The capital of gambling, partying and glamour is also celebrating fashion from 19-21 August, in Magic Market Week. Ten Portuguese companies will be taking part in this year’s show - Dielmar - Dom Colletto by Fortiustex - Fame On You - Inarbel – Kalisson/Bagoraz - Katty Xiomara - Lucas&Olof - Orfama - Pé de Chumbo - Quimeraspecies - spread across various areas of the event: Mrket, FN Platform, Project, WWD Magic, Pooltradeshow and EnkVegas. The Portuguese delegation is heading to Las Vegas to present their main trends and have high expectations for this strong focus on the U.S. market.
Inarbel, Orfama and Katty Xiomara are Portuguese brands that have invested for some time on the American market, and are regulars at this event. Their main reasons for attending are to build on established relationships and make new contacts, in a trade fair whose importance is undeniable, considering its purchasing power, size and openness to new proposals for products and brands.
The Dielmar brand is a newcomer to the event and to the Mrket, the area most appropriate to its product. “Dielmar already has a presence in the U.S. market, but it is still quite low-key. We’ve analyzed the best way to approach the market and decided to invest in Mrket, which seems the most appropriate for our product”, Pedro Pinto, International Sales & Brand Development Director for the company explained.
It will be presenting its collection under the slogan "100 years of history and memories...” inspired by the centennial of the Panama Canal, with cultural references to the characteristic rites and aesthetic features of a global traveller who crosses oceans and continents.
The emphasis is on the color palette, with light, écru and genuine tints that exude the natural colors of the fabrics, plunging into deep blues and materials of original, very sophisticated composition, where natural fibers are mixed with remarkable innovation, linens that combine with cotton and silk, and hemp mingling with wool. The attention to detail marks this Spring/Summer 2014 collection as a moment of creativity and innovation for Dielmar.
Another Portuguese brand making its first appearance, Lucas&Olof, will be launching the brand in the FN Platform. “We chose the FN Platform for the launch of our Lucas&Olof brand knowing the importance of the U.S. market for shoes.
The choice of Las Vegas, with its glamour and party atmosphere, is a perfect match for the collection we will show”, Maria José Valença, Consultant for the company, said. For Spring/Summer 2014, the Portuguese brand will present its collection under the theme "Woman, Our Muse".
The collection is based on the harmony and perfect balance between elegance and glamour, with the aim of creating an elegant, sophisticated and feminine product. Lucas&Olof has very positive expectations for its participation in this event. “The results of our market research, as well as meetings with potential agents, distributors and customers, have pointed to encouraging prospects for the launch of Lucas&Olof in Las Vegas.
We have been making countless contacts and the reception has been very good, so as a result we have a well-designed strategy. The support of the Associação Selectiva Moda has been instrumental in our pursuit of this goal, which is encouraging in this startup we anticipate as being decisive for our future”, Maria José Valença added.
Another Portuguese first-timer – Fame On You – is on show at Project, in Mandalay Bay. At this event, it presents the Mercury, Venus and Guilty lines by Fame On You from the SS14 collection, with a special emphasis on highly stylized T-shirts.
The T-shirt is displayed as a luxury item, defining a very singular personality. “One of our aims for 2013 was to market our products in the U.S. We believe this fair will be an excellent way of showing our current customers that we keep an eye on the market and want a place beside the major brands in our segment”, Natália Araújo, the company’s Commercial Director, said.
“Our expectations of this fair revolve mainly around networking, and the image boosting that an event like this inevitably affords for the name and awareness of the brand. We hope that quality may bring very good quantitative results in due course”, she added.
The participation of Portuguese companies in Magic Market Week Las Vegas is an Associação Selectiva Moda initiative, supported by COMPETE and the NSRF, as part of the From Portugal project. The Associação Selectiva Moda is an organisation devoted to promoting the internationalization of Portuguese companies, and is implementing a program for 2013 of international initiatives in 35 different markets, targeting the yarn, fabric and accessories, fashion, home textiles and decoration, and technical textile sectors.
