Inspiramais: Latin America's leading materials trade show exceeds business expectations

The 34th edition of Inspiramais is the most important materials trade show in Latin America for the footwear, apparel, jewellery, furniture and automotive upholstery industries. The event is expected to generate 61.68 million reais (12 million dollars) in business with the international market alone over the next six months. The estimate comes from a report by the Brazilian Association of Companies of Components for Leather, Footwear and Manufactured Goods (Assintecal). Assintecal is responsible for the event in partnership with the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB); the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit); and the Brazilian Furniture Industry Association (Abimóvel).

According to the Assintecal report, more than 15.4 million reais (three million dollars) in immediate business was conducted with importers. These importers were brought in through Brazilian Materials, a programme to encourage the internationalisation of the sector promoted by Assintecal in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apexbrasil). In total, 22 groups were brought in from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Turkey, who conducted more than 520 business meetings with 60 exhibiting companies. This amount, added to the business deals outlined at the event, exceeded 61 million reais, which is 28 percent more than at the previous edition of the show. According to Assintecal's superintendent, Silvana Dilly, “the figure is even more relevant in the current turbulent international market scenario”.

Already a tradition in Brazilian fashion, Inspiramais is visited not only by major national and international market players, but also by professionals and researchers in the field. This is because, over the two days, in addition to business, there are fashion talks and workshops. Creations are also presented, such as those in the Hub Conexão Criativa space, which featured 33 micro-entrepreneurs and artisans with their sustainable innovations in products and services, and the Leather Preview, with more than 60 different hides.

Hub Conexão Criativa brings micro-entrepreneurs and artisans with sustainable products

Claudia Santana Lima, from Cerra D’ouro, brought a new proposal called Reflexos, showing the Cerrado Mineiro to the world. In addition to leaves and flowers coated in metal, gold and copper, many pieces were developed from leftover office paper and recycled mirror paper. Branches with the aforementioned coatings were also used, a technology developed by biologist Euler Vilaça Lima.

Christine Goes Objetos, by the designer of the same name, makes accessories from reused wood, as well as mobiles. “I work mainly with Riga Pine, demolition waste,” she says. In addition to these, Brazilwood and hardwood are worked by the professional, who creates earrings, necklaces and reading aids, a ring that is used to hold a book open. At the same time, an elastic band with a wooden bead serves as a marker, not just for the page, but for the line as well.

Virginia Barros, who produces shoes on a small scale, brought pieces with a different design, but the highlight was a shoe produced with latex from the Amazon. Another noteworthy item was a shoe with an upper made from recycled plastic waste. “I've always been very resistant to plastic, but since the proposal is to use recycled industrial waste, I ended up accepting and developing the shoe,” she explains to FashionUnited. The artisan has also developed a shoe with Repeltex technology, created and patented by Inovec, a start-up of scientists from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The chemical product impregnates the fabric of the upper and, within a radius of 4 metres, repels insects such as the mosquitoes responsible for Chikungunya, Dengue and others. For now, the technology is awaiting the approval of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to be able to market the product. “I even have the shoe model already, but I'm waiting for the green light to be able to produce and sell it,” she says. She is also looking into a shoe with a biodegradable sole, produced from organic waste, which is still in development.

Jackson Araújo, a journalist and curator, brought Trama Afetiva to the Hub. It is a social and regenerative design platform where he, alongside designer Thais Losso, develops jackets from nylon discarded from used umbrellas. They work with various waste picker associations and with seamstresses from various regions of the country. “Our foundation is to look for waste and unite people to propose simple and feasible solutions,” says Araújo.

Paratodos is a brand by Sara Soares (the name is a tribute to Chico Buarque de Holanda, who has an album with this name). Specialising in bags, she has eight models, each named after one of the composer's songs. All are made of cowhide, a reject from the leather and footwear industry in the Vale dos Sinos region of southern Brazil. She looks for deadstock and, making everything by hand, takes advantage of the leather's “defects” to apply cut-outs with stars, the brand's symbol. The bags, in various formats from bum bags to backpacks, have a cotton or printed cotton twill lining. The leather is bought ready-made, already coloured and is worked on as such. The backpack has a Neoprene back for laptop protection. Everything is designed and developed by Soares herself, as functional, practical pieces for everyday use with a clean design.

Exhibitors bring innovative materials

Among the approximately 150 exhibitors, the majority opted for materials with embedded technology, innovations that seek to attract national and foreign companies.

Cipatex launched the Soul collection for footwear, bags and accessories, seeking to combine touch and visual language. It features surfaces that evoke the natural wear and tear of time, finishes with lustrous and satin sheens, as well as suede and metallic effects. “The materials expand creative possibilities without sacrificing functionality and reflect market transformations, responding to the search for products that awaken connection and meaning,” says Robson Barbosa, technical product consultant at Cipatex. For Rafael Bonvicine, the company's marketing manager, the company's presence at Inspiramais keeps pace with the dynamics of a constantly evolving market. “The event encourages the exchange of knowledge between companies and professionals in the production chain and allows us to present new materials in an environment geared towards innovation and the development of the industry,” he highlights in a statement.

Grupo JR Soluções presented Block Essence, a fabric collection for autumn/winter 2027. The launch is inspired by the graphic universe of colour blocks and the creative energy of the 1980s, reviving striking visual codes. Thus, evident geometries, intense contrasts and enlarged proportions are featured, where each material is transformed into an element of visual construction. In this scenario, black takes on the role of the collection's structural base, balancing the composition between sophisticated neutrals and vibrant colours of high chromatic intensity. The collection also follows the appreciation of surfaces with striking textures, reinterpreted check patterns, mesh materials and shiny finishes, expanding the possibilities of composition and creating visual effects that explore depth, movement and sophistication.

Daniela Azevedo, marketing manager at Unifi, which has been in Brazil for 27 years, explains that here in Brazil (the multinational has plants in North America and Asia, among others) they are working on communication from a sustainability perspective. “Despite our synthetic vocation, we are looking more and more strongly at waste and moving away from petroleum sources,” explains the executive. Repreve, Unifi's sustainability brand, in partnership with OceanCycle, works with PET bottles, transforming them into yarn. “We use the waste to transform it into yarn, a solution where 100 percent of the waste becomes yarn again,” explains Azevedo. The yarns even have performance qualities, with textured surfaces.

Inspiramais was organised by Brazilian Materials in partnership with Sebrae Nacional. Institutional support was provided by the Brazilian Textile Retail Association (Abvtex). The next edition of the show will take place on January 27 and 28, 2028, in Porto Alegre/RS.