INSPIRAMAIS presented fashion content in the Innovation Arena
Brazilian fair exhibited materials and components for the footwear industry in January 2023
The 27th edition of INSPIRAMAIS, an exhibit that released over a thousand different types of materials for the footwear, clothing, furniture and jewelry industries, in addition to fostering business in the fashion production chain, presented a lot of quality content. In total, it was two intense days with 14 talks on topics ranging from design to sustainability. The event promoted by Brazilian Association of Leather, Footwear and Component Companies (Assintecal) and partner entities took place at Centro de Eventos da FIERGS on January 24 and 25.
On the first day, as usual, stylist Walter Rodrigues, coordinator of Assintecal´s Nucleus of Research and Design, highlighted the theme of the research – Primal – that gave rise to the materials presented at INSPIRAMAIS´ Creative Connection space. The designer took the opportunity to highlight that a movement began in the fashion industry in 2018 largely focused on textures such as leather and denim, bringing, mainly for men’s clothing, a mix of masculinity with fashion and behavior references. “This influence can also be observed in furniture designs with a more primitive aspect, but with unique textures. With regard to the theme of masculinity reproduced in the movies and soap operas, the ethereal theme arises and brings with it nature, delicacy and fluidity”, he said.
The second theme, legacy, divided into two parts, presents the importance of applying sustainable practices and rusticity of the material represented in raw aspects. In the western line, new shoe toe shapes, boots and the massification of denim can be observed. This mixture of the natural with the technological expressed in the mixture of raw with lace or transparent materials can be seen in everything from clothing to furniture design.
The third theme is biomimicry, which finds its inspiration in the richness of nature, such as mold, animal skins, mushrooms and vegetables. The symbiosis theme combines ancestral forms with technology, through the renewal of material and the use of stocks.
Finally, the bionic theme presents the possibility of exploring new types of footwear, with exaggerated structures with facilitation for injection, in addition to going back to the basics, the austere aspect of the character to be embodied by the consumer through fashion.
Senai
In the schedule of talks on the first day, Instituto Senai de Inovação also stood out with presentations on several different types of materials created as sustainable alternatives, such as fibers made of scraps, banana pseudo-stem fiber and another which gathers fur waste from pet groomers as a result of the grooming process, combined with PET product bottles. Atmospheric-pressure plasma, electrospinning and wet spinning are other techniques that have also been reported.
The first day also featured talks from startup companies such as:
- Tendenzia, a research platform that informs fashion trends focused on the footwear, handbag and accessory industry;
- Solleda, a clean energy company;
- Marina Tecnologia, which produced a biocomposite made using rice powder;
- Easypro Tech, a technology company that offers “factory floor” routine solutions;
- Acio Soluções Tecnológicas, which created a delivery automation system with traceability;
- Live Shop 4Show, an online sales platform for live videos.
On the 24th, there were also presentations from National Association of the Safety and Labor Protection Material Industry (Animaseg) and Stahl.
International panel
The schedule for the second day began with a panel of footwear companies from Argentina, Spain and Mexico. Daniel Risafi, vice president of Argentine Chamber of Footwear Industries (CIC), said that the Argentine footwear industry only recycles 6% of its waste, but that there is great social pressure to improve. According to Risafi, Brazil is currently the leading external footwear supplier in his country. “Of the over 40 million pairs imported, about 20 million are from Brazil”, he said.
With regard to one of the most advanced markets in Europe, in terms of sustainability, the director of Marketing and Business Development for Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries (FICE), Imanol Martinéz Gómez, highlighted that the Spanish industrial park works, basically, with products of higher added value and respect for the environment, with productive processes that reduce environmental impact by reducing waste and using renewable energies. “We have one of the most open economies in the world, but also demanding when it comes to sustainability,” he said.
Representing one of the main shoe markets in the American continent, the president of the Board of Directors of Chamber of the Footwear Industry of the State of Guanajuato (CICEG), in Mexico, Alfredo Padilla Villalpando stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic affected the Mexican footwear sector, but that the area is recovering. “The industry is recovering, especially in terms of consumption. Mexican consumers are increasingly giving value to sustainable and durable products, in which leather gains an advantage”, he said, noting that many international companies that import from Mexico have been requesting sustainable footwear, which has caused a transformation in the sector.
Connections with purpose
Founded in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic by sisters Ana Vitória Surreaux, Helena Duncan and Zélia Duncan, Ímã gave the second presentation of the day. Imã maps companies to identify long-term social actions that can be carried out at the companies. “We promote the intersection of business, causes and cultures, helping companies to find a social purpose process combined with growth, through a regenerative economy”, Ana Vitória emphasized.
Preview
After the Body, Earth and Primal themes, the next INSPIRAMAIS, on July 11 and 12, will feature the Homo Faber theme. According to Rodrigues, who took to the Innovation Arena stage again to explain the next research, the study presents how the consumption and value generation process is constructed. Geometry, poetry and handcraft were the key words for conceptualizing the designs, patterns and aspects, as well as the shapes that will be explored for application in the products.
Specifically concerning with leather, Assintecal´s Research and Design consultant Marnei Carminatti highlighted that the research will show the strength of tanneries, weaving and the people behind it. The focus will be on leather handling, from extraction of the animal skin to finalization of the product. The research was based on the pragmatism, geometry and poetry seen in finishes done by hand, de-characterization of the leather’s appearance, different textures and engravings with various nuances. In addition to cowhide, Carminatti pointed out that it is possible to observe the continued use of other types of skins, such as ostrich, tilapia, pirarucu, and exotic skins used in products intended for luxury goods. The geometry present in the designs, prints and silk screening on the fur allow multiple layers to the leather.
On the second day of talks, a case study of the Vakinha website and DBServer was presented, the latter about the phase space experienced in computing.
“The evolution towards this phase started with voice assistant devices. The paradigm in this sector is becoming less visual and more auditory, and it is possible to perceive it through smart watches and headsets, and the next step is towards augmented reality glasses”, José Rodolfo Masiero stated, the company’s Innovation manager.
According to him, urban mobility, energy, water, health, communication and entertainment are some of the areas strongly impacted by technological evolution. “The constant insertion of the metaverse concept in society will be through the use of augmented reality and 3D virtual environments. Through blockchain technology, real-world information can be entered, interspersed and accessed in the virtual world”, he concluded.
About the exhibition
With more than 150 exhibitors of materials and components for the footwear, clothing, furniture and jewelry sectors, INSPIRAMAIS is organized by Assintecal in partnership with Centro das Indústrias de Curtumes do Brasil [Brazilian Tanning Industry Center] (CICB), Associação Brasileira da Indústria Têxtil e de Confecção [Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association] (Abit), Associação Brasileira das Indústrias do Mobiliário [Brazilian Furniture Industry Association] (Abimóvel). The By Brasil Components, Machinery and Chemicals program organized the event along with Sebrae Nacional.
