Design na Pele project

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An innovative project has given more style and personality to the leather of Brazil. Guided by the art and fashion cultures, the project Design na Pele/Design in the Skin blended research and creativity, adding to these elements consecrated names of the national design with the Brazilian tanning industry to the development of new hides and skins and surprising products from this versatile raw material. The resulted work - idealised by the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB), with the support of Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) through the Brazilian Leather Project – has become an itinerant exhibition being presented in the major sectoral trade fairs worldwide.

The program began its activities in the early 2013, with the aim to deepen within Brazilian tanneries the design culture proliferation and development of uniqueness features in their works and creations. To join the project and lead its implementation, CICB has invited two celebrated artists in the Brazilian art and fashion scenario - the plastic artist and designer Heloísa Crocco and fashion stylist Ronaldo Fraga.

As explained by the executive president of CICB, José Fernando Bello, each guest was responsible for the development of the scheme with a specific number of tanneries. Heloísa and Ronaldo set up workshop activities with their respective groups and presented individual consultancies to evaluate the work and the possibilities of each company in loco. The main goal was to observe the reality of each company and bring them inside the project, extracting utmost its talents and creativity.

With these actions and supported by directors and related professionals to the tannery industry, hides and skins were developed – being called within the project as Surfaces – with special features and attributes, in great harmony with design trends and aesthetic specific characteristics. According to Heloísa and Ronaldo, the developments reached through these creation processes reveal stories connected to their respective production locations, traditions and culture of Brazil.

With a touch of innovation and excellence quality of the Brazilian leather, pieces of work were created to the fashion and décor industry using material provided by the Design na Pele project. This collection is now part of a travelling exhibition, recently presented at Casa Brasil - design and business event and during the 2nd CICB Sustainability Forum. In the conference organised by the entity – more than 600 people visited the project and attended four lectures with world-renowned experts in the news and latest ideas for an industry of hides even more sustainable.