Melissa Plastic Dreams

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In Brazil, it is said the year only gets started after Carnival. That’s not true. It starts after the most important fashion week in Latin America, the Sao Paulo Fashion Week. At least for us, people in love with fashion. That’s why is already time no announce: SPFW is coming, and Melissa, which participates in the event as a sponsor for many years, comes more stylish and full of novelties than ever.

In this season that announces Brazilian Winter 2009, Melissa comes dressed in Africa. Please make note: “Afromania”. This is the new collection’s title and, more than that, names the wills we all have for this year. Used to creative partnerships with artists all over the world, Melissa – which turns 30 in 2009 –, felt that the moment came to begin a trip to its origins, which are the origins of all of us. Africa is Brazil’s cradle, of the humanity as well, and owns a matchless creativity ready to be explored.

In this anthropological trip, which goes beyond our cultural and fashion wishes at the moment, the brand found in a very talented and important African artist the face of its collection inspired in Africa. She is Esther Mahlangu, 75 years old, a symbol of her people, the Ndebele community, for having resisted, in times of strong apartheid, the difficulties of her people in a creative way: painting the colorful drawings that are typical of her culture on the façades of the houses in her village and giving back art, strength and good mood to those who offered them injustice. She was discovered in 1986 by a group of French researchers and, since them, has been travelling the world without speaking a word of English or other language than her own and had her work recognized.

Esther had never come to Brazil, until now. Erika Palomino, Melissa’s consultant, met her in a research trip through Africa, when it was decided that the new collection would be inspired in the continent. She met the artist, and so it was already certain: Mama Esther, as she is known, will come to Brazil and create her own Melissa. And so was it: she is already among us and will be presented to the press on the 19th of January in Galeria Melissa, in Sao Paulo, and will host a cocktail in her homage on the 21st, in Melissa’s hospitality center in the SPFW.

So let’s talk about the HC! Melissa’s space in the event is dressed in Africa, all decorated with Esther Mahlangu’s art style and with Pier Balestrieri’s scenography. The visitors will enjoy Esther’s colorful drawings and try the game that will give as a gift three thousand Afromania Ultragirl Melissa shoes, exclusively designed by Esther for the occasion.

But not just Melissa’s hospitality center is tuned to Afromania… Galeria Melissa has already a new façade with Ndebele traces and also a giant white elephant on the entrance. Inside, for those who want to know more about Melissa’s inspiring trip to Africa, the attraction is an exhibition of Marília Franco Rubio’s pictures.

The best thing is Esther is not only coming for the fashion week. It has already been planned a trip to Salvador, where the artist will get in touch with the Afro-Brazilian culture. And more: a documentary titled “Esther is here”, directed by Erika Palomino and Gisela Domschke, is already in production.

But that’s not all: Melissa will launch during this season a magazine called “Plasticdreams”, with all about Afromania, besides the online Melissa TV, which will show various episodes on the Winter 2009 collection and more. So what? Ready to travel to Africa?