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Vestir · 73 · MODATEX · Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria Têxtil, Vestuário, Confecção e Lanifícios · 1st half 2015 · Controlled Circulation

VESTIR 73

english version

VESTIR 73

LATEST

1 Editorial Note 2 Success cases with the Modatex brand 8 Interview to the President of ATP 16 INOVATĂŞxtil Award

ORGANIZATIONAL

18

Biannual Report

20 Sector statistics 22

Activities plan

26

Brief News

28

Fashion Editorial

INSPIRATIONAL 38

Modatex wins the Silver Medal at Euroskills

41 Train to Employ 44 Intercolor 48

Bloom Portugal Fashion

55

Portugal Fashion International

58

Cluster Strategy 2020

64 Illustrations Students Modatex

EDITORIAL NOTE Sónia Pinto

The year 2015 has just started and the perspectives are still a bit unclear and are likely to be marked by uncertainty regarding the economic recovery globally.

Nothing that can intimidate a sector that has undergone through difficult times, but that knew how to answer the challenges, returning gradually to the favourable indicators recorded in prior periods.

Vestir looks the future in an article about the strategic plan for the next five years where trends and challenges are anticipated, but that also analyzes the problems emerged in recent years and the solutions to address them. The interview with the President of ATP (Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal) also contributes to this in-deep analysis of a sector that has been able to overcome the difficulties and that, after all, is in full recovery due to its quality and knowhow, but also thanks to the perseverance of those who did not give up in the face of difficulties.

The Portuguese companies bet on what differentiates them and on what they do well in order to regain customers and reach new markets. In this edition we also highlight some success stories of ex-trainees of Modatex and of the institutions that have preceded it constituting the proof that qualified training is undoubtedly one of the solutions to overcome the obstacles created by the crisis. It is with pride that we look at these successful professionals and at their really different paths, but grounded on a common basis: the training accomplished at Modatex.

Training oriented to the needs of the companies and attractive to the trainees is proposed by the Program Train to Employ, an initiative launched in 2012 – one of the most critical periods in economic terms and unemployment – but which has met its goal, thus contributing to the modernization and greater professional qualification in the sector.

The future of this sector also depends on the innovation, patent in initiatives such as “InovaTêxtil” and visible also in the participation of the finalists of Modatex in the latest edition of the Portugal Fashion, in our participation in Euroskills and in the works published in our Fashion Editorial.

The challenges for this year may not yet be clear, but all these examples give good indicators and a message of confidence for 2015: if we combine realistic strategies to talent, work, creativity and training targeted to the market, it will certainly be easier to face the future with renewed optimism.

SUCCESS CASES WITH THE MODATEX BRAND Pathways that help reporting the last 25 years of the Portuguese Fashion.

Olga Teixeira

António Simões Styling course at CIVEC (Lisbon, 1986) Senior designer and responsible for the Styling Department of DIELMAR

1. In what extent was the training you got important for the entrance into the labour market?

2. Did you feel any difficulties in establishing yourself in such a competitive market?

3. Luck, work, perseverance. Which of these factors is the most important for success?

4. What was the best moment of your career?

5. What advice would you give to current trainees so they can succeed?

6. What are your prospects/plans for the future?

They belong to different generations and had different professional and personal pathways, but all have something in common: the passion for fashion and the training done at Modatex, a step they all recognize as being very important on their way to success. There are several stories which also help telling the story of Modatex, since the pioneering course in the mid 80’s – a time when styling was still an unknown profession – until de second decade of this century, marked by the massification of fashion and by technology, but also by an increasing prestige and recognition of the “Made in Portugal”.

They are only some examples of the many success stories that have the brand of Modatex, but all of them are the proof that work and dedication are key factors for a solid and successful career.

The same questions were placed to all of them and, despite the different answers, there is a common denominator: the training was decisive so they could give solid steps either to the integration in the labour market or in the construction of their career.

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1. My Styling course started in 1986 at Modatex, then CIVEC, in Lisbon, it was the first course of this area taught by the school and so the whole team of teachers and monitors, at that time, engaged themselves in a very intense and even emotional way in the training of the students in the various areas that constituted the academic hours. The participation in several fashion exhibitions, from national to international fairs, young creators contests (in which several prizes were awarded) and fashion shows (“Manobras de maio”,” Artejo”, “Filmoda”, “Portex”, etc.) to intermediate internships in factories of several types of products, have contributed to the practical training to be a constant – along with a well-founded theoretical training- as well as to a growing visibility of students among the business world. When the course finished there was no difficulty in placing any student in professional training in the best companies and brands of the country, because the training was recognized as excellent, with students able to develop collections for any fashion market segments or work in other areas, such as the fashion press or teach in schools of the area.

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Considering that when I started and finished my training, the styling profession was an entirely new profession in Portugal and not having, at that time, the tradition of fashion design in the textile and apparel manufacturing industry, the difficulties were not so many. The major difficulty came from the lack of knowledge of some entrepreneurs about the importance of styling and stylists to the companies. I have always had in mind the idea I wanted to develop a professional career linked to the industry and so my investment was always in that sense.

When the opportunity of starting my post-course professional internship in a company with a well-structured production and already with a significant presence as a brand in the national market arose, I didn’t hesitate and that was crucial to give credit to my curriculum. Then the affirmation was made by the quality of the work developed.

3.

I don’t believe in luck. But work and perseverance are two decisive factors for success, but only combined with talent. The availability to be in permanent change and don’t resign oneself to laxity are also factors that help you being successful.

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Hugo Azevedo Weaving Technician Course CITEX (Porto, 1997) Responsible for the Development of new Products at the Avelfabrics Company

4. I’ve already had several good moments in my professional career, namely the awarding of several prizes in Fashion Design contests, but I highlight as very prestigious and one of the most remarkable moments of my career, the awarding of the Medal of Honour of the city of Setubal, in gold, in the class of cultural activities, by my 25-year career as a Fashion Designer, last September 15th. It was definitely one of the most important moments as it is about recognition of merit at the highest level.

5. To believe in their abilities, to work hard and well in pursuit of the goals they may define to their professional life and to put their energies in constant learning. In Fashion, nothing is permanent and everything is constantly changing and the opening of mind to innovation and to evolution should be a characteristic of a designer of excellence.

6. To continue contributing with my work and my knowledge to the success of national fashion brands and to the recognition and affirmation of those brands abroad.

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It was not only important but also fundamental.

MODATEX then CITEX had a very important role in my preparation both at a professional and personal level. I was lucky to have a group of trainers who were always present during my training path as well as in the professional integration phase. I can only thank all the preparation that was given to me, as without it I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I had.

2. The strong competitiveness allowed that, at every difficulty felt, I kept on evolving. I have faced the difficulties as learning and the competitiveness felt was an ally in my projection as better professional. I believe that all the difficulties felt are normal and cross all sectors of activities and, so, I’ve faced them as new steps to overcome.

3. The three factors you present are unquestionably very important, but I think it is essential to work with passion. I think that the feeling to dedicate myself to something I identify myself with is reason enough for success to come naturally. Work and perseverance were the result of my dedication for years and with a bit of luck, success came quickly.

4. Whenever I develop a product that is a sales success and that later I can find it in a point of sale, in a collection, in a customer communication campaign and often in high-profile brands. Those are the best moments in my careers. There’s no better satisfaction than make something that becomes a success for us and for our customers.

5. Dedication, because without it they won’t be able to win. They will go through difficult moments, moments of joy, moments when we feel like giving up, but we can get over everything if we dedicate ourselves being better the next day.

6. To continue finding challenges that motivate me.

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Cátia Quaresma

Valter Matos

Clothing Patternmaking Course (MODATEX Porto, 2010) Works at “Atelier de Créateur”

Fashion Design Course (MODATEX, then CIVEC) Works in the creative part of New Waste project. Has his own brand – Brenti Couture – in the area of wedding dresses and formal wear.

1. The good name of the school already by itself is synonymous with trust, but of course the training was decisive to enter the world of work. With the training I got I felt more confident to enter and assert myself on the market.

