EXPORT STORIES: We are living in a “golden moment”, reveals fashion exporter made with ecological cotton
In this first article in a series of inspiring stories about entrepreneurs who decided to export, we will show the trajectory of Francisca Vieira, a businesswoman from Paraíba. She is the founder and CEO of Natural Cotton Color. The company exports streetwear pieces — a style of casual clothing that values comfort — made with ecological cotton to 10 countries. “We are living in a golden moment”, she reveals.
History
In the 1990s, Brazil had a timid participation in the international cotton market. It was only at the turn of the millennium, when Brazil began to invest in technology and supporting agricultural policies, that the sector began to stand out.
And it was in the midst of this context and the international market’s growing search for products with a sustainable footprint that Francisca saw an opportunity. In 2005 — ten years after founding Natural Cotton Color — the businesswoman decided to develop a fashion project using a type of naturally colored and organic cotton, the final product of which has the same color as the feather.
“Brazil didn’t even talk about sustainability. In Europe, there were already salons focused on sustainable design. I did market research, visited several countries and, in London, I found this salon that only had sustainable products. I looked and thought: ‘my salon is here ‘,” remember.
That’s when Natural Cotton Color emerged, says Francisca Vieira. “We were a streetwear company and we decided to work with exports using this ecological product. There was a lot of research to come up with this brand, which was a name that reflected our work”, she says.
When it comes to manufacturing knits and flat fabrics, she says that colored cotton can save up to 87.5% of water compared to conventional production processes.
Support
The businesswoman says that the change in the company’s identity was driven by the Texbrasil Program, which is supported by ApexBrasil. The program helps Brazilian textile companies to internationalize their brands.
“I found out that there was a Texbrasil program and I told them: ‘I want you to go to Paraíba, if only to say that we are no good at anything’. Fifteen days after that kick in the door, Texbrasil arrived. And then it was when we started working on the product. Natural Cotton Color was made by four hands. Two hands, of course, by Francisca Vieira — and two others from the Apex program”, he states.
Francisca highlights that support from ApexBrasil’s export programs is essential for micro and small entrepreneurs to be able to sell their products to other countries. “The programs can indeed be a key turning point for a company to grow. Apex is essential for the export of Brazilian fashion”, she points out.
Today, Natural Cotton Color exports to 10 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. The group also has pop-up stores (for a specified period) in Italy, Germany and France.
The group’s companies earn between R$1.2 million and R$2.2 million per year and, according to the CEO, they won’t stop there. “We have a pre-approved project with Apex, worth R$6 million to R$7 million, aimed exclusively at sustainable fashion, so that we can once again be bold and expand these markets — because it’s been about eight years since we’ve made progress due to financial”.
Texbrasil
Conducted by the Brazilian Association of the Textile and Clothing Industry (Abit) in partnership with ApexBrasil, the Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program (Texbrasil) works with companies in the textile and clothing sector to develop strategies to achieve global market. Over 20 years, it has helped around 1,600 brands. During the period, it carried out more than 7 thousand actions, including almost 450 editions of international fairs. For more information about Texbrasil, visit: texbrasil.com.br.
Texbrasil is one of several projects that the agency has signed with different segments of the Brazilian economy, including food and beverages; agribusiness; house and construction; creative economy; machines and equipment; technology; and health. Through partnerships, ApexBrasil and business associations promote Brazilian industry in the international market.
Business missions, business rounds, support for participation in international fairs and visits by foreign buyers to Brazil are part of the list of actions developed within the scope of sectoral projects.
For more information about companies that internationalize their sales and export incentive projects, visit: www.apexbrasil.com.br.
By Brasil 61
