RAIZ PROJECT CATALOG Brazilian Designers 1 2 RAIZ PROJECT CATALOG Brazilian Designers 3 Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves President: Vinicius Benini Research and Texts Ana Carolina Azevedo Closing Text Ethel Leon Revision Teresinha Scotti Dalla Costa Graphic Project Priscila Trevisan Photos Collection: Museu do Imigrante Sindmóveis historical files, Todeschini historical files, Carlos Ben, Ana Carolina Azevedo, Augusto Tomasi, promotion of Projeto Raiz designers Editorial Coordination Ana Carolna Azevedo Commercial Intelligence Eduardo Trapp Santarossa Market Consultancy Ana Cristina Sant’Anna Schneider Salão Design Award Board Eduardo Nuncio and José Ferro General Coordinator Denise Valduga Printing Sociedade Vicente Pallotti January 2021 All rights of this edition are reserved to Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves Rua Avelino Luiz Zat, 95 – 3º andar - Bairro Fenavinho Centro Empresarial Bento Gonçalves Caixa Postal 2506 | CEP 95703-365 Bento Gonçalves - RS | Phone (54) 2102.6800 4 This book is not a definitive historical record, AUTHOR’S but a collection of passages, projects and people who NOTE have worked with the Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis)aiming to promote design as a competitive tool for the furniture industry. The time frame covers the period from 1988 to 2018. Although bibliographic research has been carried out regarding the development of the local furniture industry and the origin of the Movelsul Brasil fair, the main sources mentioned include the book “Salão Design Dez edições: Uma visão do Design Moveleiro Latino-Americano” (Salão Design Ten editions: An overview of the Latin American furniture design), by designer and museographer Ivens Fontoura; the catalogs and promotional material of all 22 editions of the Salão Design Award held to date and an extensive analysis of the news published on the Sindmóveis website since 2006. The following pages portray the continued efforts Sindmóveis has made since 1988 to strengthen the Bento Gonçalves furniture hub and to foster the sustainable growth of the entire national furniture industry through design. Collectivity has been guiding all the actions of the association, as well as the development of this publication. May it serve as an inspiration 5 SUMMARY 6 8 INTRODUCTION 11 FROM THE IMMIGRATION TO MOVELSUL IN THE 1980S 21 SALÃO DESIGN AWARD A STRATEGY TO FOSTER INNOVATION IN THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY 31 SALÃO DESIGN AWARD EDITIONS 77 RAIZ PROJECT BRAZILIAN DESIGN GAINS SUPPORT FOR ITS INTERNATIONALIZATION 93 RAIZ PROJECT DESIGNERS 169 IN FAVOR OF HETEROGENEITY ETHEL LEON 174 BIBLIOGRAPHY 7 INTRODUCTION INTRODUÇÃO 8 The Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis) has invested and believed in design as a competitive edge for the national furniture industry since 1988, when it established the Salão Design Award. The association was founded in 1977 to formally represent the furniture companies located in and around Bento Gonçalves. In addition to represent the companies, it aims to promote better development conditions for the sector, by providing support to its members, political negotiations, commercial actions or innovative programs. Established by the association, Movelsul Brasil is a great fair where furniture companies present their launches to national retailers and foreign buyers. It is in this context that Sindmóveis comes to understand design as a crucial tool to the competitiveness of the sector. The experience with the Salão Design Award led the association to organize a new trade show which started in 2007 - this one was aimed at the high-end furniture and accessories market. Casa Brasil, in turn, brought Sindmóveis closer to design studios that were interested in attracting new customers and expanding their presence in the foreign market. For considering that the internationalization of the service provided by Brazilian designers would trigger the development of the furniture industry as a whole, Sindmóveis started to coordinate the positioning of Brazilian design in the world, with the support of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). Initially, the design studios were included in the Orchestra Brasil Project - which was already promoting exports from suppliers of furniture industry products. In 2015, this platform got its own identity: the Raiz Project. The identity of the project and its scope express the multiplicity that is characteristic of the Brazilian furniture design. This book shows the trajectory of Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves in design-related projects, from 1988 to the present day, but having as its starting point the development of the local furniture industry based on the Italian immigration. Its development was motivated by the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Salão