2. Personally I didn’t feel many difficulties in my assertion in this market. I may have been lucky, but I think I have always tried to assert and keep myself in the market. It is indeed a very competitive market, but if we keep focused, everything is possible.

3. Work, definitely. Perseverance is also very important, but without work we can´t get anywhere. We might even be lucky, but if we don’t work towards that opportunity, luck won’t last forever.

4. The best moment was undoubtedly when I was trusted the responsibility of a very important client, with beautiful and complex pieces. For me, being able to work directly with the client, test the pieces, work in collection, all this was undoubtedly an amazing experience. I think that at that time I also had a bit of luck and could work with extraordinary people.

5. Never give up, that’s the most important; be persevering and work hard; always invest in training, because in this world every day are learning days.

6. I don’t make many plans; I just absorb all I can at the moment when the experiences occur. I’m going to keep on working hard and I want to stay in this area of classic, but always bearing in mind the variants of other markets. Nowadays we can’t afford to know only one area in patternmaking, we have to be versatile, that’s the way we can succeed. I rather take what the future has for me and, no doubt, I want to be able to share my experience with others.

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1. Nowadays I know how important it was to have chosen to train myself at MODATEX, then CIVEC, because I was prepared to adapt myself to any kind of Project related to the fashion world. In the Fashion Design Course we are given the opportunity to participate in several competitions and projects, which make us feel more autonomous and confident as Designers.

The training with several subjects related to the area of Fashion allows us to have a general understanding of the various activities that are related to this area.

2. I felt and I still feel difficulties of assertion in this market, which is very competitive. When we are new to the market and we start discovering our own style, it’s hard to feel integrated into a circle that is quite close.

And it’s normal to feel this difficulty, because this is an area in which we need to be in constant renewal and overcome several steps and obstacles.

3. For me, it’s impossible to choose one of the three factors and catalogue one as the key factor for success.

The three of them form a circle in which to succeed it’s necessary to work, resist and overcome obstacles. It’s also needed perseverance and luck to find and to be in the right places.

4. I’m still young and have many goals and dreams ahead.

But I may say that in the year 2014 the highest moment of my career was having dressed a celebrity for the first time at “Globos de Ouro”, having watched that work in several means of communication and that celebrity has been elected one of the best dressed.

This milestone is the result of hard work performed in the past and of experiences as spending time in Venice, Italy, and in a season clothing and carnival masks atelier. And also of my training at João Rolo´s Haute Couture Atelier.

5. The only advice I give is related to the teachings taken after my experience at CIVEC: enjoy the fact of being in a school where you have the capacity to explore all the areas and get all the possible experiences. You have much time to improve your personal taste.

6. Keep up absorbing new techniques, embrace new projects and styles, because there is still much to learn before moving on to a Project 100% solo.

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Rui Folgado Methods-time Measurement Agent Course at (CIVEC) Works at Twintex Company

1. The training received was very important to my entrance in the labour market, as it prepared me for a faster integration in the organization of the company in which I performed my internship and then in the company that made my first employment contract.

2. I felt some difficulties in asserting myself in the beginning of my career, because 23 years ago there was a strong competition; there was a large supply of Methods-time Measurement Agents, the companies had a very wide range of choice and only the best would assert themselves.

3. As everything in life, luck is fundamental and this area is no exception. But the work capacity and the ability not to give up at first are fundamental to success. I quote an expression of a great person (António Mineiro, CEO of Twintex) that I met four years ago and have the privilege to work daily, who says “a stubborn person is very much needed in a company”. It’s this stubbornness that we put daily in our work, the ability of never giving up and move on, despite the difficulties, believing all the time that it is possible. That is what leads us to success.

4. The best moment in my career… actually there are

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two: when I started, 23 years ago and now. I rate my career as ascending, because since 23 years ago I’ve evolved, even having gone through some setbacks, I believe I have a very positive career. The initial time (the training at CIVEC) was very important, because I may say it was the launching pad to the labour market.

The current time can also be considered as the best, because it’s the confirmation that all the work developed was worth it, as I’m still active and performing the task that fulfils myself and fighting daily to evolve either professionally and personally. So, I appreciate the opportunity I had 24 years ago, having attended the training at CIVEC. Besides giving me the opportunity of entering the labour market, it also gave to opportunity of meeting my wife, Ana Cristina Folgado, currently collaborator at MODATEX – Covilhã and who has been a very important person in my career.

5. The main advice I give to current trainees is to be humble, to have a lot of work capacity and a lot of persistence. I consider humbleness one of the main qualities a good professional should have, because that humbleness gives him/her the capacity to learn from anyone and that learning makes the trainees to be in constant development. Enjoy the knowledge of older people and fight for your work in a dignified manner and with great commitment.

6. My prospects/ plans for the future are a constant evolution both personally and professionally, to be able to give the best of me to the company I work in. Keep on being part of the Twintex Team, because in this company all the collaborators are in daily evolution, as we work for the best Man / Lady clothing brands of the world. It’s a very enriching experience and it’s a motivating factor. Every day we give our best for these worldwide prestigious brands. More and more we are forced to be the best of the best. Only with this spirit we can reach further.

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João Melo Costa · COLECÇÃO PRIMAVER VERÃO 2015 Bloom Portugal Fashion · 2014 Fotografia · Portugal Fashion

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FROM APPRENTICES TO MASTERS From trainees to trainers. Luís Buchinho and João Melo Costa are two examples of successful professionals who started their path at Modatex and who are still linked to the institution, but now in the role of trainers. Their careers in Fashion, both with a well –succeeded path in what concerns to brands in their own name, are known by the general public , but the students of Modatex also have the chance to take advantage of the large experience of these two teachers.

Luís Buchinho is associated to the first years of teaching of Fashion in Portugal, having attended the course of Fashion Design at Citex, training which he accomplished in 1989. Nowadays he is a teacher in this same course, sharing his teachings with the new generation of fashion designers since 2006.

In the last 25 years Luís Buchinho has left a strong imprint on the national fashion, with a path that has already passed by some of the biggest international stages. He was one of the designers who attended the 1st Edition of Portugal Fashion in July 1995; in 1991 he had already been at Moda Lisboa. He has already presented his collection in New York, São Paulo and Paris (he is a constant presence in the Fashion Week for Prêt-à-Porter since 2009) and in several international fairs, such as Bread and Butter, Who’s Next and Gallery 2020.

In 2007 he opened his first store in Porto (José Falcão Street) and five years later he inaugurated a second space at “Esplanada do Castelo”. His brand, which is notorious for his experience as knitwear designer, is characterised by elaborate and original structures, graphical details and unusual games of colours and textures, building a composition of dynamic silhouettes that define a cosmopolitan look, charismatic and authentic. The awards he has received throughout his career demonstrate well the recognition he has had from the public and his peers: he received the award for Best Female Collection assigned by the association Moda Lisboa in 1999, in 2010 he was awarded the prize for Best fashion Designer – (Fashion TV) and in 2012 he received the Golden Globe for Best Fashion Designer.

João Melo Costa represents a new generation of designers and, besides short, his career has been extremely successful. He is the trainer of one of the short-term training units: Fashion Design and Women’s Clothing in the course of Fashion design at Modatex Porto since 2013.

He started to attend the course of plastic arts at Fine Arts Faculty in Porto, but in 2008 he opted for the course of Fashion Design at CITEX, having accomplished his training in December 2011. In that year he had already presented his final course collection at Bloom, inserted into the collective of Modatex.

March 2012 was the date of the presentation of his first collection in individual name at the Bloom space of Portugal Fashion, having been appointed by Fashion TV for the award of Best Young Designer; he was also in second place in the Competition for Young designer of Portugal Fashion. In October 2013 he was chosen by

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LUIS BUCHINHO · Bloom Portugal Fashion · 2014 Fotografia · Portugal Fashion

Modatex to represent the school at the contest “Porto Fashion Show” – organized by Portugal Fashion, winning the award for Best National Collection.

The year of 2014 was another step in the successful path of the young designer. He participated in the initiative International Fashion Showcase (IFS), held in London.

