Brazilian makers of raw material for shoes now not only offer black leather and traditional heels to their clients, but have developed designs, prints, moulds and different adornments that have become a race in heel; sole.
It is now evident that factories of end products are not the only specialists in creativity and fashion in Brazil.
Industries are creative and inspired by the elements by nature Brazilian.
Brazilian factories are specializing in the tropical style, according to a stylist at the Brazilian Association of Footwear Designers (Abeca), Iveti de Lima.
She says that most of the shoe component factories have designers among their employees or outsource this service.
Last week in the city of Novo Hamburgo, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, heels with textures and colours that imitate trees or stones, inspired by nature were on exhibition.
Flowers as basis in leather
The main product by the Aplic Colour, a leather manufacturer from Novo Hamburgo, are leathers taking a leaf from flowers: an orange lily, or a lilac orchid. Flowers are used to convey development of textures and colours.
They have other products, from glossy ones to those with textured prints with pictures of butterflies and imitation of snake skin,etc.
This became possible when a professional at Aplic Colour clicked photos on a wide range of flowers and the creative team inspired by it, developed the collection for the next warm season.
Aplic Colour is a modest company employing about 50 persons and manufacturing 17,000 metres of leather a month.
Camila Balbinot Mattes, one of the members of the development team at Aplic Colour said that six years ago shoe industries showed them what they wanted and they produced it, but now they come to see what they have to offer.
Although, the company still doesn't export leather, but the shoes and artefacts made with their products are sold even in international markets.
There are several institutions like the National Service of Industrial Education (Senai) and Feevale University Centre (Novo Hamburgo) having shoe design graduation centres.
There are also private schools, like that of stylist Jos?Maria Carrasco, one of the oldest stylists in the sector.
