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Understanding the diversity of the country to identify the uniqueness of Brazil was at the centre of participants’ preoccupations.
The first theme (diversity) can be easily understood. With the economy booming, new consumers and new attitudes awaken inviting brands to rejuvenate their vision of Brazilian society, its heritage, mobility, and discrepancies.
The results of the trend research prepared by Imageneer and Style-Vision illustrate these evolutions: Brazilians consumers search for easygoing comfort (Happy Basics trend), they are developing new social roles thanks to technology (Multi-faceted People trend), and mould their body to respond to the social injunction of individual performance (Body Building trend).
Fashion designer Carlos Miele feels these changes in his unique way. Inspired by the spiritual roots of camdomlé as well as radical street expression, his work stays in tune with the social challenges of Brazil by outsourcing the embroidery work (the “fuxico” flower) to COOPA-ROCA, an association of women operating in a favela of Rio. “It would be cheaper to produce in China,” he said. “But I know that the local community needs that work to feed the kids”.
Creativity within constraints is also the challenge Mario Fioretti, Industrial Design Director of Whirlpool/Brastemp and major sponsor of the event. Today, Brazilian consumers evolve in two main groups, the “exclusive” who express their personality through consumption and the “inclusive” (87% of the Brazilian population is considered poor) who actually want to gain access to a certain level of well-being. Brands, added Fioretti, used to provide the low income consumers with downgraded variants of products designed for the upper class. This is a pity and a mistake! Consumer attitudes today are driven by emotion and designers shall integrate individual preferences and budget constraints to deliver robust and optimized design for both categories. A mini-washing machine like Eggo becomes a fashion item for the affluent while a refrigerator for the poorer households will include nice, thus affordable options such as a removable egg basket, a white board for messages and low energy consumption.
To address the growing diversity of the Brazilian environment, concluded consultant and economist Lidia Goldenstein, Brazil has to invent an original model of development requiring both creativity (to reduce the vulnerability of the country toward delocalization) and a sound industrial development industry (the population needs jobs).
With Brazil going global, the question of its identity in the eyes of the global consumers was another concern of participants. Brazilians see themselves as open and anthropophagic (according to Oswald de Andrade) when it comes to absorbing native and foreign cultures, but they seem to lack the sense of belonging to a unified cultural community and the consciousness of the country idiosyncratic assets. As Architect Patricia Anastassiadis stated it shortly, “We need more self esteem!”
In the trend presentation, Imageneer and Style-Vision explored the changes induced by the growing exposure of Brazil to global influences. Brazilian consumers enjoy a more mobile lifestyle (the Micropolitans trend) and simultaneously rediscover their natural heritage (Nature Inside trend) and spirituality (Myths and Mysticism trend).
Obviously, Brazil does not want to be reduced to a couple of clichés, beachwear, supermodels, carnival and football but, as HYD’s Communication Consultant Nelma Zero showed, those icons have been successfully branded to the world, such as the Havaianas flip-flop or the model Gisele Bunchen.
What else does the Brazil brand have to offer?
New routes are being explored by the brands Divinas or Osklen which value Brazilian natural magnificence (using banana fibre or fish skin as materials). Brazilian sensuality and sense of cool lifestyle is being celebrated in London or New York (Favela Chic parties).
However, Rogerio de Campos of Conrad Publishing insisted that Brazilian innovators should follow their convictions rather than long for external recognition.
Personally I think the invitation to boldness is tempting, knowing that the image of Brazil is largely positive and its stature of the future South American giant is almost undisputed and, as Mariana Juer from Brastemp summarized it, “Brasil e multiculturalidade genialidade no caos” (Brazil is a multicultural genius in the chaos).
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