The coordinate he produced was one of the three chosen for an exhibition celebrating the 80th anniversary of the British Council, visited by personalities such as Prince Charles.

For João Melo Costa, the training he received was a determining factor to easily adapt to the labour market.

“The fact of the training having a final internship is always advantageous, as it introduces us in a natural and supported way in the work context. During the training we were instilled from the beginning the need to realize how the labour market works. Either me, who did an internship in a fashion atelier, either my colleagues, who performed their internship in more traditional companies, could adapt ourselves and have a broader vision of what the market was”, he says.

Even so, he recognizes that the beginning “is complicated, especially for those who want to invest in an own brand”. Portugal is a “small and little receptive” market to welcome the ones emerging and that want to impose their names. But João Melo Costa knew how to take advantage of the opportunities that arose and decided to invest in the international market. “I’ve been trying to work in the London market and there has been interest from the USA and Japan, which are still a bit unknown markets. So I’m trying to work them and figure out how they work.”

Persistence is indeed a factor he considers fundamental to achieve goals: “Success depends on a huge set of factors: being in the right place at the right time and know how to act. Do not give up when the paths are not so certain. Know how to act and react and do not stand still.” These were the principles that have contributed to make it so far in such a short period of time. “It all happened so quickly since 2012 and have been two years very positive”, he admits, confessing that he was never intimidated by the challenges that arose: “I don’t feel things have happened in a hurried way. They happening naturally and I felt prepared. I never felt myself trapped and I think everything happened properly fitting my way of being and living.”

So the designer has some useful advices for those who are in training or about to start a career in fashion: “Especially for those looking to invest in an own brand, the most important is trying to understand who we really are and what message we want to convey to the world.

If we believe in that message and if we think it’s worth it, then we should insist that the message is heard”. João Melo Costa wants to continue spreading his message and his plans are keep on investing on internationalization, through the solidification of the identity of his brand and through the expansion in international markets.

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THE MADE IN PORTUGAL ADDS VALUE

Interview to the President of ATP and member of the Board of Directors of MODATEX, Dr. João Costa Olga Teixeira

The President of ATP highlights the “positive perception that the rest of the world has regarding the “made in Portugal”, pointing out how the textile industry was able to survive the most difficult periods and contribute to a context in which training takes centre place and where young people can face their future in this area with optimism: “The Portuguese textile industry is respected worldwide and taken as an example of resistance, retraining and reinvention”. The worst seems to have passed.

What is the current situation of the national textile industry? Can we say that the worst is over?

The current situation of the national textile industry is of recovery after a deep restructuring that was forced to make in order to survive the onslaught of global competition, determined, first, by the elimination of the Multi-fibre Arrangement, opening of the markets and the entrance of China and India into the WTO and then by the international economic and financial crisis and by the Portuguese debt crisis. We may say that facing the adverse context of the last years, the worst has already passed, unless other unpredictable events take place. If nothing unusual happens, I think we will have some years of clear recovery of the sector, very different nowadays, in terms of features from what it was 10 or 15 years ago. Fortunately. Because, if the sector didn’t have a positive evolution, hardly would it be able to withstand the fiercest challenges of the global competitiveness and competition.

The national textile industry has always had recognition in terms of quality. With the global crisis was that quality deprecated due to the price practiced by competing countries?

The quality of the “made in Portugal” on the Textile and Clothing Industry is a clear competitive advantage that distinguishes us positively from our main competitors, especially those who still maintain their competitiveness arguments in the price. With the crisis and the afore-

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mentioned competitive onslaughts, the national Textile and Clothing Industry opted to enhance the quality requirements of its production, increasing them by the service and, more than that, making the requirement a distinctive and differentiating factor among its international customers. Furthermore, it has inserted in its arguments other qualitative elements, such as critical factors of competitiveness: design and fashion, creativity, technological innovation, product engineering and the intensity of the service throughout all the value chain, including advanced logistics. The goal – in fact achieved, as there was no alternative – was to differentiate the Portuguese textile activity from the countries that placed their comparative advantage on the price. Obviously, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry could never compete, by the cost, with countries like China, India, Bangladesh, Tunisia or Romania; but the quality, the design, the creativity, the innovation and the service make the difference that determines a repositioning in the value chain and in justifying higher prices which is essential for survival, but of course in another championship.

Based on your contacts with entrepreneurs and foreign entities, how would you define the perception of the Portuguese Textiles?

The Portuguese textiles benefit, justifiably, from a positive perception on a global scale. Nowadays the “made in Portugal”, contrary to what happened in the past, adds value, as the national and international reputation is that the Portuguese textiles have high levels of quality (and with a commitment of adequate price, almost unbeatable), innovation and design, supported by a structured industry, very professional and concerned with service of excellence, as the geographical and cultural proximity to the markets, in a dynamic of shortening the deadlines and rapid response, in reaction to the sales flow in shops, also plays a decisive role currently.

What are the strengths that make the Portuguese textile sector competitive? And what are the points that need improvement?

ATP holds regular strategic plans to reposition the “cluster” it represents and to offer the companies references that allow them to define or refine their strategic guideline. The “strategic Plan for the Textile Cluster until 2020” was presented, in which we have updated our “SWOT” grid (Strengths, Weaknesses,

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“ The quality of the “made in Portugal” in the Textile and Clothing Industry is a clear competitive advantage that distinguishes us positively from our main competitors”

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Opportunities and Threats), in which are highlighted as Strengths, the fact that we still have a complete, structured and dynamic industry, our production skills and product engineering, the geographical and cultural proximity to our main export markets, and the value of the “made in Portugal”, among others.

In the same way, we have identified as weaknesses, in which we must act: the undercapitalization of the companies and the difficulties in the financing of the activity and investment and also the low productivity, the need for more qualified professionals in companies, at all levels, and the need for a major critical dimension of the organizations in order to better compete on a global scale.

Which sectors are becoming established and that have contributed the most for the volume of exports?

The knitwear is the major subsector of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry, representing about 40% of the total, with a very stable percentage over the last two decades, which shows a clear specialization of the activity. With the subsector of the fabric clothing, clothing in general, as final product, it reaches 60% of the entire industry. For their progressive relevance, it should be noted that the technical and functional textiles have revealed more accelerated growing levels than the other subsectors, being estimated that today they represent about 25% of all the national textile and clothing production, and they might reach 30% at the end of this decade.

Does the weight of the textile sector in the Portuguese trade balance tend to increase? Is there room for growth?

The weight of the textile and clothing sector in the trade balance does not tend to increase and that isn’t also the goal of the industry. In fact, in a macroeconomic perspective, it would be negative for the country if that happened, because it meant that Portugal wouldn’t be diversifying its economic activities and wouldn’t be able to make other sectors equally competitive and exporters, as the country clearly needs to balance its external accounts.

Portugal needs to increase the weight of its exports to about 60% of the GDP (nowadays it has about 41%), and to achieve that, it must boost the exports of all the sectors of activity and encourage the investment and the development of new export activities.

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What kind of support is given by ATP to companies wishing to export? Has the demand for this support increased?

ATP – besides the traditional services provided internally for this purpose, information and commercial advice, including export and markets, matchmaking between supply and demand – created in 1991, the ASM (Seletiva Moda Association) with its French counterpart, the “Fédération Française de la Maille”, in order to make textile and fashion trade fairs in Portugal, covering the gap opened by the disappearance of Portex.

The “Selectiva Moda” and Modtissimo Halls were the two great exhibitions held, the first is now over, but the second one remained, being preserved as the only exhibition hall of the industry held in Portugal, with 44 consecutive editions. In 2000, ATP acquired the part of its French associate, invited ANIL (National Association of the Wool Industry) to join the project, and redefined the organization’s strategy, also betting on internationalization programs of the companies in traditional and emerging markets. These programs are about organizing the collective participation of the Portuguese companies, including home textiles and technical textiles in trade fairs abroad, as well as organizing trade missions to selected markets. Only in 2014, ATP and ASM ensured the presence of 200 companies in 67 exhibition halls in 35 countries, with more than 1.000 shares and an investment of about 9 million Euros, apportioned among the companies and the promoters (ATP/ASM), with the support of COMPETE (Operational Competitiveness Program). The demand for this service has been always increasing.

