Interview of the International Director BAAM Argentina Fashion Week

What is your background?

A.F.: Iʼve been working in the fashion industry for the last 20 years. I started as a salesman at shopping center in Belem, my hometown in the north of Brazil. Then as a personal stylist, image consultant, producer for events such as fashion shows. After a while, I wanted to improve my career and started to trend forecast in London, Paris and Milan. I also studied at Central Saint Martins. There, I met a colleague who told me about the MBA in Luxury Marketing in Paris and to enter it became my goal. I realized that luxury market would be the next big thing. In the process, I did some courses at London Fashion College, Politecnico de Milano. I applied to the ISML - Insitut Superieur du Marketing de Luxe and was admitted in 2009 for a MBA in Luxury Marketing and International Management in Paris where I also had the opportunity to work at Atelier Gustavo Lins, learning about fashion and luxury from the leaders in the market.

What is your mission for BAAM?

A.F.: My mission is to position the event at an international level.

What is your working process? Who select the designers?

A.F.: To achieve the goal my work is to help the Argentina Fashion Weekʼs team to understand the international market, to show the Argentine designers in a proper way and to right people. They started with another consultant and the first show was a disaster. The French agency did not take Argentina Fashion Week as a serious client and did not do a nice job. After this very difficult experience, they invited me to work for them in Paris. As I also live in Buenos Aires part of the year, I have a sentimental attachment to the country. And I took the task. For the first show with argentine designers, I had the Chambre Syndicale mention on Paris Fashion Week official calendar and the show was at the first floor at Eiffel Tower, with international press and buyers. I felt the work was in the right direction. There is a committee, which I am part of, to select the designers that show in Paris.

Who are the official partners and sponsors of BAAM?

A.F.: Locally the event has Biferdil, as main sponsor, and Clarin, as media partner. Internationally the event works with the Argentine government through Fundacion Exportar and in Paris we have the support of the Embassy.

Which are your plans for the future?

A.F.: The event now has more a social character and the more important shows are all fundraising events. But we are also working on building a businness side to the event and to have a tradeshow like the Tranoi, happening at the same period of the shows, so the designers can sell their collections.

As a Brasilian man living in Buenos Aires, where do you like to go out ? Which are you favorites places?

A.F.: Buenos Aires is a very international city and most of my friends are expats living part of their time here and another part of the year on their own country. I love BA, as insiders call it, because of that and also because there is a lot of culture always happening in town. I travel so much because of my work in Paris and Brasil. When I am in BA, I have to admit that I stay home as much as I can. But if I go out to show my BA to a visitor my perfect day would be:
10am breakfast at Bar 6 ( take the desayuno porteño)
10 to 12am shopping at Palermo streets
2pm lunch at Cluny
4pm visit a exhibition at Malba
5pm visit the Recoleta area, don;t miss Alvear street with best designers shops
7pm drink at Library Lounge at Hotel Faena
9pm dinner at Tegui or Tô, my favorites restaurants at the moment
11pm drinks at Isabel or Frankʼs, best bars on town.

Interview conducted by Florence Julienne