Officially presented to the world in one of the most acclaimed design and innovation exhibition that takes place in Milan, Italy, Design na Pele ends its participation in Brazil S/A this week. The Brazilian project was exhibited at Brazil S/A from April 14th to May 24th.
Design na Pele now gets to its second edition. The project, which takes celebrated designers inside Brazilian tanneries in order to challenge them to create the most unique articles, now runs under a central theme: ‘Escritas’ (Writings). Proposed by Brazilian Leather, a sectoral project focused on the international promotion of local leather that is coordinated by the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB) in partnership with Apex-Brasil (the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), Design na Pele explores industry’s creativity at the same time it discovers new possibilites for leather.
According to exports manager at Apex-Brasil, Christiano Braga, Design na Pele is an initiative with a high level of innovation. “The project innovates when it stimulates our tanneries to develop new products, therefore taking our leather to a much higher level regarding competitiveness, based on design and creativity”, says Braga. “Also, it innovates by taking these creations around the world, positioning Brazilian leather as a product of high aggregate value in the international market”, he adds.
Since its first edition, Design na Pele has gained great worldwide recognition. In this second edition, the idea is to repeat the success by gathering 12 companies to bring their personalities into one common theme: ‘Escritas’ (Writings).
Christiano Braga has no doubt the project will once again be a success. “Design na Pele’s second edition showcases a more mature project”, he says. “What was then a pilot, now presents itself as a much stronger initiative – regarding both process structures, so that participating tanneries may integrate research and developing practices into the challenge of bringing leather aggregate value, as well as in its international presence, if we consider its vigorous event schedule which is extremely important to the sector.”
José Fernando Bello, executive president of CICB, says Design na Pele is a project that tells the world how unique leather produced in Brazil can really be. “Our tanning industry is versatile, just like leather itself. The project shows all this dynamism, and that naturally catches the attention of professionals from the sector at an international level”, says Bello.
These are the tanneries participating in Design na Pele ‘Escritas’:
AplicColour
Curtume Rusan*
Courovale
Couros Bom Retiro
Fuga Couros*
Curtume Krumenauer*
Indústria de Peles Minuano
Romeu Couros
Couroquimica*
Nova Kaeru*
JBS Couros
Curtume Moderno
*new on the project
Meet the designers who curate the project:
Heloísa Crocco – She is one of the most celebrated names regarding the combination of crafts and design in Brazil. Heloísa Crocco was one of the first designers to adventure in artisanal handicraft, over 20 years ago. Crocco graduated in Design from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), in 1970. She has been accumulating awards ever since, as well as participations in exhibitions and biennials in Germany, Austria, Hungary, USA, France, Mexico, Uruguai and Brazil. In Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Heloísa manages Crocco Studio Design.
Ronaldo Fraga – A well known personality in Brazilian fashion, Ronaldo Fraga is a fashion designer whose collections are in constant dialogue with culture and sustainability. Born in Minas Gerais, his clothes are sold in two flagships located in Belo Horizonte and São Paulo, as well as in 30 other multi brand stores across Brazil. He is a graduate of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), who holds postgraduate degrees from New York’s Parsons The New School For Design and London’s Saint Martin’s School of Art. In 2008, Fraga was one of the 100 designers selected for the Brit Insurance – Design of the Year, an exhibition organized by the London Design Museum.
