AN EVOLUTIONARY STYLE
PORTUGUESE BRAND PELCOR TAKES CORK TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
Pelcor’s first design—a cork
umbrella—debuted in 2003
the brainchild of Sandra
Correia. Unique, fashionable
and unexpected, Pelcor’s
rise through the fashion
ranks has been a slow and
steady process. Today, the
all-cork accessories brand is
taking the U.S. by storm. We
caught up with its tireless
founder, Sandra Correia, to
talk fashion, style and the
evolution of one of fashion’s
unsung heroes. — Pelcor.pt
Why cork? Cork always
has been in my family for
generations. It all began in the
1930s with my grandfather
who produced cork wine
stoppers. My father further
developed the family business
producing champagne corks
and now me, with Pelcor. Since
I was a child, I grew up in my
father’s factory and I have cork
in my blood. My dream was to
make cork fashionable and this
has been my path.
Pelcor has transformed
over the years, expanding
internationally, how have
the design aspects changed
to accommodate the global
market? Design changes
have been fundamental for
Pelcor’s worldwide expansion.
Over the last few years, one
of our principal strategies has
been investing in our creative
design team in three areas
(Fashion design, Accessories
and Graphics). We’ve searched
for trendy textures, colors,
volume for our new collections
and premium branding for our
design graphics.
Our creative director,
Eduarda Abbondanza—who
is also the President of Lisbon
Fashion Week—is a very
experienced and talented when
it comes to all things design.
The changes we made are
always supported by the vision
of this great designer. Pelcor’s
vision is to be a fashion
accessories label recognized
globally for their values and
primary material—unique,
exclusive and luxurious.
What’s the best thing about
being ‘Made in Portugal’?
Made in Portugal, means that
we develop a unique culture
of how to work with cork skin
maintaining quality control
and at same time testing new
applications and developments.
What’s the most exciting
thing about your job? For
me, the most exciting thing
is seeing my brand grow
and watching the reaction of
retailers, surprised and excited
about each new collection.
What does an average day
look like for you? I am
always traveling in my country,
because our headquarters are
in the South of Portugal and
our design and production are
in the Center and North of
the country. I usually get up
at 7am, I have a Portuguese
water dog called Corky and
we go outside every morning.
I check all of my mail from the
previous night and go to work
around 9am. Around 5pm I
try to stop work and go to the
gym, I have dinner at home
or if I am traveling, I go out to
dinner with team, clients and
other opinion makers. Around
11pm I go to check my mail
again and keep working until
12am. Usually I stay one week
in South Portugal, then one
week in the Center and North
Portugal and another traveling
in Europe. From 2 months in
2 months I fly to USA, were
I stay for one month, usually
traveling between LA, NY and
WDC, promoting Pelcor in
U.S.A. I never stop, but I am
happy because I do what I love
to do.
What can we expect from
Pelcor in the coming
seasons? For 2015, my goal is
to open a Pelcor flagship store
in New York (Soho) and in 2016
a second store in Los Angeles.
I want people to be able to
feel Pelcor, touch Pelcor and
discover this unique material
called Cork by Pelcor. Also
in 2015, we are launching a
new collection for dogs, called
Corky by Pelcor. This collection
features collars and leash for
dogs, with our Pelcor branding
and I want to say, you’re go to
love it.