The year was 1972. The Lees and their three children - Marcos, Jae and Sandra - left Korea to Brazil in search of new opportunities. When the family was established, the couple decided to start a business. Thus, in 1978, Poppy Art emerged on Rua Augusta, a jewelry and decorative items store. “The Korean colony in Brazil was very focused on trade. Encouraged by friends, my parents decided to open the store,” recalls Jae Ho Lee.

Aware that the jewellery market was a profitable option and worried about the risk of trading in gold pieces, the family changed it business plan and went on to sell only bijoux. The new strategy happened when malls were beginning to attract consumers. Of course, Mr. Lee moved the store from Augusta to Center Norte Mall; Marcos opened operations in Ibirapuera and Aricanduva; and Sandra, in Interlagos.

Over 20 years, Poppy Art had seven units. After the death of Mr. Lee, in 1999, the brothers took over the father’s shop. Meanwhile, Jae, who was already graduated in business administration, was working with franchising with Jin Jin Wok; and Marcos had a fabrics importer business in Bom Retiro.

With the knowledge the brothers had about jewelry and franchising, Marcos saw a new business opportunity. The idea was to create the first jewelry franchise in Brazil. Based on the experience in retail, shopping malls and consumption behavior he had, Jae made an analysis of the scenario and also saw good prospects. “At that moment, the presence of women in the labor market was growing. They were consumers who wanted and needed to be more beautiful and had purchasing power. With technical knowledge in bijoux, retail and franchises, we saw that it was possible to create a brand for this new market, “says Jae.

Thus, in 2002, they transformed Poppy Art into Morana, a store with new positioning, new layout and new products. The brand was launched at ABF Franchising Expo at the same year and marked the beginning of a new story.

Suppliers

Most of Morana’s products are imported from Korea. To provide quality parts and supply safety, Marcos moved with his family to Los Angeles and, thus, is in the middle of the way between Korea and Brazil. “The quality of goods from Korea were always better than China, for example, but they were not appropriate to our standards yet. By being closer to suppliers, we started to pay more for quality and to select suppliers who work seriously and understand our demand. Today, they are our partners.”

The person responsible for the purchase of products is Ana Lee, Marcos’ wife – at the beginning of Morana, Jae's wife, also participated in this process. In 2010, the company opened an office in Korea to further facilitate the buying steps. The current team is made up of nine people, including administration, photography, production, quality control and purchasing. 

Always in tune with the world

The company have 15 years of history and many adaptations during this period, however, without losing its DNA. That's how Morana became one of the most desired brands for women. “Since it is a brand made for women, our concern and our focus are the development and growth of the feminine universe. They stand for themselves, have identity and opinion,” explains Marcia Teodoro, Brand Marketing Manager.

To be aware of this evolution, Morana observes everything around itself and make changes as needed. “The communication of the brand changed quite a bit. Today, we have a strong offline work, but we are also strong in digital media, because there are many brands talking to these women,” says Marcia.

Classical, timeless and current elements also make the Brand to be fully aligned with the wishes of 21st century women. “Today, information arrives much faster and women want to be up to date. Before, they used to expect Vogue to know European trends, but today they know everything via Snapchat. With this, people are not able to consume jewelry all the time, so bijoux ends up gaining strength worldwide”, analyzes Jae.

The natural way of this evolution goes through changes in the supply chain and results in improvements in design and quality of itens. “Today, it is cool to use bijoux even among women of the upper class, because the items are very trendy”, says Jae.

In the latest issue of the Magazine Ornatus you have access to the full content of this article. Access www.grupoornatus.com.br/pt-br/noticias/revista-ornatus/.