What are the countries in which the Portuguese textiles are conquering the market? In your opinion what factors contribute to this reality?

It’s important to note that one of major goals of the internationalization programs of ATP/ASM was the recovering and stabilization of traditional markets, i.e. the Europeans, strongly threatened since the beginning of the century, with the opening of international trade.

Despite the diversification into emerging countries, that is intended to increase, Europe still represents about 82% of our exports; within Europe it’s important to highlight the weight of Spain, which buys around 36% of everything we export in the sector, as well as the recovery of Germany and the UK. It should also be noted that although in absolute terms the figures aren’t yet very substantial, the growth rates of exports to destinations such as Angola, China, Brazil or Columbia are strongly encouraging, revealing high levels of competitiveness achieved by our industry. The “made in Portugal”, for many emerging countries where we are increasing our sales, is also synonymous with high quality, fashion, European style and reliability in service, something that allows escaping from the competition by the price – a war that can’t be ours and that we could never win.

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In 2013 there were about 5000 active companies in the sector. What is the current situation?

The number of companies remains stable, although the sector continues to restructure itself, as the general context of the country remains negative and global competition determines an increasing selectivity.

Moreover, this is an activity characterized by instability and volatility, subject continuously to the various factors and circumstances. Although the sector follows the general trend of a higher rate of bankruptcies, and also because the restrictions on bank credit precipitated the closing of the less prepared units, especially more vulnerable in the financial field, - the animation that has recently been noted in the international demand has also excited the emergence of new organizations, geared towards the use of opportunities meanwhile created and that will enable the regeneration of the business community of the sector. This dynamic is the one important to highlight, as it will be determinant for the survival and affirmation of the sector in the future.

What is the feeling of the entrepreneurs of the sector facing the current economic context?

The economic environment, which at the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014, gave clear signs of improvement, particularly in terms of exports, nowadays it offers contradictory signs which we can’t fully evaluate. There’s a visible global feeling that the economy is cooling again, including the one of the emerging countries. In Europe there’s even the fear that we might face a situation of stagnation and very low inflation or even deflation. In Latin America, Brazil seems to be heading to recession and Argentina might be on the edge of a new financial and monetary crisis. The African economies remain too dependent on natural resources and therefore a very significant fall in the price of raw materials, mainly oil, could rush countries such as Angola and Nigeria to default situations, with particularly negative consequences for countries with which they maintain intense trade relations. China decreases, as expected, the pace of growth, Japan reveals difficulties in withdrawing the stagnation and the growth of India has not yet enough relevance to influence the global economy context. For all this, including the Portuguese economic situation, still far from a full recovery, the prospects are more conservative than at the end of 2013. The next months could give clearest signs of the trend that will thicken itself, but, at this time, it’s uncertain.

Is the positive balance of the trade balance in the textile sector likely to increase? Is there room for growth?

The recovery of the exports in recent years, along with a fall in imports, particularly of clothing products, by effect of a downturn in the domestic market, enabled a strong growth in the net balance of the sector trade balance. Indeed, in this way, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry made a strong contribution to the balance of the country’s external accounts, being able to reach, this year a positive balance of about 1.500 million Euros. However, it’s not expected that, from now on,

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its growth potential would be particularly significant, because, although we must admit a growing in exports until 2020, even reaching the record of 2001, i.e. exceed 5 billion Euros, imports should grow again at a faster pace than the current, in an environment of recovery of the domestic consumption, as the imports of clothing products, particularly the brands of Spanish origin, being able to return to values previous to 2011, decreasing the comfortable balances in recent years.

In the domestic market we have seen a resurgence of awareness that it’s important to buy national products.

Is this trend also observed in the textile sector?

Nowadays, the “made in Portugal” in textiles and clothing is synonymous with quality, innovation, creativity and design in our country and in the world. The Portuguese consumers, who strangely nourished feeling of mistrust and lessening for their traditional products, now recognize the quality of the national textiles and

“ The next months could give clearest signs of the trend that will thicken itself, but at this moment, it’s uncertain.” clothing, following the market improvement of the image that the sector currently has in public opinion, in opinion makers, in the media and in national and international organisms and political power, leaving behind a distorted and negative view of the activity. It should also be noted that campaigns like “Compro O Que é Nosso” (I buy what is ours) from AEP in which ATP collaborated actively, and like the current “Portugal Sou Eu” (Portugal is Me) extended to other institutions under the auspices of the Government, strongly helped changing the public perception about traditional activities and Portuguese products, including textiles and clothing, which, after all, are among what is best made in the world.

What are the main challenges in technology that the national textile sector faces? Does Portugal follow the technological developments for example in terms of equipments and creation of new materials?

The Portuguese ITV still has a reasonable technological upgrade, thanks to the investments made in the 90’s and in the first decade of this century, taking advantage of the European aid for cohesion funds.

The IMIT program (Initiative for the Modernization of Textile Industry) was probably the best of the examples, because it was specifically focused on the modernization of the sector. Unfortunately, in the last

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years the companies’ investment intention was heavily constrained, limited to the needs of some replacement and diversification. Today, companies, faced with the prospects of obsolescence of the equipments and processes, added to a more distended business environment, consider the need to invest imperative and urgent, (counting on the new Community Support Framework), at the risk of jeopardizing their competitiveness and future survival. It’s important to underline that the national Textile and Clothing Industry has the advantage of counting on world-leading competence centres, including those that integrate the scientific and technological system, such as CITEVE (Technology Centre) and CENTI (Nanotechnology Centre), which allows it to be permanently at the forefront of knowledge and applied research in the sector, and can and should also be considered a competitive advantage, in a competition framework for the value in which it has positioned itself definitively.

In recent years we have witnessed the emergence of small businesses linked to the textile sector, created by people who are unemployed or looking for a new professional path. How does ATP look at these small businesses?

The Textile and Clothing sector, as the majority of traditional economic activities, in Portugal and in Europe, consists overwhelmingly on SMEs, so the emergence of new organizations and new entrepreneurs is part of the natural dynamic of a living and vigorous industry, which remains competitive and wishes to intensify its rejuvenation and its assertion. The regeneration of the business community of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry will be done undoubtedly by the emergence of new entrepreneurs and even by the creation of new businesses in various fields, generated by existing companies and thus empowering several activities, isolating risks and enhancing the faster growing of those initiatives. Entrepreneurship is one of the seven strategic priorities of the Plan that ATP adopted until 2020; so obviously, we look at it favourably and with interest, wishing to stimulate new businesses, new companies and new entrepreneurs in the sector.

Small businesses are betting heavily on customization.

How can the industry sector adapt itself to this customization, as opposed to the concept of massification created with the emergence of the ready-to-wear?

Small businesses are betting on the customization of parts, in more limited and higher value-added series, precisely because they lack the massification scale, in which the price plays a decisive role in competitiveness.

The fact that small businesses bet on the customization of orders, precisely because they have more flexibility and reactivity, following more easily the continuous reduction of “lead times”, manufacturing and delivering even faster, just in time, and satisfying the demand of proximity and of expeditious stock replenishment; this is not antagonistic to the concept of ready-to-wear, which should not be confused with other types of distribution

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“ The regeneration of the business community of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry will be done undoubtedly by the emergence of new entrepreneurs and even by the creation of new businesses. ”

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or retail fashion, such as low cost fashion. However, fast fashion or ready-made fashion, in this sense may perfectly be compatible with business models in which the dimension is not important, but their rapid response capacity to the challenges placed.

What are the prospects for 2015?

From what we are given to notice, the world economy is cooling down, conditioned by many factors that are affecting not only developed countries, but also the emerging ones, that is why 2015 is presented as unknown and has to be faced with much more caution than 2014. The main customers of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry are still in Europe and, indeed, we have been witnessing a gradual recovery of market share and the return of many international customers to our industry, who have found in it a set of arguments mentioned before and that make the difference when choosing.

