The world’s largest rainforest will be highlighted at the next edition of São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW), taking place at Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo from October 16th to 20th. This is because, on the first day of the event, a fashion show by designer Leandro Castro is scheduled, who will produce pieces referencing the Local Iconography Amazon Biome Project. This project is carried out by the Brazilian Association of Companies of Components for Leather, Footwear and Artifacts (Assintecal), in partnership with Sebrae Nacional and Sebrae Pará.

With the goal of enhancing the cultural and productive identity of the Amazon, the project is developing products in partnership with 20 local micro-entrepreneurs. These products are based on insights from a study led by designer and coordinator of Assintecal’s Design and Research Center, Walter Rodrigues.

For SPFW, Leandro Castro has prepared a collection of pieces “bio-inspired” by the Amazon territory of Pará, based on a visit to Santarém carried out through the Local Iconography Amazon Biome Project. “Following this experience, the collection was developed through partnerships with groups of artisans in the region, stimulating the bioeconomy through the use of biomaterials and sustainable involvement based on the echoes of COP30,” he anticipates. The supplying companies for the fashion show are participants in the project carried out by Assintecal: Biojoias Natureza Viva, Coomflona – Cooperativa Mista da Flona Tapajós, Cuias Aíra, Nunghara Biojoias, and Trançados do Arapiuns.

About the Project

Since October 2024, Assintecal, in partnership with Sebrae Nacional and Sebrae Pará, has been conducting the Local Iconography Amazon Biome Project. The initiative has already included eight creative workshops, seven lectures, press conferences, and dozens of individual on-site and online consultancies in Pará with 20 businesses in the territory. The products created will all be launched at COP30 between November 10th and 21st in Belém/PA.

Project coordinator Walter Rodrigues explains that the initiative, carried out in the territories of Santarém/Alter do Chão, Belterra, and Mojuí dos Campos, developed an in-depth territorial study focusing on local identity. The investigation covers elements such as the biome, history, architecture, cuisine, beliefs, artisanal knowledge, popular festivals, and a color palette representative of the region.

At SPFW, the project will have a dedicated space in an institutional stand run by Sebrae Nacional. There, with the presence of Walter Rodrigues, some of the products already developed through the initiative will be on display.