Design Award and the positive results of the Raiz Project in licensing and exports. It is the history of the association, representing the work of hundreds of people for the benefit of the furniture industry: the boards of Sindmóveis during these 42 years (always made up of entrepreneurs and executives working in a voluntary capacity); the technical teams that lead the association; judges and sponsors of the Salão Design Award; project advisory and consultancy providers; partner entities; furniture companies, industry suppliers and design studios. The legacy of Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves has been to bring the ends of the furniture chain together so that the sector can develop with consistency and a value proposition. The story is not yet complete and is still under construction at the moment. Sindmóveis hopes that the chapters of the future will also be a source of honor. Happy reading! August 2019 9 O Sindicato das Indústrias do Mobiliário de Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis) in- veste e acredita no design como diferencial competitivo para o setor moveleiro nacional desde 1988, quando criou o Prêmio Salão Design. A entidade foi fundada em 1977 para representar formalmente as indústrias moveleiras localizadas no município de Bento Gonçalves e adjacências. Muito além da representação sin- dical, seu propósito é promover melhores condições de desenvolvimento para o setor, seja por meio de apoio aos associados, articulação política, ações comerciais ou programas inovadores. Junto da própria entidade, nasce a Movelsul Brasil, uma feira grandiosa em que as empresas moveleiras apresentam seus lançamentos ao varejo nacional e compradores estrangeiros. É nesse contexto que o Sindmóveis passa a compre- ender o design como crucial para a competitividade do setor. A experiência com o Prêmio Salão Design levou o sindicato a empreender em uma nova feira a partir de 2007 – essa direcionada ao mercado de móveis e complementos de alto padrão. A Casa Brasil, por sua vez, aproximou do Sindmóveis estúdios de design interes- sados em alcançar e ampliar sua presença no mercado externo. Por entender que a internacionalização do serviço dos designers brasileiros desencadeia o desenvolvimento da indústria moveleira como um todo, é que o Sindmóveis passa a articular o posicionamento do design brasileiro no mundo, contando com o apoio da Agência Brasileira de Promoção de Exportações e Inves- timentos (Apex-Brasil). Num primeiro momento, os estúdios de design foram incluídos no Projeto Or- chestra Brasil – que já atuava no fomento das exportações de fornecedores de pro- dutos da indústria moveleira. A partir de 2015, essa vertical ganha uma identidade própria: Projeto Raiz. A identidade do projeto, assim como sua atuação, expressa a multiplicidade, que é característica do design de móveis no Brasil. Este livro traça a trajetória do Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves em projetos liga- dos ao design, desde 1988 até os dias de hoje, mas tendo como ponto de partida o desenvolvimento da indústria moveleira local a partir da imigração italiana. Sua construção foi motivada pela comemoração dos 30 anos do Prêmio Salão Design e os resultados positivo do Projeto Raiz em licenciamentos e exportações. Tra- ta-se de um resgate histórico, que representa o trabalho de centenas de pessoas em benefício do setor moveleiro: as diretorias do Sindmóveis nesses 42 anos de entidade (formadas sempre por empresários e executivos em atuação voluntária); as equipes técnicas que conduzem a entidade; jurados e patrocinadores do Prêmio Salão Design; assessorias e consultorias dos projetos; entidades parceiras; empre- sas moveleiras, fornecedores da indústria e estúdios de design. O legado do Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves vem sendo amarrar as pontas da cadeia moveleira de modo que o setor possa se desenvolver com consistência e proposição de valor. A história não é estanque e segue em construção neste preciso momento. O Sindmóveis espera que os capítulos do futuro também sejam motivo de honradez. Boa leitura! Agosto de 2019 10 FROM THE IMMIGRATION TO MOVELSUL IN THE 1980S: 11 In the late 1980s, furniture production in Brazil reflected the recession of the market of the so-called Lost Decade. Even the most renowned companies struggled to maintain their production and sales figures. Some of them failed to survive this period of political and economic transition into the next decade, including the precursors to serial production lines, companies such as Móveis Barzenski, Móveis Miolo and Móveis Sperotto. Others, such as Móveis Carraro, Móveis Pozza and Todeschini, are still operating - albeit with new corporate configurations. Economically, the country was struggling with its recessionary domestic market and an inflation rate of nearly 933% during 1988, reaching the historic