Similarly the depreciation of the Euro against the Dollar, if it is confirmed, can help resume markets that use this currency for businesses, as it’s the case of the USA, where exports have been growing substantially in recent years. The internationalization program of ATP/ASM, which is expected not to experience any interruption in the new Community Support Framework, that will come into force, will allow that the effort to consolidate markets and develop others emerging will continue, with the maintenance of a growth path in coming years.

Our perspective for 2015 is positive, but cautious, so we would be pleased if it has a similar behaviour to the present, but at the same time to be a year of investment so the goals appointed to the end of the decade could be achieved in a safe and sustainable way.

What is the impact of the textile sector in the reduction of unemployment?

The contribution of the textile sector for the reduction of unemployment and for the increase of employment in general hasn’t yet been determined. ATP has in principle to be faithful to the truth of the statistic data and accept what they objectively present. Since 1991, the sector has been losing jobs. At that time the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry had about 360 thousand direct workers, now it has almost a third of that number at around 122,000. The profile of the human capital is now substantially different from what it was 20 years ago, as it is composed by more qualified and skilled workers, with a bigger application in tertiary areas, which allowed the sector, also in this way, a considerable rise in the chain of value. However, there are actually indicators that allow us to conclude that in 2013 and 2014 there has been some job growth, but we consider it might be a transitional and cyclical phenomenon. In the current profile of the sector in Portugal, more important than having a large number of staff is having a sector with more qualified people and naturally better paid, capable of meeting the needs of constant modernization, the only way to remain competitive into a global scale, and in that way overcome the demanding challenges of the future.

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TRAINING: MODATEX AMONG THE BEST IN EUROPE

“ Training within companies, for rehabilitation of assets, has been one of the most important tasks of MODATEX, by the strong contribution given to the sector in the maintenance and development of its competitive advantages.”

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How important is the qualified training for the sector?

It is often said that there’s no other wealth than people.

Without quality human capital there are no quality companies, nor productive, competitive and growing organizations. The profile of the sector has changed in a decisive way in the last decades. The sectoral restructuring has essentially sacrificed the less qualified workers, more easily replaced by mechanization and computerization of equipments and processes, for which more and more qualified people are indispensable. Similarly, the outsourcing of manufacturing activities, which makes it possible to increase more significantly the added value of products, necessarily requires professionals with higher qualifications, in many cases of higher education or highly specialized. This is obviously the way to the continuous rise in the value chain of our sector, that is why the qualification of the human resources is very important and one of the seven strategic priorities of the Plan that ATP presented recently.

Having trained professionals can be determinant to compete with other countries where the labour force is unskilled? To what extent?

Having professionals with adequate training, in all levels of the value chain, in companies and in the sector in general, makes all the difference over the competitors who do not have this comparative advantage.

More qualified professionals, besides achieving greater productivity at work, are more capable and more able to cope with permanent change, to adapt to constant changes that the sector is subject to and to ensure greater discipline at work, greater accuracy and reliability and higher creativity and flexibility.

Is the qualification a determinant factor for international customer to prefer the Portuguese textiles?

The qualification of the sector workers is, without doubt, a determinant factor that international customers recognize in our industry, especially with the features it possesses nowadays: a good quality/price ratio, technological and creativity innovation and service intensity. Nevertheless none of this is possible without more qualified, more prepared and more customeroriented service workers.

In addition to training, the textile industry has also invested in the rehabilitation of the existing labour force.

How has this path been so far and have you already seen some results of that investment?

The Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry, besides technological competence centres, one of the best training centres for this activity in Europe – MODATEX. With the accumulated experience of 3 decades of CITEX (Porto), of CIVEC (Lisbon) and of CILAN

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(Covilhã), MODATEX, which was born from the fusion of those centres and that has restructured, rationalized, modernized and reclassified its organization and services, giving it a new dynamic and a better suitability to the new demands of the sector, has been developing and refining its performance, improving as much as possible the qualifying and formative role that the previous centres have started for decades and that has much contributed to change the nature of the activity and for it to ascend slowly, but continuously and safely in the value chain and to move away definitely from the elementary role of selling productive capacities and production times.

What has been the role of Modatex?

In this process, MODATEX, with Delegation in Lisbon and Covilhã and with subsidiaries in Barcelos and Vila das Aves, besides training increasingly qualified professionals in several areas including textile and fashion design, pattern making, cutting and sewing technicians, among other qualifications, has a very important role in the recycling of skills, acting directly within the companies, creating and customizing the training to meet the specific needs of each one. And, in this sense, it has helped companies to perform successful restructurings, being able, at the same time, to meet their competitive needs and keep jobs, evolving professionals and careers. Training within companies, for the rehabilitation of assets, has been one of the most important tasks of MODATEX by the strong contribution given to the sector in the maintenance and development of its competitive advantages.

The lack of labour force in the sector has been news for several times. In your opinion, what is this lack due to?

Having had a very fast and strong growth in the 70s and consequently having attracted many business initiatives, not always well prepared, in the pursuit of success, the Textile and Clothing Sector strongly concentrated in Littoral North of the country suffered, for years, an unfair assessment by the political class of the capital, some uninformed opinion makers and the media in general that have affixed to it a strongly negative image: an obsolete economic activity, associated with low qualifications and low payments, with companies in difficulties, decapitalized and bankrupt, with entrepreneurs with few scruples and social consciousness.

Isolated cases became general and it was endured a divestment policy in traditional companies, including the Textile and Clothing Industry, which was one of the most paradigmatic. For all this, the perception of the society in general about the sector was very negative, almost hostile, which determined an almost endemic rejection of young people to career options in the textile area, despite having jobs available and some very well paid. There’s and ongoing process of recovery of the image and reputation of the sector that is being successful, to which the results obtained contribute decisively, mainly in this difficult phase, to the capacity and resilience demonstrated in facing the

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crisis, the growing of exports and the improvement of competitiveness. Nowadays, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry is respected worldwide and taken as an example of resistance, retraining and reinvention of a traditional activity.

Today, a renewed and much more valued image is projected, having, though, a positive influence in the society that starts looking at the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry not as an industry from the past, but above all as an industry with future.

In the meanwhile, this is an ongoing process that requires time to have visible impacts and effects, which is why it is not surprising that there’s still a dysfunction between what is the supply and demand of professionals in the sector.

What are the prospects for young people who want to follow a professional career on the textile sector (either as entrepreneurs or working in existing companies)?

The textile and Clothing Sector has a brighter future than what the recent past was, as there are opportunities to seize and explore, new business areas to develop (the highly technical textiles are a good example) besides the fact that most companies are nowadays more expunged from inefficiencies and more oriented towards higher value-added activities. And it managed to assert an international reputation for quality, creativity, design, innovation, flexibility and service. It is expected a sectoral regeneration by means of entrepreneurship, which is the best way to try new business models, develop new products and services, invest in new markets and customer segmentation. There’s a great future for the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry, probably much more than in the past, so we don’t have any doubts that it has many opportunities for professional activities and careers and for a new entrepreneurial dynamic and the launch of new companies.

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INOVATÊXTIL AWARD Support to ideas with potential to stimulate entrepreneurship CITEVE

INOVATêxtil is an award with the brand of CITEVE, part of the initiative iTechStyle Innovation Business Forum, which aims to reward and highlight the most innovative fabrics, products and projects exhibited during the two annual editions of the forum that the technological centre carries out within Modtissimo/ Porto Fashion Week.

In the origin of these initiatives is the promotion of innovation in textiles and clothing, not only through the display of innovative products and ideas designed and produced by people and entities, business and others, associated to textiles and respective application sectors, but also through the stimulation of entrepreneurship. Let us recall that iTechtStyle Innovation Business Forum® focuses on encouraging networking among agents of the Textile and Clothing sector and of Technical Textiles and of related sectors, always aiming to bring closer holders of innovative ideas and concepts to potential investors / stakeholders. The Forum aims to support the development of new businesses, projects and initiatives that contribute to the design of a whole new generation of the textile and clothing industry, carrying more value and more innovation. But it also aims to give them limelight and visibility.

