El Corte Inglés and the Bogota Chamber of Commerce are promoting Colombian gastronomy, fashion and tourism with actions that, under the powerful lever of creativity, focus on these three areas and that will be launched today in El Corte Inglés stores in Spain and Portugal, as well as on its website and app. Bogota Marcando Estilo 2nd Edition, is the program that develops this commercial agreement that will allow participating SMEs from Bogota-Region to open their businesses beyond their borders through El Corte Inglés.

This second edition, conceived in 2020, starts now with great prospects, both for the good reception received among the chefs participating in the gastronomic contest and for the expectation created among the selected fashion accessories firms. In the field of fashion, Álvaro Ávila, Daila Filigrana, Lina Hernández, Etnia Contemporánea, Castellano, Palmacea, Paula Vera by Gicari, Margarita Díaz del Castillo and Sabbai are the nine jewelry and accessories firms chosen in this edition under selection criteria in which aspects such as their Colombian origin, artisanal, sustainable, original and innovative character have been key.

With sustainable foundations, these SMEs value the ancestral culture and its Colombian imaginary, highlight and support the work and craft techniques, enhance the development of these artisan communities and their creations empower women. Their jewelry, handbags, bracelets, covers, dresses and sarongs of these nine firms will be available for two months in pop-ups in the El Corte Inglés centers of Preciados (Madrid), Murcia, A Coruña, Pintor Sorolla (Valencia) and Lisbon (Portugal), on web and app. On the gastronomic front, chef Jaime Torregrosa (Humo Negro, Bogota), winner of the contest held in Bogota, will bring the best of his Japanese-style gastrobar with Latin American, Asian and European influences to Las Nubes restaurant in Castellana (Madrid) and the cafeterias of El Corte Inglés. Influences that are mixed in their kitchens with the aim of giving prominence to the typically Colombian products.

Torregrosa was awarded for being the chef from Bogotá-Región who best meets the conditions of sustainability and integration with local commerce and the most brilliant at capturing local flavors and at the same time demonstrating a great capacity for innovation and adaptation to international culinary trends. His gastronomic proposal received the best score from the jury, which also evaluated the gastronomic approaches of the other five finalists, Rey Guerrero (Rey Guerrero), Sebastián Bedoya (La Monferrina), Juan Sebastián Rojas (NH Hotels), Andrés Rincón (El Fogón Sangileño) and Luis Guillermo Suárez Barragán (Ferveré Restó). Jaime Torregrosa, a singular chef To discover the cuisine of Jaime Torregrosa (Humo Negro, Bogotá, Colombia) is to enter the world of influences and impressions left by 15 years of traveling around the world, from country to country, from kitchen to kitchen to absorb and soak up the gastronomic culture of each one of them.

He has worked in numerous restaurants, some of them with Michelin stars, such as Grace (in Chicago) Manresa (California), Fäviken (Sweden), or Ca Sento (Japan), and also in others such as Cucina Paradiso (Payson, Arizona), Hult's (Los Gatos, California), Acquerello (San Francisco, California), Erre de Ramón Freixa (Cartagena, Colombia), Oh La (Cartagena, Colombia), Tayta Inti (Cuzco, Peru), Restaurante 8-10 (Cartagena, Colombia), Bintang (London, England). To which he adds a master's degree at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastian (Basque Country). The result is Humo Negro, a fusion cuisine resulting from these trips, whose doors Torregrosa opened just nine months ago in Bogota. It is a Japanese-style gastrobar with Latin American, Nordic, Asian and European influences, conceived as an izakaya, a Japanese tapas bar where diners share the dishes placed in the center of the table.

