Hi, I'm Jonatas, also known as The Wizard!✨🧙♂️ Creator, designer, craftsman and founder of the Amigos Encantados brand. I am from Paraná, Brazil. I grew up in the countryside, most of my childhood. It allowed me to explore the world naturally and at a more personal pace. I like to remember that time, because it was there that I received the first seed that would germinate and become Amigos Encantados.
I remember that we had many festivals typical of the countryside, where adults got together to tell the famous "causos", which were folkloric stories, some typical of Brazil, but many that they invented and I confess that they were the most frightening.
I grew up believing in these folkloric beings, some of them scared me, like the werewolf, others I wanted to see, like the Caipora, and I spent hours looking for and imagining them near the river where I used to play and make up stories.
These little creatures, affectionately called Encantados (name given to magical and folkloric beings from Brazil), represent a spark of all the stories I learned from the people who passed through my life and shared a little of the magic of their roots. This magic manifested itself in the Amigos Encantados project, with the aim of providing this experience with the world.
All the magical creatures created by our brand were inspired by stories, fables and folkloric creatures, as we believe that it is through them that we can learn about the world and its wonders, stimulating the creative imagination. We rescued this essence, some almost forgotten, others very remembered, and we involved them in a playful and artistic way. The Encantados, also known as Folks in other cultures, did not disappear; we just don't feel them the way we used to, maybe because we forgot to see the world creatively.
The Amigos Encantados brand aims to bring this magic to the story of each person. Life doesn't always have to be busy and exhausting; it can be magical and surprising when we look through the eyes of our inner child. We want to provide you with a sense of security and sparkle in your eyes through something enchanting for you, allowing you to feel light and believe that anything is possible when you know yourself and what you want in this world.
One of our pillars is respect for nature and we believe that things are not disposable, each object has its own story, good or not, it still exists. Therefore, we reuse materials that people presume unusable. We think on the contrary, we see there an opportunity to tell a new story.
We use vintage inputs and leftover fabrics that were used for an end and would be discarded in nature. We recover these materials, fairly paying each partner who is with us on this journey, thus generating a circular economy in which everyone can benefit and feel worthy of their work.
For the reasons mentioned, our dolls are often unique pieces, as the material is too! I, The Wizard, particularly believe that each material used is part of the construction of the story that the doll will be part of. It's like a treasure hunt, because regardless of what each one is made of, I know the set is built of little treasures.
I hope this is a good summary of how we got here, but our goal is to go further. We would be immensely happy if you were part of this journey. Feel free, as if you were at home; take off your shoes, coat and masks, everything that weighs you down or invalidates your true self. Here, you won't need them anymore. Relax and go outside to play until you believe again that you can be whoever you want to be.