This is where the INOVATêxtil award gains special importance. In addition to the notoriety that the INOVAtêxtil seal gives the winners of each year, this competition assures the awarded projects a prominent place at the iTechStyle showcase at the next edition of Modtissimo/ Porto Fashion Week.

Those interested in competing should submit their application to iTechStyle Innovation Business Forum®, wherein all the products (Showcase of Innovative Products), fabrics (Forum of Technical and Innovative Fabrics) and projects/concepts (Showcase of Projects

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R&DI and New Concepts) approved and presented in the iTechStyle Forum are automatically selected and enabled to INOVATêxtil award, unless otherwise specified by the promoter.

In each of the annual editions of the iTechStyle Forum® the jury, composed of five personalities recognized national and internationally and coming from the entrepreneurial, creative, academic and scientific fields [see box], chooses the finalist in each of the three categories in the competition: fabrics, products and projects/concepts.

And here we come to the winners of the prize INOVATêxtil 2014.

A total of 38 fabric samples, 23 products and 18 projects have applied for the competition, having the jury selected the following set of finalists: · Fabrics’ Forum: P0501/13_FP40_P0583/13 – LMA; TECTEX Lifestyle FL 2014 – FOOT by FOOT; 5909/8231/0001 – GIERLINGS VELPOR; TERMOLINE 60479 – IPETEX; TFIL462MT PLUMA – TEARFIL; CD2440A318DS840 – COLTEC. · Innovative Products Showcase: Golf bag – SEDACOR; SeaB2 – DAMEL; cycling suit for time trial – P&R TÊXTEIS, Stelvio Bib Shorts – BERG CYCLES. · Innovative Projects R&D and New Concepts Showcase: Tissue2Tissue – CENTI; Dermaterry – MUNDOTÊXTIL; PPS1 Artificial Like Leather – TMG Automotive; and PPS 2 Cleaning – ARCO TÊXTEIS, FALCÃO FIBRAS and CAETANO BUS. From this set of finalists, the jury deliberated the winners: LMA and Coltec (ex-áqueo) in the category of Technical and Innovative Fabrics; Damel, with SeaB2, in the category of Innovative Products; and Arco Têxteis, Falcão Fibras and Caetano Bus, with Cleaning, in the category of R&D Projects. These are the iTechStyle Innovators that now can exhibit the “INOVATÊXTIL WINNER” signature.

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JURY ANA RIBEIRO Ana Ribeiro has a degree in Metallurgic and Materials Engineering since 1998 and has a Polymer Engineering Specialization since 2000. Nowadays, she is responsible for the Business Development at CENTI. Participated in the European Textile Technology Platform for the Textiles and Clothing as coordinating team member of the thematic group 3 (TEG3 – Biomaterials, Biotechnology and environmentally friendly textile processes). She has participated in several conferences, seminars and national and international projects related to the textile process and development of innovative products, with special focus on the development and prototyping of multifunctional and high performance fibres.

FERNANDO PEREIRA Degree in Chemical Engineering at FEUP in 1994 and PhD in 1998 by FEUP. Associate Professor of the Chemical Engineering Department of FEUP – Faculty of Engineering of Porto University, Course Director and President of the Scientific Commission Integrated Masters in Environmental Engineering of FEUP. Investigator of the Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials, Associate Laboratory LSRE/LCM, where his main research area is focused on the development of carbon materials for applications in adsorption and environmental catalysis. Coordinator of various research projects and PhD has about 40 publications in international magazines with more than 600 citations.

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JOSÉ MORGADO Degree in Textile Engineering by University of Minho; Master in lignocellulosic materials Engineering

by Technical University of Lisbon; Specialization in Colorimetric by Lusíada University – Porto. Currently performs duties of Coordinator of the Unit of Product and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (EPSP) of the Department of Technology &Engineering of CITEVE. .Teacher at ETT (Textile Technological School) and trainer of the technological textile area in training initiatives organized by CITEVE and oriented to industry. Project manager and member of the development team in several industrial projects (UE and national) – innovation, technology and technical advice. Auditor of Innovation and Technology in the areas of finalization; member of the experts group in functionalization of European Technological Platform of Textiles & Clothing.

PEDRO DANTAS Pedro Dantas has a degree in Textile Engineering by University of Minho and has Advanced Training in Management of Information Systems by the Portuguese Catholic University. Performs his professional activity for 20 years, with experience in various Education Institutions, Research, and Professional & Entrepreneurial Association and at the level of Business Management. Member of the Engineering Council, Mechanical and Chemical Specialty and Vice President of APETT – Portuguese Association of Engineers and Textile Technicians. Currently, he

performs activities as Technical Director of Meevo, company in the field of Design and product engineering and distribution solutions based on textile Products in the areas of Communication, Image, Decoration, Interior Design and Architecture. He is a partner and Commercial Director of Meevo MKF- Functional Finishing Machines, company that develops, manufactures and markets worldwide functional finishing equipment for Digital Textile Printing Industry.

SÓNIA PINTO Degree in Economics at ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute and Director of the Vocational Training Centre for the Textile, Clothing, Apparel and Wool – MODATEX since 2011. Has Strategic Training in Public Management at INA, IP. Since 2003 performs managerial duties in the Planning, Development and Assessment of Vocational Training at the IEFP, IP centres network.

Developed activities and ensured representations in various policy areas in the Vocational Training departments of IEFP, I.P., particularly in the area of training and qualification, focusing on the areas of planning and quantitative reporting of the implementation of vocational training measures.

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PORTUGUESE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING EXTERNAL TRADE Data relating to 2013 CENIT

Textiles and Clothing accounted for a ratio of 9% of total Portuguese goods exports in 2013, which is equivalent to a value over 4, 28 billion Euros.

Despite the recovery registered in exports of textile and clothing, the share of this sector in total exports of goods has evidenced a negative evolution, showing a break in relation to previous years: in 2000 this figure was 19% and in 2005 13%. It should be noted that the total exports of goods grew 51,8% between 2005 and 2013, while exports of textiles and clothing grew 4.5% in the same period.

TEXTILE AND CLOTHING EXPORTS According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the value of Portuguese textile and clothing exports rose by 38% in 2013 over the previous year.

This value is a result of a 2,8% growth on exports to the EU internal market, while exports to the Extra-EU market grew by 8,5%.

The analysis of Eurostat data to bulk exports showed a decline of 1,1% in the volume of textiles and clothing exports in 2013 compared to 2012.

The exports to the market within the European Union accounted 82% of export value, equivalent to 3.52 billion Euros, while exports to non-Community market accounted for approximately 18% of export value and were worth about 0.76 billion Euros. The value of Portuguese textiles and clothing exports has increased more quickly in the first half of 2014, showing an increase of 10.9% over the same period of 2013. This result arises from an increase of 11.5% in exports to the Intra-EU markets, while exports to the Extra-EU market increased by 8%.

Note that the analysis to Eurostat data to bulk exports showed an increase of 9.2% in the volume of textiles and clothing exports from January to June 2014 compared with the same period of 2013 Looking at developments over the year 2013, from the two main products categories (with a joint share close to 60% of exports), it can be seen that the knitted garment exports (category 61) grew 6.3%, while clothing exports excluding knitting (category 62) decreased by 3.6%. in the case of knitted garment, the Intra-EU market increased by 5.9% (represent-

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ing 92% of the exports’ total, valued in about 1.56 billion Euros) and the Extra-EU market showed a rise in the order of 11% (representing 8% of the total, valued in about 0.13 billion Euros) in 2013, compared with the previous year. The clothing exports, excluding knitting to the Intra-EU market fell 6.0% (representing 87% of the total, valued in about 0.74 billion Euros), while exports to Extra-EU market grew 15.2% (representing 13% of the total, valued in 0.11 billion Euros).

Regarding the performance of the two major categories in the first half of 2014, there was a rise of 12.5% in knitted garments exports (category 61), while the exports of clothing, excluding knitting (category 62) showed an increase of 13.3%, over the same period. In the case of knitted garment, the Intra-EU market registered an increase of around 13.2%, while the Extra-EU market increased 4.6%. The clothing exports, excluding knitting, to the Intra-EU market grew 13.6%, while the exports to the Extra-EU market grew 10.7%.

