ANBA, Brazil
April 11 2006

>From Brazil, luxurious purses for Arab women

The stylist Serpui Marie exports to four Arab countries. Women from
the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon wear the luxurious
handbags produced by the designer from São Paulo, who also has as
clients international stars like Gisele Bündchen and Madonna.

Press Release

Serpui Marie: stylist has been exporting handbags for 14 years
Isaura Daniel*

São Paulo – The purses signed by the Brazilian stylist Serpui Marie
are carried by the women in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Kuwait and Lebanon. Natural of São Paulo, in southeast Brazil, she
became a supplier of luxury accessories for the Brazilian upper
class, and about six years ago started winning Arab women too. The
handbags by Serpui are already sold in the boutiques in Beirut, in
Lebanon, Jeddah and Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait City, in Kuwait,
and Dubai in the Arab Emirates.

“The handbags exported to those countries are the most ornamented
ones, with shine and drawings,” explains the stylist. Six boutiques
from the Arab market bought the brand’s products in the showroom she
keeps in New York, in the United States, and also at the Première
Classe fair that takes place twice a year in Paris, France. During
the first one, in the first semester of the year, she launches the
autumn-winter collection, and on the second, the products for the
spring-summer collection are exhibited.

The stylist Serpui entered the fashion market about 20 years ago and
started exporting 14 years ago. As well as the Arab world, the
handbags created by her are sold in Japan, China, United States and
France. And as well as the showroom in New York, Serpui has been
selling her products in a showroom in Japan since the beginning of
the year.

She also participates in promotion projects for Brazilian products
abroad through a partnership between the Brazilian Association of
Stylists (Abest), to which she belongs, and the Brazilian Export and
Investment Promotion Agency (Apex).

Shoes

In spite of exporting basically purses, Serpui also makes shoes and
fashion accessories like costume jewellery and scarves. The other
products, however, are exported only sporadically. The handbags are
the company’s main product. The stylist produces 2,000 pieces per
year, in their factory in São Paulo, in the Vila Madalena
neighbourhood, and sells 85% of their production abroad. In Brazil,
she has a store at the Shopping Iguatemi, one of the most luxurious
in Brazil, and also distributes the products in about 30 multi-brand
boutiques.

Serpui’s great market is external. The stylist believes the success
of the products outside Brazil is due to the exclusive
characteristics of the accessories. “They are different from what can
normally be found, very tropical, very Brazilian,” says the stylist.
The handbags by Serpui are made in an ample scope of colours and have
raw materials that vary from leather to straw.

Serpui is self-taught in the profession. Descendant of Armenians, she
discovered the taste for fashion when she was starting her doctorate
in Biochemistry, at the University of São Paulo (USP). And she
changed the direction of her career. Today, international stars like
the singer Madonna, the model Gisele Bündchen, and the actresses Meg
Ryan and Jennifer Aniston are fans of the purses signed by her.

*Translated by Silvia Lindsey