A few weeks ago, I went to Brazil in search of a manufacturer who could produce affordable, wearable, and gorgeous lingerie. Yes reader, I know, I am doing the lord's work.
My plan was simple (though not particularly well thought out): fly to Sao Paulo alone, attend one of the top Brazilian innerwear trade shows and canvas the entire manufacturing district until I convinced one of the dozens of lingerie manufactures to produce my line. God this will make a great story for Oprah, I thought. It would have been ambitious for anyone to undertake but when you couple this with the fact that I spoke no Portuguese and intended to do it all over the course of four days, it becomes clear that this mission was entirely based on faith.
You see, not only were the cards stacked against me, I had been warned. I attempted to hire an apparel specialist and a translator from the US Commercial Service in Brazil and was flat out rejected.
"There is no market for this. There are several manufacturers in Brazil (A LOT... TOO MANY), but no company would work with the US designs for lingerie. Several US companies tried manufacturing lingerie here to re-export because Brazil is well-known for its manufacturing in this field, but it rarely worked out because the designs are very different from what is used and produced here."
The game seemed to be over before it began. Discouraged and traveling alone to what the NY Times calls "the most dangerous city you will ever love", I began to realize what a suicide mission this was. So I decided to seek help from higher powers. I prayed and sent out a mass email.
Subject line: Solo to Sao Paulo
And miracles happened (who knew the lord has Gmail?). My brother who owns a bed and breakfast in Bahia, suggested I call a Samba dancer he knew. She just happened to be a costume designer for the Philadelphia Opera, spoke fluent manufacturing and apparel Portuguese and owned a home in Sao Paulo. She agreed to accompany me to SP, without ever meeting me,...FOR FREE.
My girl, Khadeja, called a college friend now living in Sao Paulo. He agreed to take me in. Also without ever speaking to me. also for free.
And so I went. And after many Nos, crazy looks, and discussions about how the US Dollar was now relatively worthless in Brazil, we actually found some people who were at least willing to speak to us. I could almost see Oprah’s couch in front of me.
And that is when I was told that Brazilians only makes B CUPS. Yes, you read me right. They have somehow convinced an entire nation of voluptuous, plastic surgery loving women that they are all Bs. How can I make a product I cant even wear?
Jeez, I guess need to work on plan B…
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4 comments:
NOT THE WORLD B CUP WINNER!
Brazil,the "Siliconadas" nation
Hey, full-figured Model Gisele, and other Siliconadas cause Brazilians to Reassess the Breast.
This is really ambitious, the debate over whether or not to get implants... Debate? It's more like a stampede.
There is a clamor for Cleavage!
With summer under way in Brazil, women are lining up for more than their usual bikini wax. In a land second only to the U.S. in surgically crafted curves, the clamor for cleavage is turning local fashion on its head. Silicone implants have become a rare commodity. Brazil's only implant maker is increasing capacity fivefold, and new suppliers are getting into the game. Even Brazil's central bank, which generally pays attention to a different boom-bust cycle, is studying whether it should broaden consumer finance regulations to make plastic-surgery affordable to low-income Brazilians.
Under the scheme, which has long been used to buy things like cars, Brazilian consumers pool their money to purchase big-ticket items. Hovering over this frenzy is the angel of world fashion, Brazilian model Gisele. Her voluptuous figure has become the rage in a country where an ample bust has never been a prerequisite of feminine beauty. Until recently, the most popular cosmetic operation in Brazil was a breast reduction.
The change is being fed by a new breed of celebrities dubbed "siliconadas." These soap-opera stars and socialites happily offer up not only their testimonials but also their implant sizes. Carla Perez, a samba dancer-turned-television presenter, chose a pair of
220-milliliter implants.
Samba Dancer Scheila Carvalho opted for a slightly more demure 170ml. Andrea Baptista, winner of Brazil's version of the TV show "Survivor," says she initially wanted a 195ml pair but upped her choice to 215ml on her doctor's advice. Revealing even more, these women have graced the last three covers of the Brazilian edition of Playboy magazine.
The country's most popular children's television-show host, Xuxa, staged a slightly more discreet coming-out when she wore a transparent blouse in a fashion show to parade her new assets.
The bust boom isn't confined to celebrities. It has also seized a middle class freed from the monetary hyperinflation of the early 1990s and eager to spend more on luxuries like plastic surgery. One survey by a financial-industry trade group indicated that as many as 70% of Brazilian women and 50% of men want plastic surgery.
Breast-augmentation operations can be had here for as little as $2,500 -- including the price of the implants -- which often can be paid in monthly installments.
Brazilians traditionally valued big buttocks and small breasts. When David Rand, design director for General Motors Corp. in Sao Paulo, asked what Brazilians like in cars, a colleague replied "bunda" -- which literally means "buttock" but in Brazil also embodies the idea of sensuality and form.
Meanwhile, the word "tchan," slang for something desirable, was recently popularized by a Brazilian band whose sensual dancers emphasized their buttocks. Three of the dancers have since had breast implants and become "siliconada" centerfolds.
There's no doubt that demand for breast jobs has soared during the past year with the rise of Ms. Bundchen and her 36-24-35 figure.
Dr. Pitanguy, best Plastic Surgeon in Brazil said that nearly half of his paying breast patients now want implants -- bigger and bigger ones. From 120ml to 160ml a few years ago, women are asking for 200ml to 260ml, and several previous patients are trading up. "They're still not as big as implants in the U.S., but it's a huge change," says Dr. Pitanguy.
And...2 of my most beautiful dancers of Brazil Productions have implants. They are far from being a B Cup...
Yes, wake up Brazilian manufacturers...Brazil is definetely no longer a overal
B CUP nation....
first of all i am even surprised there are bcups in brazil. and second of all, are you being cloned. how do you even have time to be the entrepeneur that you are in so many fields. and you are doing the lords work, i need a bra that fits me like a glove.
I (and my bras) got you covered!!! And to answer your question, I do not sleep and do nothing fully or that well :) :)
Cant wait to see you soon!
I LOVE big hair,big boob broads,25-39!!!!
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