The world’s fourth-largest footwear producer, Brazil is also Latin America’s leading intra-regional supplier. This relationship between Brazil’s industry and Latin American markets is also featured in the BF Talks series, an initiative of Brazilian Footwear, the export promotion program carried out by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). Watch, in the video above, the sixth and final episode of the series, which brings the perspectives of international buyers and journalists on the opportunities created by these connections with Brazil’s green-and-yellow footwear.

The episode features the buyer at Michelle Bellau (Peru), Daniela Sanguinetti; the creative director at Mario Hernández (Colombia), Lorenzo Hernández; and Caracol (Colombia) fashion journalist Juan Carlos Giraldo. For them, words like exchange, connections, and evolution sum up the strong relationship between Brazil’s footwear industry and its Latin American neighbors. According to Daniela, Brazilian-made footwear closely matches what they’re looking for. “We’re focused on a specific audience, and in Brazil we’re able to find the product that Peruvian women will love.”

Hernández adds that the shared “Latin identity” is a very strong common thread. “Something very important that brings Colombia, Brazil, and Peru together is that we’re all Latin. So there’s the use of color—our Latin culture gravitates toward it. The trends present in Brazil are much closer to ours than what’s happening in Europe or the United States, because of our culture and the way men and women dress.”

Beyond the cultural proximity and the streamlined logistics among the countries, other attributes of Brazilian footwear were highlighted. The journalist points to the product’s design as a major differentiator. “This mix we find here allows men, women, and children […] to look their best at all times—whatever the hour or the occasion,” Giraldo concludes.

BF Talks

Featuring leaders from Brazilian footwear brands, international buyers, and opinion makers, BF Talks is a series that explores six themes and hallmarks of the biggest footwear industry in the West. Each videocast brings different guests who share insights on the following topics: own brand, private label, design, sustainability and ESG, social impact, and opportunities in Latin America. The latter was conducted exclusively with international guests.