Entrepreneurs from Pará bring the forest to the SPFW catwalk.

247 - The catwalks of São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW), on Thursday (16), became the stage for a celebration between art, fashion and nature. The collection GaiafiliaThe collection, designed by stylist Leandro Castro, presented a profound dialogue between contemporary design and the traditional knowledge of the Amazon. The work is the result of an immersion program promoted by [organization name]. National Sebrae, inside the project Amazon Biome, coordinated by Walter Rodrigues, from Assintecal, and had entrepreneurial partners from Santarém (PA). The information is from Sebrae.

The collection was born from the encounter between Leandro's creative vision and the work of brands from Pará such as Nunghara Biojewels, Coomflona, Aíra Gourds, Biojewels Living Nature e Arapiuns Braids, who are participating for the first time in the 60th edition of SPFW, open until October 20th. The fashion show and the Sebrae booth at the event reveal the potential of the forest as a source of innovation, identity, and sustainable beauty.

 “Fashion as art draws from the earth what has not yet been made visible,” says Leandro Castro. “Working with communities has taught me the rhythm of hands. Sometimes the material only exists when nature can offer it. It’s not the time I want, it’s her time.”

Em Gaiafilia — a neologism meaning "love of the land" — the designer presented 30 gender-neutral looksproduced with straw from the Coroca community, Aíra's gourds, timber from managed forests, seed accessories e Amazonian latexThe pieces translate the forest into texture, form, and color. After the fashion show, the collection went on display at the Sebrae booth, where it will remain until the event concludes.

The entrepreneur Natasha Santana, founder of Nunghara Biojoias, celebrated the recognition achieved.

 “We dream of showing that the Amazon also does design,” she said. “Nunghara is only here because of Sebrae, which has supported us from the beginning with mentoring, incubation, and the Entrepreneur Grant. The pieces we made with Leandro were woven with the seeds of the monkey soapberry tree, which resemble a black pearl, and weigh more than 12 kilos. They are entire garments made only from seeds.”

Visibly moved, she described the moment she saw the brand's work on the catwalk.

 “Seeing Nunghara’s work at São Paulo Fashion Week is like seeing the forest take shape, shine, and gain recognition. Each seed there carries our history — of the women who collect them, of the hands that weave them, of an Amazon that creates with purpose.”

Another partner in the collection, Arimar Feitosa Rodrigues, Coomflona (Cooperativa Mista da Flona Tapajós), highlighted the impact of the visibility achieved at the event.

 “Seeing our raw materials being used in Leandro's creations was wonderful and creates a great sense of anticipation for all of us who live off the forest. I was very moved because seeing the struggle we go through, and then seeing people talking to us, applauding, asking for photos, all of that is very important for our work and for our lives.”

Coomflona works with sustainable forest management, producing latex blankets — known as "eco-leather" — and furniture pieces used in the collection. The cooperative also developed, in partnership with Walter Rodrigues, the Boto chair, a highlight of the Sebrae booth, is its combination of contemporary design and Amazonian raw materials.

The artisan Nilena Guimarães, Arapiuns Braided Hair Association, represented more than two hundred women at SPFW.

 “We work with tucumã fiber, which we brought to Leandro in its natural tone and in the jenipapo tone. Leandro used it in his own way, we didn't even know how it would look — it was a surprise! It was a unique feeling, I was moved. Seeing our product valued and placed on a world-renowned catwalk was wonderful.”

To Walter Rodrigues, project coordinator Amazon BiomeThe presence of the Amazon at SPFW symbolizes the culmination of work that began almost a decade ago.

 "The Local Iconography project unites culture and production. In Pará, we work with 19 enterprises, connecting communities that previously didn't even know each other to develop products with value, not just price. In the Amazon, we don't talk about sustainable development, but rather about..." sustainable engagement"which is about learning from those who have cared for the forest for centuries and building something contemporary together."