“The new luxury is sustainable and ancestral”

Karanda ́y lampshades, shirts with indigenous graphics, bags, sashes of all colors and Paraguayan harps conquer the Brazilian market with the Amor Guaraní seal. Very soon, this national firm, directed by Lorena Marín, will take an exponential leap and reach more international markets.
Picasso rightly said that inspiration exists, but it must find you working. The businesswoman and trade unionist Lorena Marín Caruso can attest to this statement, since her strength lies precisely in her creativity and in the power of a visionary and agile mind for business. For her, dreams have no limits and are within the reach of all those who insist on giving their best to achieve them.
Lorena is the owner of a unique sensitivity and is capable of transforming realities just by proposing it. This is how she faced the complex health crisis of Covid-19 and got ahead with a project that transcended borders and settled in no less than the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
Today, the products that bear the Amor Guaraní seal are respected for their quality and originality to the point that they shine on São Paulo catwalks, decorate the home, and are also required by the most renowned organizers in the neighboring country and aim to go further. still hand in hand with multinationals and important personalities who have known how to appreciate and recognize the star of success that not only stamps the Paraguayan national shield but also makes it stand out as the brightest in the Guarani firmament.
"Making the decision to disembark in Brazil was difficult," said Lorena. And even more so because he had to settle in a country in which he did not have enough roots, despite the fact that part of his in-laws is in São Paulo operating companies in the construction sector, a country very different from his that could even be considered discouraging. try to enter and compete within the retail sector as the businesswoman proposed.
But no, guided by the intuition that told her more and more that she should get to know the Brazilian market first hand, she, along with her husband and her children, decided to settle there and begin to make their way. "This implied many resignations since I was always in unions and leading actions that involve the government and the business community," she indicated.
A little less than a month after the first anniversary of Amor Guaraní, the company has achieved great achievements. For example, it has sold 18 harps to church pastors and the goal for this year is to place 24 harps on the market, each at USD 1,300; It also sold the finest cotton shirts with indigenous graphics, thermos lined in karanda ́y, bags, belts of all types, colors and sizes, and the most innovative, karanda ́y lampshades made by a community of women from Arroyos y Esteros. What is peculiar about these products is that they are framed and displayed as a luxury decorative item in the residences of people with great purchasing power. Added to this are the cocars manufactured by indigenous communities in São Paulo, to which the urban population does not have access.
Without neglecting her business in Paraguay, Proyack, Lorena continues to create new products to serve both her Paraguayan and Brazilian clients, attend exhibitions, present her articles to the academic community of Fine Arts, coordinate the Fashion and Culture area of ​​the Brazilian Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (OBME) through which she has the privilege of sharing with leaders and doing business with her peers.
"In Brazil they are very curious about the Guarani language and when I tell them that I am an expert in it, they are even more interested in knowing a little more about our land," she said. And she added that trade on the Brazilian side is 60% higher than the Paraguayan side, which accounts for 40% of its sales.
Amor Guaraní was present at an important parade organized in São Paulo, Brazil.
What makes a screen the revelation? The answer is simple, "the new luxury is sustainable and ancestral." “People who have a lot of commercial luxury ask the architects and decorators for a cleaner and more zen environment. And that is where my products stand out”, said the owner of Amor Guaraní.
Next, she said that she is focused on preparing for her next fashion show, which will be held in one of the most important furniture sector companies in the area.
As for the screens, she said that the most requested are the green ones, followed by the natural ones and finally the pink one. “These screens draw a lot of attention from São Paulo residents who don't hesitate to ask me for decorative paintings. In fact, in December I plan to make an exhibition with screens of karanda ́y ”she revealed.
Karanda ́y screens are part of the decoration of São Paulo homes
Logistics and sales. The businesswoman said that she could double her sales, but the reality is that logistics costs are high, which makes the products more expensive. For example, to the karanda ́y screen that costs USD 11, you must add the framing service of about USD 47 and to this also add the price of what logistics and freight implies.
However, those who know quality and distinction do not skimp on making reservations for products of their choice since they look good in different environments. “The first screens I sold were in Belém do Pará, a city located in the north of Brazil. They asked me for 3 and in box format”, he specified. She also recalled that she received a request from a lady who wanted to send some screens and a coke to Italy without caring about the costs that these could generate.
Now, Lorena's sights are set on converting the multicolored girdles into paintings, just like her successful screens, on setting up her own Amor Guaraní-San Pablo store and on the labels bearing the Made in Paraguay seal.
The company works with a community of artisans from Arroyos y Esteros. Photo: Courtesy.
If everything goes as Lorena hopes , she will soon announce the opening of a workshop for making products with ñanduti appliqués, as well as the famous screens in charge of indigenous artisans with whom she works both in communities in Paraguay and Brazil and to whom she offers an opportunity overcoming and improving their socioeconomic quality.
In each step that the businesswoman takes, she exposes her essence and the dreams of the families that live from this work. Therefore, as an added value, Amor Guaraní reaches the hands of final consumers with a personalized letter signed by its owner with which she seeks to establish closeness and a contact that lasts over time.
For now, Amor Guaraní intends to establish itself in this market and surprise with news soon. We still can't reveal the surprises that will come, but we can give you a clue that is closely related to the fact that "Everyone is happy, very happy" and that churrascoes will also have a Paraguayan touch around the world.

“El nuevo lujo es lo sustentable y ancestral”