23 April

To be Tupi is participating onThe International Designers SaleThe Angel Hotel – GuildfordSaturday, 23rd AprilFrom 10am to 5pm91 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3DP Taking control on what to wear and how to decorate the house Table mats, table runs, aromatic bolas, throws, candles, pottery, art, jewellery, belts, bags and bikinis ALL HAND MADE BY CRAFTSMEN, WOMEN AND ARTISTS

Neo Swimwear Brazilian bikinis

When we started to develop To Be Tupi(*) more actively three years ago, one of our first steps was to introduce to various people a book portraying the Brazilian Handicraft works. Mothers with children in the same school that as Tina’s son, Ian; people we have met at our course on ‘ How to Start a Business’ in City University, London; our precious circle of friends; professionals from the retail, export and import sector; professionals from the marketing and market research sectors; professionals working in the cultural and artistic field. We wanted to show them those pieces; we wanted to hear from them. We wanted to see the reaction of these different publics, most of them actually our further clients.

They looked at the photos and they really liked them. Some were even enthusiastic enough to offer sharing of know how and actually helped us building up our first network of customers. A comment, however, would seal our confidence in go ahead with the project. “We are tired of these styles imposed by the big brands. We want something different; we want something new. We want to have a real option when buying our houseware pieces or deciding what we would like to wear this Summer.”

Fuxico Technique

To Be Tupi go ahead was based on the strong desire among British and European consumers in looking for their own identity in a sea of ‘way to be’, which offers so many personalities to follow but quite frequently do not match the one you are really looking for. We also had another strong wish bubbling inside us: the richness in mixing cultures, which we inherited from Brazil, and the challenge to bring to the big market the artefact delicately hand made by artisans and artists living in a remote piece of land.

Anaki Artesanía de la Tierra

The success of our Christmas Fairs 2004

Our first show and sales promoted in London for the Christmas 2004 season presented Brazilian handicraft and art from various organizations, artisans and artists and the Anaki – Artesanía de la Tierra, from Colombia. We are also working alongside South American projects in UK and local English artists like potter Sally Gulley. To Be Tupi aim is, therefore, to promote the handicraft and art works of communities and artists worldwide.

Our first fairs have been very successful. The hottest products are: decorative and aromatic bolas (sold out), customized brooches and belts, fringe and wave hand bags, fuxico scarves, table and floor mats, seeds jewellery from Hexadesign, kitchen cloths with crochet finishing, potteries by Monica Grohmann (Brazilian living in UK) and Sally Gulley. Although those have been the most wanted pieces, our customers are purchasing all range of products we brought in, which is amazing and encouraging.

(*) The name To Be Tupi was suggested by Arnaldo Baptista, one of the most important names in Brazilian music. The logo is by artist/designer Camila Trajber.

The Tupi were one of largest Brazilian indigenous nations before the arrival of the Portuguese in the country in 1500. Tupi plays an important role in the Brazilian identity and language. Oswald de Andrade was the first poet to mix Shakespeare with Tupi. He raised the question ‘Tupi or not Tupi’ during the Brazilian Modernist movement that started in the 1920’s.

Profiles

Our customers are and will be predominantly women but also men, both young and adult and with a likely interest in new trends, shapes, textures, art and design. They also prefer products fairly traded and from sources working by the rules of sustainable development. We are targeting a wide range of clients and costumers, e.g. those purchasing products from retail outlets such as Habitat and Pier, Selfridges and Tiffany to customers buying from open fairs such as Portobello, Spitalfields and Greenwich Market.

We will market our range of products in various events and open fairs and seek venues like canteens in corporations. We will also carry on promoting party plans and further exhibitions and cultural events. To Be Tupi will also offer its products to retail outlets and local boutiques.

To Be Tupi is also inviting designers to build up partnerships with the communities to create new collections with a strong cultural identity and of a high finished quality. We will also encourage museums and art collectors to purchase historic works and the art of those already well known outside their communities.

Our main objectives are:

• To give British and European consumers the opportunity to get to know and purchase handicraft and art products of strong cultural identity, a growing trend in this market;

• To expand the market of the communities and artists; increasing their income and consequently promote their own development.

• To use our strategies to encourage a positive attitude and mutual collaboration between communities in the developing countries and communities/consumers in the developed countries.

Mission/Statement

To become a focus of reference in the UK and Europe for publicising and bringing to the market products and art works of strong cultural identity, characteristic of hundreds of communities and artists living around the world.

To Be Tupi works by the rules of Fair Trade and Sustainable Development.

To Be Tupi does not work with products derived from Animals.

Get to know our first partners

Aldeia do Futuro is a NGO working with lower income women in the Brazilian southeastern city Americanópolis. Together they develop products reinventing traditional handicraft techniques. Their pieces quickly became trendy in fashion and houseware Brazilian shops.

Layne Marques started with a small collection of decorative/aromatic balls sharing her time between work and home. Using natural grains such as coffee, chickpeas and beans and spices as cinnamon sticks and cloves, Layne creates wonderfully finished decorative balls. With the orders increasing, Layne could open an atelier and offer employment for people around her neighbourhood in São Paulo.

