Today, almost one century later, the sons and grandsons of immigrant Afif Abduche, who landed in the country in 1918, at the age of four, export their fabrics to the Arab countries, from where the family originated.
It all began with Afif himself. The immigrant’s first activity in the textile area was the production of silk ties. In 1937, however, he opened Abduche, a textile industry.
The company, which is in the hands of the third generation of the family, is currently one of the leaders in the production of jacquard, a thick fabric used in the decoration sector.
Abduche produces around 50,000 meters of fabric a month, of which approximately 5,000 are sold abroad. The main buyers are in Argentina, Chile, Spain and England. The industry also exports to the Arab world.
Since they started selling abroad, around ten years ago, Abduche has already traded its products in the Arab countries, among them Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The last sale to the region took place last year. A total of 2,600 meters of fabric was sold to Saudi Arabia. In October, another 6,000 meters are going to be sold to the United Arab Emirates.
The customer is a local hotel and the sale is the first since the company found a representative for the region, around one year ago. “We want to make our sales to the Arabs more constant,” stated the company export manager, Aline Abduche.
Abduche exports normally take place through contacts made at the Decosit, the decoration sector fair that takes place in Brussels, Belgium, in the month of September, every year. The representative in the Emirates was chosen after a meeting in Brussels. The Arab orders also generally take place at the fair.
Decoration
Apart from jacquard, Abduche also makes chenille, another thick fabric that is used for decoration. Some of the fabric is brocade, or fabric with raised designs.
Both jacquard and chenille are used for the production of curtains, upholstery or wall covering, furniture and decoration objects. The fabric is made with bright prints, with pictures and floral designs, but also plain.
The company develops between two and tree collections a year. Two Abduche professionals work in the product design sector. Abduche has 50 employees and is based in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the southeastern Brazilian state that goes by the same name.
Abduche
Tel: (+55 21) 2501-6688
www.abduche.com.br
Anba – www.anba.com.br