With regard to exports of other manufactured textiles (category 63, third leading with a representativeness of 13% of exports) which include the large portion of home textiles, a 11.0% growth was recorded in 2013, resulting from a 8.1% growth in the Community market (representing 68% of the total, valued in about 0.39 billion Euros) and of 17.7% in the Extra-EU market .Isolating the four subcategories of products associated with home textile (ie. 6301 to 6304), we could verify that the increase was of about 11%.

During the first six months of 2014, the exports of other manufactured textiles (category 63) showed a loss of representativeness in all the textiles and clothing (representing near 12% of the exports in this period), showing a growth of 5.7% resulting from an increase of 8.2% in the intra-Community market and a decline of 0.3% in Extra-Community market.

In addition to the three main categories of products, stands out positively, over 2013 and in the first half of 2014, among the categories with higher representativeness (share above 3% of the total value of textiles and clothing exports), the performance of knitted fabrics (category 60) with a rise of 10.4% in 2013 (+0.1% in the first half of 2014), of synthetic or artificial fibers (category 55) with a rise of 7.0% (+7.9% in the first half of 2014) and of cotton products (category 52) with a rise of 3.7% (+13.9% in the first half of 2014. On the negative side, the focus is

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on pulp, felt, nonwovens and cordage (category 56) with a fall of 2.8% in 2013 (+21.5% in the first half of 2014) and the impregnated and coated fabrics (category 59) with a decline of 0.6% in 2013 (+6.9%) in the first half of 2014.

MAIN TRAGET MARKETS Considering all of the Portuguese exports of textiles and clothing, it appears that the main target market is Spain, with a ratio of 30.7% in 2013 and a value of around 1.32 billion Euros. In second place there’s France with a ratio of 13.4% and a value of 0.57 billion Euros. In the following positions are the United Kingdom with a ratio of 9.2%, Germany with 8.9% and the United States of America with 4.8%. Importantly, among the top 10 destinations of Portuguese textiles and clothing exports, only two are extra-Community markets – United States (in 5th place) and Angola (in 9th place).

The listing of the top destinations of textile exports is headed by Spain, followed by France, USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Angola and the Czech Republic. In terms of changes among the main destinations of Portuguese exports of textile products, the focus is on the achievement of position by Angola (up from 21st place in 2005 to 9th place in 2013) and of Czech Republic (up from 19th place to 10th place in 2013). Also of note are the breaks in case of Sweden (from the 8th place in 2005 to 16th place in 2013) and of Denmark (from 11th place in 2005 to 17th place in 2013).

The list of top destinations of Portuguese clothing exports is also led by Spain, followed by France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, the United States of America and Denmark.

Among the changes, there is the rise of France to 2nd place since 2007 and the fall of Germany to 4th place since 2012. Also noteworthy is the gain of representativeness of the United States, which evolved from the 12th place in 2005 to the 9th place in 2013.

TEXTILES AND CLOTHING IMPORTS The Portuguese trade balance is traditionally in surplus in textiles and textile works, presenting in 2013 a coverage rate of 128.1%. Note that over 2005 to 2013 the coverage rate of textiles and textile works recorded the minimum proportion in 2010 (112.4%) and the highest in 2005 (135.8%).

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According to INE data, in 2013 there was a rise of 7.3% in the value of Portuguese textiles and clothing, valued in 3.34 billion Euros. This growth resulted from the increase of 5.2% recorded in imports of Intra-EU origin (representing 78% of the total, being valued in 2.60billion Euros) and of the 15.5% increase in imports of Extra-EU origins (representing 22% of the total, valued in 0.74 billion Euros). The analysis of Eurostat data for bulk imports showed an increase of 15.3% in the volume of textiles and clothing imports in 2013 over 2012.

In the period from January to June 2014, there was a rise of 9.7% in the value of Portuguese Textile and Clothing imports, joint result of 11.5% growth in imports of intra-Community origin and 3.9% in extra-Community imports. The analysis of Eurostat data for bulk exports showed a growth of 5.4% in the volume of textiles and clothing imports in the first half of 2014, compared with the same period of 2013.

The representativeness of imports in 2013 and in the first half of 2014 was composed, in descending order, by the following products: clothing, excluding knitting, with 24.7% of the value of imports in 2013 (24.9% in the first six months of 2014), knitted garments with 23.6% in 2013 (21.8% in the first six months of 2104); cotton goods with 15.6% in 2013 (14.9% in the first six months of 2014); sysnthetic or artificial filaments with 9.1% in 2013 (10.2% in the first six months of 2014) and synthetic or artificial fibres with 7.5% in 2013 (7.4% in the first six months of 2014 MAIN SOURCE MARKETS The three main sources of Portuguese textile imports remained unchanged between 2005 and 2013, with Spain in the first place, followed by Italy and Germany. In 2013, the next places among the main source markets were occupied by India, the Netherlands, China, Turkey, Pakistan, France and Belgium. The highlight over the period from 2005 to 2013 goes to the conquering of position by India (up from 10th place in 2005 to 4th place in 2013), the Netherlands (from 7th place in 2005 to 5th place in 2013) and China (up from 11th place in 2005 to 6th place in 2013). Among the breaks, the focus is on the United Kingdom (from 6th place in 2005 to 11th place in 2013). The main source of Portuguese clothing imports have remained unchanged since 2009, with Spain taking the lead, followed by Italy, France and China. In the next places there are Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bangladesh and India.

Among the changes in the main sources of clothing imports, stands out the gain of representativeness of Ireland (evolved from 29th place to 5th place in 2013).

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editorial

FASHION DESIGN porto 路 2014

Photographs taken by the 3rd year trainees of the Fashion Design Course of MODATEX Porto, at the UFCD of Studio Photography Technics.

Coordination by Diana Silva.

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bruno peixoto FAShION DESIGN COURSE MODATEX PORTO

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Ana catarina guedes FAShION DESIGN COURSE MODATEX PORTO

maria alexandrina saraiva FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

jo達o carvalho FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

sandra saraiva FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

eliana teixeira FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

joana calafate FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

ana angelina ribeiro FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

carla alves FAShION DESIGN COURSE modatex porto

MODATEX WINS THE SILVER MEDAL AT EUROSKILLS 2014 Modatex has been highlighted in the European Skills Competition, held from 2nd and 4th October in Lille, France, winning the silver medal in the category of Fashion Design. Ana Rita Gaspar and Joana Filipa Caetano, students at Modatex Lisbon, got 523 points in the skills competition and contributed to the 5th place obtained

by Portugal in this competition, also helping to enrich the history of this Vocational Training Centre in similar competitions.

The Fashion Design & Product Development category aimed to test the knowledge and techniques practiced in vocational training in the European Fashion Industry, also promoting the excellence and recognition of the best trainees and trainers in Europe. The two Portuguese youths, who have already won the National Skills Competition, held in May, in Porto, had an excellent performance, leaving behind competitors from traditionally strong countries in this sector.

Ana Rita Gaspar, 20 years old and Joana Filipa Caetano, 24 years old, attend the Fashion Design course at Modatex Lisbon since September 2012 and have now reached an international distinction that allows them facing their career with optimism. “It’s a motif of pride for Modatex, but also for the national fashion sector, that once again sees its quality recognized. This is also a very important award for the vocational training of Modatex, not only by the recognition it represents, but also by the stimulus given to other trainees in this area”, said Sónia Pinto, Director of the vocational training centre.

For the youngsters, this medal “is a dream come true” that also represents “the recognition of an entire work in a path that is still in the beginning”.

Skills competition The skills competition of Fashion Design was held during three days and each country was represented by a two-member team, who developed their participation from a “Test Project” prepared by experts. The competitors and the jury were informed about all the details inherent to the skills competition – which was the same for all participants – who, so, prepared themselves on equal terms.

The assessment was done continuously taking into account the performance while a two-member team and covering areas, such as the mastery of Fashion Design Techniques, pattern making, cutting, sewing, sequential work planning and the coordination of tasks performed to achieve

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the best final result.

