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Shoes with the colours of Brazil
Mulling over the new millennium
By Débora Rubin*

Workshop from Brazilian capital Brasília launches new brand of luxury shoes. The colourful shoes and bright produced by Gaia Molino are made out of frog, fish and cattle leather. The focus is the foreign market. Arab women are among the target customers.

The newest Brazilian luxury shoe brand already has a representative in Miami, in the United States, and has already been sought by the owners of boutiques in the United States and also by a large Saudi import company. A large part of the collection was developed eyeing the Arab women's market, as they like colourful and shiny shoes. "Even the shape of the shoes was made considering this public. Arab women, like the Brazilian women, have slightly fatter feet, different from the Americans and Europeans, whose feet are longer and thinner," stated Ari.

The idea, however, is to reach various locations where there is a luxury product market. "Our policy is selective, but broad. It seems contradictory, but it is not. We want to be in various countries, but at stores that focus on this sector, the luxury product market," he explained. . "That is why I have already refused business. An American from Ohio, for example, sought me. But his shop was not in the sector. I did not close a deal," explained Ari. His shoes cost between US$ 200 and US$ 400.

The shoes in the first collection were designed by Cris Magalhães. The idea, however, is to have each collection designed by different stylists and, in future, to work in partnership with jewellery designers. Gaia Molino is a company with a global spirit. The materials are purchased in different states. The leather comes mainly from the city of Guaxupé, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Production of the shoes is in the city of Novo Hamburgo, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is specialized in the sector. The designs are made by artists throughout Brazil, in partnership with the workshop in de Brasília, where just seven people work.

"My reference is Zara, which does not have its own factory, but is strong all around the world. Their business is the creation and logistics. You never se the same clothes there for very long. The secret is to invest in new collections," stated the Gaia Molino creator.

Future

Currently, the brand has a capacity for production of between four and six thousand pairs of shoes per month. "It is a small volume if compared to great producers. But for the luxury product market it is enough." Having his own factories is not in Ari's plans, but is a possibility. Another idea for the future, for when the domestic market is being targeted, is the opening of a store in São Paulo. And each collection - there will be at least four per year - will include different material like lizard skin and semi-precious stones.

Contact
www.gaiamolino.com.br
(+55 61) 3367 2903
gaiamolino@gaiamolino.com.br