Natural Cotton Color debuts the “Asa Branca” collection at Milan Fashion Week

Italy will host the Natural Cotton Color fashion show during the prestigious Milan Fashion Week. The launch of the “Asa Branca” collection, with 20 looks produced with Organic Colored Cotton from Paraíba, will be held on September 23rd, at the at the palace of the Sociedade de Incentivo das Artes e Ofícios (SIAM 1838), in a partnership with World Sustainability Organization (WSO) that has been certifying Natural Cotton Color products with the Friend of the Earth seal since 2022.

The Natural Cotton Color fashion show at Milan Fashion Week is sponsored by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and is also being supported by other entities, such as the municipality of Ingá-PB, Textile Technology Center of the National Industry Service (Senai-PB), Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae-PB) and the Acceleration Institute (IA) which also operates in the Paraíba State. The looks will be presented with bags from Makano and shoes from Pacoa and Tropicca. In the collection, there are exclusive fabrics developed by the Natural Cotton Color brand and partners, such as Denim made in conjunction with Senai da Paraíba, colored cotton jacquard produced with Ecosimple and tricoline from Cataguases. The fabrics were developed by Texpar and Dalila Têxtil. The looks will be presented with bags from Makano and shoes from Pacoa and Tropicca, brands also focused on sustainability.

Organic coloured cotton is grown in the semi-arid region of the state of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil, where rainfall is very low. Despite this, cotton grows without irrigation, transforming scarcity into abundance. Cotton is produced by family farmers with a purchase contract guaranteed by the brand. It attracted the attention of the international market because it is naturally coloured, in shades of beige, brown and green. By not having irrigated cultivation and avoiding the dyeing stage in the textile industry, it guarantees savings of up to 87.5% in the production process. Furthermore, its cultivation is intercropped with other products such as corn, beans and broad beans, to ensure food security.

The collection is a reference to hope in the Sertão region

The “Asa Branca” (Patagioenas picazuro) is a tribute to the symbol bird of the northeastern Sertão, whose song is a source of encouragement for the farmer, announcing the arrival of rain and bringing hope to life in the semi-arid region. Through this magical cotton, Natural Cotton Color has been capturing the authenticity and beauty of Brazil’s fauna and flora. In 2021, Natural Cotton Color presented a collection on Brazilian Ipês and in 2022 the theme was Embaúba (Cecropia angustifólia) of the Atlantic Forest biome, a reference in the recovery of devastated areas.

During the show, the press, influencers and important fashion personalities will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the rich symbology and craftsmanship involved in the Asa Branca collection. The pieces created by Francisca Vieira, CEO of the brand, and stylist and pattern maker Caio Rogerio, highlight crafts developed in in Local Productive Arrangements (Arranjos Produtivos Locais – APL) in Paraíba,, such as macramé from Gurinhém, crochet from Alhandra and Renaissance lace from Monteiro. The highlight is the labyrinth embroidery, a heritage of the State of Paraíba, carried out in Ingá, the municipality where cotton is grown. The versatile and elegant men’s collection was created by stylist Léo Mendonça.

The collection’s creative director, Elis Janoville, highlights the importance of this launch: “The collection reflects our commitment to preserving local culture. The historic Arts and Crafts building in Milan is an inspiring environment to celebrate the development of truly sustainable fashion.”

In the collection, there are exclusive fabrics developed by the Natural Cotton Color brand and its partners, such as Denim made in conjunction with the Textile Technology Center of Senai da Paraíba, coloured cotton jacquard produced with Ecosimple and tricoline from Cataguases. The fabrics were developed by Texpar and Dalila Têxtil. The looks will be presented with bags from Makano and shoes from Pacoa and Tropicca, brands also focused on sustainability.

The Natural Cotton Color brand is committed to inspiring positive changes in the fashion industry, valuing Brazilian culture by offering timeless and contemporary design, valuing manual craftsmanship.

“The Asa Branca collection is the result of this commitment, representing the perfect fusion between tradition and innovation”, highlights Francisca.

About Natural Cotton Color

Natural Cotton Color, based in João Pessoa, Paraíba, was born in 1995 as streetwear fashion under the name Francisca Vieira. In 2005, the businesswoman launched the sustainable fashion project with exclusive use of organic colored cotton from Paraíba. To secure the raw material, Natural Cotton Color encourages farmers in rural settlements to plant cotton. To do this, it enters into a guaranteed purchase contract for production at a price well above market value. The brand also helps to develop and enable Local Productive Arrangements (APL) of crafts to be inserted in an innovative way in the collections. Recently, it invested in the development of new fabrics, launching the first coloured Denim without dyeing with a pending patent application.

The cotton has international organic product certification, and the clothes have Friend of the Earth certification, accepted in more than 50 countries.

The brand presents its products and fabrics in a showroom in João Pessoa, Paraíba, serves customers through e-commerce, and has partnerships with a pop store in Paris and with the WSO store at Galleria Passarella, in Milan.

About ApexBrasil

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy.

In order to achieve its goals, ApexBrasil carries out several trade promotion initiatives aimed at promoting Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and trade missions, business rounds, support to the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, among other business platforms that also aim at strengthening the Brazil brand.

The Agency also acts in a coordinated way with public and private players to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil with a focus on strategic sectors for the development of the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and the country.

Internally, there is a concern to provide employees with an egalitarian and fair organizational environment. This was recognized with the Great Place to Work certification, received in 2020.