Anaki Project is dedicated to promote in UK and Europe objects uniquely hand made by various indigenous Colombian tribes. Masks, figurines, vases reflect the techniques used by the Pre-Colombian communities. Each object has a meaning and tells the daily history, mysticism and religiosity of various inhabitant cultures in the Pre-Hispanic Colombia, such as the Muiscas, Chibchas, Tairona, Tumaco.

Hexadesign is a Company focused in developing unique and innovative designs for houseware and fashion. They work with artisans and communities all over Brazil, NGOs and also manufacturers, combining their production capacity and processes with the high level of manual techniques. This way, Hexadesign contributes for the dissemination of Brazilian culture and design in conjunction with the communities.

IPE (Institute of Ecologic Resources) is the third largest environmental Brazilian NGO and for more than 12 years has been working to safeguard the biodiversity. Among its various projects IPE runs schemes aiming at increasing the income of communities living within and around the protected areas. Their products have become a hit both in Brazil and abroad.

Ivone Rigobello is a Brazilian artist interested in seeds and their primary colours to create handmade distinctive houseware pieces. The power of their shapes and textures echoes an explicit reference to various ethnic tribes from Brazil and Africa. Ivone has an atelier in São Paulo city and also gives workshops to Brazilian communities.

Lucinha Barbosa customises fashion accessories such canvas belts using beads. She also makes brooches, rings and earrings using a mix of buttons. Lucinha normally sells only to friends, but we loved her work so much and convinced her to be part of To Be Tupi.

Mônica Grohmann Aitken is a Brazilian fine artist, engraver, painter, art teacher and studio potter working in the potteries region of Straffordshire. Monica is bringing to our Fair-at-Home her unique hand-thrown functional stoneware and hand-built fired pieces. Her work in Raku is glazed with tin and turquoise glazes poured over biscuit fired pieces. Sawdust post-firing reduction.

Atelier Nicéia Ribeiro creates trendy handbags and scarves made with recycled fabrics by housewives and elderly women living in João Pessoa city, Brazil. This activity is a way to increase their household income and promote social interaction.

Rita Prossi is a poet, designer and jewellery maker established in her homeland, the Brazilian Amazon, where she runs a family business. Rita is a pioneer in the use of Amazonian nature in jewellery. Through her research with native tribes and inspired by their tales and folklore, Rita promotes the use of sustainable resources with profound respect for the environment. She works mostly with the waimiri-atroaris, known for their work with arumã straw, and the satire mauês, who gathers tucumã seeds.

Sally Gulley is from Bletchley, Bucks, UK. She spent her childhood in Hong Kong and has travelled extensively, visiting many parts of Europe, USA, Australia, Asia and the Far East. She studied Fine Art at Reading University and went on to work in the theatre and at the Barbican Centre in London, whilst developing her ceramics. Sally’s aim is to explore the possibilities of pattern, texture and decoration, drawing on a number of sources and influences. These range from Historic decorative arts, tapestries and embroideries, to Chinese and Japanese painting. Sally also refers to the most ancient and traditional shapes of Greek and Roman pots. Her work is widely collected both in UK and abroad.

Also present:
Metal work, by Arnaldo Fioretto
Seeds and dry flowers in boxed trays, by Rose Lopes
“Traditions”: photos from Bahia by photographer Marcella Haddad

To Be Tupi supports the work of the Animal Protection Agency, the UK organisation committed to ceasing the trade in wildlife for pets. Email: info@apa.org.uk Web: www.apa.org.uk
Tel: 01273 674253 Fax: 01273 674927

Who are we?

The To Be Tupi project is led by Sonia Maia and Tina Leme, both Brazilians living in London since 1999 and 1996, respectively.

Tina Leme is a photojournalist and travelled around Brazil portraying various communities and their work. Tina has also worked with major international and British NGOs and organisations such as: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; British Refugee Council; Amnesty International; WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals); and Brazilians such as CEAPS (Centre of Advanced Studies on Social Promotion), GTA (Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico – Amazon Work Group), Comissão Pró-Índio de São Paulo(Pro- Indigenous People Commision of São Paulo city).

She has a very good experience working with communities, the challenges they face and how to manage and overcome these difficulties.

Sonia Maia has a successful professional history in journalism and Public Relations, working for major publishing and Brazilian companies like Abril Group, Kaiser Brewery, Hotel Intercontinental, F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi among others. She wrote acclaimed articles and was responsible for main tasks and management of press plans. In the position of Press Officer and PR, Sonia has worked for major and competitive Brazilian companies, where she learned important rules of conduct in corporate management.

They are working closely in all phases and levels of the project with Business Link One London branch having as their consultant Michael Goodmaker.

To Be Tupi Limited Company No. 5201915

Sonia Maia e Tina Leme - Directors
102 Trinity Rise, London, UK, SW2 2QS

Tel.: 00 XX 44 20 8671 0015
Mob Sonia.: 00 XX 44 7910 550 173
Mob Tina: 00 XX 44 7739 267133

Email: tobetupi@yahoo.co.uk
To come: www.tobetupi.com