Martha Medeiros
On the fashion market for over 25 years, Martha Medeiros is the owner of the multibrand boutique shop Maison M in Maceio. Her own label was created following a natural path, when she began to create special occasion items at the request of her customers. In 2004, the Martha Medeiros brand was given a corner of the store and, with growing demand from customers across Brazil, it began to serve customers by appointment in Sao Paulo in early 2008. Late that same year, it opened its first boutique store in Sao Paulo, in the Jardins district.
Martha inherited a passion for art from her grandmother, an art teacher, and her work has stood out for its use of luxurious handmade weaving. Each item requires hours of handcrafting, thread by thread, joined with the pattern-making technique and styles acquired from her background in fashion.
Nearly 200 women work in lace-making coops and are involved in crafting laces such as Renascença lace, as well as in other techniques such as: filet, cutwork and bilro lace and the very delicate boa noite lace, which is only made on Ilha do Ferro, in the middle of the Sao Francisco river valley, 320 km from Maceio.
Martha Medeiros has been extremely sophisticated in how she has marketed this handmade work on the international market, adding renewed value to Brazilian lacework with a contemporary language. Manual embroidery and weaves predominate in her collections, with references to their places of origin; yet, this work is understood and consumed all over the world.
In April 2004, her items were put on display at Selfridges of London, for the Brasil 40º project, a partnership between the renowned department store and APEX-Brasil/MDIC (Trade Promotion Agency). The department store chain showed the culture, sports, fashion and tourism of Brazil at its four England stores, displaying products such as cosmetics, textiles, accessories, furnishings, jewelry, footwear and home décor items made in Brazil.
In 2008, the label sold two thousand pieces to Palácio de Hierno, Mexico’s most prestigious department store. In November of that same year it also took part in the fifth edition of the Brasilia Fashion Festival, showing its collection alongside those of Isabela Capeto, Cris Barros, Neon, Glória Coelho and Alexandre Herchcovitch, among others. It also finalized a significant sale to English boutique Samantha Shaw London in the second half of that year.
Starting in March 2009, the designer became a member of ABEST (Brazilian Association of Fashion Designers). Items from the ready to wear collection can be found at well-known multibrand shops throughout Brazil and made to order items can be ordered by appointment at boutiques in Sao Paulo and Maceio.
Martha Medeiros was once again an exemplary representative of Alagoas when she was featured among the finalists for the Prêmio Claudia 2011 award. Claudia is a leading magazine in the country and in Latin America, which honors women capable of transforming their reality through original initiatives that have been replicated.
Voting had already begun and Martha Medeiros was competing in the “Culture” category, precisely because of her innovative work and social and economic contributions, which has employed 280 women from eight communities in lace-making coops located at Ilha do Ferro and Entremontes.
The Claudia award is nothing more than a celebration of the power of women in Brazil. Since 2006, the magazine has honored women like Martha Medeiros who make a difference in Brazil. Votes can be cast on the Claudia magazine website.
Contact
Martha Medeiros
https://www.marthamedeiros.com.br
Martha-Medeiros-Moda
@_MarthaMedeiros
Press Office
Ferraz Moda
55 11 3897-9666
juliana@ferrazmoda.com
