Arab world for the first time, to Kuwait. The first contact arose with the buyer project organized by the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit), in which a Patricia Bonaldi participated. Today, brand clothes are in Bahrain, Qatar, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as well as Kuwait and the Emirates.
In the region, the brand is traded in renowned shops like Al Ostoura, in Kuwait, and Bugatti, in Dubai. Morais attributes the success in the local market mainly to three factors, among them that the Arabs appreciate Brazilian fashion and that the product’s modelling standard fits with the modelling of the Arab people, with no need for changes in the products. “We also make sophisticated products that are both classic and timeless. The items are marking, but finished in a delicate and feminine way,” she finished off.
Patricia Bonaldi stands out due to her modern and creative items, both in cuts and types of garment and in material used. The brand uses pure silk, French and Italian lace, stone and crystals. “Our items have the Swarovski stamp and pearls are already part of the identity of our embroidery. All items are finished manually, which really makes the brand stand out in clothes racks, and clients know the difference,” she said.
In fact, all you have to do is see two or three dresses by the brand to notice the unique creativity and refinement. This is so true that the company did not take long to growth since stylist Patricia Bonaldi, who grants her name to the company, started the business. In Uberlândia, she started producing dresses for weddings and events. “We started with a small workshop with two employees. We currently count on great structure,” pointed out Morais.
Last year, the brand produced 8,000 items. This year, production should reach 13,000 and growth should not end there. “There has been significant growth in orders for next year. Demand is growing and we are seeking greater production,” said the director. Today, 75% of production is in Uberlândia, a city in Minas where the company is headquartered, and there are four nuclei for production in other cities. The company has 110 direct employees and 400 indirect ones.
Of the total produced in 2010, 12% went for export, a percentage that should rise to 15% in 2011 and 30% in the long run. There are approximately 50 points of sale trading company products abroad, in 16 countries, among them France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia. In Brazil, the items are sold in 230 multi-brand shops. The brand has two of its own points of sale, in Uberlândia and in the city of São Paulo.
Contact
Patricia Bonaldi
Telephone: (+55 34) 3291 4401
Email: contato@patriciabonaldi.com.br
Site: www.patriciabonaldi.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