The nine selected fashion accessory firms have a unique DNA and a singular history that transcends the firm itself in both its purpose and its conception in each case: Álvaro Ávila. Alvaro Avila. This Colombian jewelry designer conceives his collections as a result of research on customs, rites, ancestral symbols or rituals. He combines traditional jewelry with modern touches through the color offered by enamels. His pieces full of volume breathe his own imaginary of mysticism and positive energ Castellano. Founder Daniela Castellanos created this firm to preserve and highlight the ancestral weaving techniques of Colombia's indigenous communities. The firm makes jewelry and accessories for women using the unique crochet and macramé techniques of Wayuu artisans. It currently works with more than 200 Wayuu women in northern Colombia. Its activity empowers indigenous women and communities and maintains the best craftsmanship. Daila by Lisalas. This jewelry firm, whose creative director is Lisseth Salas, keeps traditional know-how alive and supports the development of the artisan communities in Mompox, cradle of Colombian filigree. Her pieces seek to reflect a history of love and passion for the artisan crafts. Its jewelry highlights the mastery of the goldsmith giving prominence to the silver threads. Díaz del Castillo. Its creator, Margarita Díaz Castillo, compiles Colombian culture, its roots, and researches on the techniques and materials of the country's handicrafts, finding the magic of diverse ancestral indigenous cultures and traditional handicraft techniques, of unbeatable quality, which are located in different areas of Colombia. As a result of this creative process, her hats and accessories allow us to rediscover the history, ethnicity and tradition of Colombia. Etnia Contemporánea. Vicky Sanchez is the designer behind this socially, environmentally and economically sustainable Colombian jewelry firm that represents the symbolic and cultural legacies of different ethnicities of the world, from a contemporary concept through various jewelry techniques made entirely by hand by Colombian artisans in metals such as sterling silver obtained from X-rays and lithography developing liquids. Lina Hernández. "To be influencers of souls, rather than fashion". This designer specialized in jewelry in Mompox at the center of filigree art. Her designs, which convey the joy of living, highlight aspects of everyday elements based on a magical and mystical path and the empowerment of women. Palmacea. This men's and women's swimwear and accessories brand is inspired by the diversity of Colombian culture, highlighting its rich flora and fauna and the country's majestic tribes. Using premium recycled PET fabrics, replete with handcrafted details, it offers a final product distinguished by its vibrant color palette. Paula Vera by Gicari. It is an alliance between two companies with shared DNA where the main bases are the development of the country and corporate social responsibility. They have as allies vulnerable sectors of Colombian society, such as artisans who are heads of families and people with special needs. This work base fosters a dignified inclusion in a productive system. The firm wants to internationalize the art it creates and with its innovative bags they see themselves capable of conquering the world. SABBAI. Mache Guzman is inspired by the femininity, freshness and strength of women, recovering colors, textures and the forms of nature to create unique and sensational pieces. Each of her bags are handmade by Colombian artisans, experts in manufacturing and leather goods techniques. SABBAI contributes to the productive chain by supporting Colombian cutters, molders, seamstresses and assemblers, maintaining stable employment for social transformation. Tourism is the third area of action in this second edition of Bogota Marcando Estilo. For this occasion, Viajes El Corte Inglés has prepared a specific catalog with special circuits and routes in which several tourist destinations in Bogota and some in Colombia will be promoted with the support of the Colombian National Tourism Fund - FONTUR and Viajes El Corte Inglés.

Nicolás Uribe Rueda, president of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, stated that "With initiatives like this we seek to position national talent abroad, diversify marketing channels for companies in these sectors so affected by the pandemic and which face the challenge of consolidating economic recovery". The non-retail food purchasing director of El Corte Inglés, Javier Cerro, emphasized that "the first edition of Bogota Marcando Estilo was a milestone in the way in which we collaborate internationally. The professionalism and training of organizations such as the Bogota Chamber of Commerce has been a determining factor in the success of this project. Their catalytic work has allowed us to meet suppliers and products that would otherwise have been impossible to access, and this has allowed us to approach internationalization from different angles, not only in person in Spain but also in Bogota; organizing the gastronomic contest; and visiting suppliers from different sectors". He remarked that "with the first edition we reached almost two million customers in Spain at El Corte Inglés restaurants who were able to taste the selected dishes of Colombian gastronomy. Now, the second edition of Bogota Marcando Estilo expects to exceed that figure. He added that in Colombia, the supplier prospecting actions are not only limited in this second edition to the gastronomic area as in the last edition, but a group of buyers of fashion accessories has traveled to select the best designs and fashion accessories that will be offered for sale in the pop-up stores. Orange economy figures The sectors benefited in this second edition of Bogota Marcando Estilo, are part of the so-called economy that before the pandemic represented 3.3% of GDP. Undoubtedly, these sectors have been the most affected by the pandemic. according to the Fifth Orange Economy Report, published by DANE, their aggregate value in 2020 fell by 20.7% compared to 2019.