Swimwear brand
Salinas started making its first bikinis at a home-factory in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, 30 years ago, opened its first shop in 1990 and today is one of
Brazil's leading bikini
brands. It has 45 shops around the country and sells to 39 different countries.
Its bikinis have been on covers of magazines like Vogue and Sports Illustrated,
and dressed the likes of Madonna and Naomi Campbell.
It began with a
young couple, an idea born over lazy days at the beach and two sewing machines.
Rio-born Jacqueline and Antonio De Biase were still a young couple thinking
about their future in the early 1980s. She used to work as a model and
considered becoming a veterinarian;
he had just graduated in architecture - and they both spent a lot of time
hanging out with friends on the beach. The couple decided to invest their
savings in starting up a company making the types of bikinis their friends
would want to wear.
In a year's time they were able to make a living
from the company's initial revenue.
After three years they were producing around 2,000 bikinis a month. At first
they sold the items to other shops that would stamp their own logos on them. They then started developing the
brand's own image, reinvesting their profits to make the fledgling company grow. Today, 425
people work for Salinas in Rio. In 2007, it joined with a men's clothing brand
from the same city, Richards, and three years later they both became part of In
Brands, a holding that invests in the fashion industry.
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VOCABULARY
1. Leading
(adj.) - best, most important, or most
successful
Example:
a leading heart specialist
2. Veterinarian
(noun) - someone who is trained to give medical care and treatment to sick
animals
Example: Pet shops should
have veterinarians.
3. Revenue (noun) - money that a
business or organization receives over a period of time, especially from
selling goods or services [↪ income]:
Example: The factory lost revenue because
of the strike by the workers.
4. Stamp (verb)
– make a
mark; to put a pattern, sign, or letters on something using a special tool:
Example: The woman at the desk stamped my passport.
5. Fledgling
(adj.) - someone or something that is
getting started in a new activity
Example: My friend is a fledgling novelist.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Would you consider
putting up your own business?
2. Discuss about your
future business plan.
3. How would bikini
business be like in your country?
4. Tell us about
swimwear brand in your country.