In the 2014 Euroskills edition, the Fashion Briefing paid a tribute to the French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, a striking figure who revolutionized fashion during the second half of the last century. And it was precisely the tuxedo, one of the iconic pieces of the designer, the inspiration for the skills competition of this category. A challenge that the two Portuguese competitors responded in the best way, showing the quality and creativity of the new generation of national designers.

RUN-UP The participation of Ana Rita Gaspar and Joana Filipa Caetano at Euroskills began long before the championship. As with the top-level athletes, all aspects are worked and improved in the months before the decisive moments and there’s special attention to small details that can be decisive for a good rating. “We had an intensive preparation in which we trained all the processes that were going to be held during the competition: from making sketches, project design, executing of patterns, followed by prototypes and, at the end, the execution of the final prototypes, already with attention to full details in manufacturing and finishing, as well as the use of a similar fabric of the competition. In the end, we revised some important and, in our opinion, more difficult, details as the invisible zipper and the execution of the collar and band”, they explain.

The intensive preparation was important to the good final result, but over the three days of the competition, there were some moments of pressure, confessed the Portuguese representatives: “The most difficult moment was the final finishing, as the time was already scarce and there were some fundamental details missing, as ironing and the blind hem.

The European vice champions admits that “copping with stress and time, while performing a European excellence work, was also one of the most difficult situations to deal with.

However, the moments of nervousness were forgotten when they saw their effort rewarded during the ceremony of awards, when the results were revealed: “We felt happiness, ecstasy, hysteria, all in a giant mix of emotions. All the fears disappeared and the sense of accomplishment reigned! We were rewarded for our effort and dedication. Every second of work were worth it”.

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The silver medal achieved at Euroskills allows these two students of the Fashion Design course to have more confidence about the future and ends up being the confirmation of something they already knew long ago: this is the path they want to pursue.

“We have good expectations for the future. We think this is just the beginning of years of hard, but also rewarded work. And this competition was just another confirmation that we are on the right path, both professionally and in order to achieve our success. We are absolutely sure that it is in fashion we want to work and it’s where we feel fulfilled. We have all the skills to accomplish it successfully!”

Some days after the return to Portugal, the Portuguese

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delegation at EuroSkills 2014 met the Minister of Solidarity, Employment and Social Security, Pedro Mota Soares and the top executives of the Employment and Vocational Training Institute in a public meeting held on October 13th. Pedro Mota Soares, as well as those in charge of the Employment and Vocational Training Institute, expressed pride and satisfaction with the performance and professionalism demonstrated by the national team and strengthened the focus on the quality of vocational training, essential to the growth of an economy sustained on innovation and knowledge. The recognition of the effort and commitment was extended to the whole team, including judges, team leaders and technical delegates.

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TRAIN TO EMPLOY: TWO YEARS OF SUCCESS An innovative project to answer the sector’s needs Olga Teixeira

An innovative project that is also a success story. The program Train to Employ, launched in August 2012 by Modatex, continues to attract the interest of companies, answering the needs of the sector’s entrepreneurs and also contributing to the qualification or requalification of professionals, who look for new job opportunities or want to acquire new skills that may open or reopen the doors of the labour market.

In the current socio-economic context, marked by unemployment and consumption contraction, but also by a more positive scenario, registering the emergence of new projects and of a growing need to update skills and rapid response to the challenges posed by the global market, the progressive qualification in the workplace can be the lever to help overcome difficulties, for both employers and those who are looking for a new job opportunity.

So, it’s not surprising that 2014 was a year of strong implementation of this program. Only in the first half of the year, the project led to the certification of 164 trainees, obtaining 94% of the Professional Insertion in the company involved in the training. This is an innovative training concept that clearly invests in the co-development of training, having as the main goal the employability. And the results are visible, covering areas of the Textile and Clothing Industry, such as sewing, industrial sewing, weaving and printing.

The Train to Employ is a demanding process, integrated and oriented to the progressive qualification and complying with a logic of adjustment to needs, trying to further the professional qualification of unemployed people, thus contributing to the decrease of unemployment in the sector and to the modernization and reindustrialization of the country. As its name implies, the performed training activities are aimed at employability of the ones who attend them, and the reality shows that the results have been very positive.

LEARNING IN WORK CONTEXT The courses are oriented to real learning, adopting and adapting new procedures for assessing the results of this learning made in the workplace.

The orientation to training in the workplace is of great importance, not only in terms of qualification and subsequent insertion in the company where the training activity takes place, but also regarding the learning process itself. The training tries to adapt itself to the context where the training process takes place, being also oriented to the specific needs of a particular company, which also contributes to a more demanding assessment and certification.

INVOLVING THE COMPANIES The involvement of companies in this program is essential to the success registered, already supported in

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a demanding negotiation process in partnership with Modatex and for the identification of needs and the cooperative design of curricula and implementation of quality in the training processes and assessment.

Having identified the needs of each company, either for the Practical Training in Work Context (FPCT) or – hopefully – for all the training, and for this process to be successful, it is essential the cooperation of the employment public services in the dissemination of the various modalities of fitting the trainees / unemployed people in the several initiatives and supports to integration in the employment market.

The program Train to Employ contributes therefore to the creation of new forms of employability, either through processes articulated with the needs of the employment market, or through changes in the professional contexts and contractual methods of work.

The role of these partners, who always act locally, is by the diagnosis of the context where they live in, identify potential candidates to these training activities, assess and guide them in terms of technical skills already acquired (validated or not through RVCC processes).

The goal is that students can be successfully inserted in training processes in technological areas, connecting modules of different components that respond to the needs of the companies but that, at the same time enrich the level of knowledge of those attending this kind of vocational training. This is a process that involves the possible involvement of technicians of potentially interested companies as well as internal trainers.

It’s also necessary to build attractive qualification paths to the trainees and that can be useful in terms of practical training in work context. This process benefits from the involvement of potential employers in the identification of Short Term Training Units (UFCD).

The Modatex technicians are present in the several stages of the process: identification of the needs, construction of progressive qualification itineraries, assessment/orientation of candidates, articulated with host entities and assessment of operating conditions of FPCP, monitoring the training and respective tutors.

ployed people) and the demand of qualified professionals from local entrepreneurs.

This collaboration allows the definition of a sectoral strategic plan done by structuring training processes containing innovative and attractive qualifying itineraries.

It is intended that the development of FPCT is done in cosy companies with reference, even without the existence of employment guarantee.

The most innovative feature of the initiative Train to Employ lies on the centrality of Practical Training in Work Context (FPCT). It is essential that FPCT is present in all training processes stabilized around 320 hours, thus contributing to the fact that the learning is more oriented to the company’s needs, but also more consolidated and interactive. At the same time this model of training is structured and induces the certification mechanisms of qualifications. It is aimed to ensure that the skills acquired (learning results) are always accredited by: certificate of qualifications or diploma of accomplishment of the qualification and/or registration of competences in the individual skills booklet and, in addition, the assignment of credits relating to the UFCD attended and completed.

This project originated in the companies of the municipality of Barcelos, is already implemented in companies of the municipalities of Viana do Castelo, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, Braga, Vila Verde, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Guimarães, Vila Nova de Gaia, Viseu, Seia, Covilhã and Castelo Branco, covering areas, such as sewing and industrial sewing, weaving and printing. Since the beginning of the project, Modatex has already graduated 476 trainees, and 86% obtained professional insertion at the end of the training, i.e. 406 trainees were employed.

The data for the first half of 2014 indicate that 93% of the trainees who accomplished their training and obtained the respective certificates under this program achieved the goal of employability: from a total of 173 trainees, 167 began working in the company where the training took place; 1.1% found a job in other companies from the area and another trainee went to work for another area of business.

HOW THE PROGRAM DEVELOPS ITSELF After the diagnosis in the workplace itself – absolutely necessary to these training activities that really meet the needs of trainees and companies – begins the preparation of specific intervention plans that are tailor-made to the actual needs of companies. This stage should follow intervention modalities agreed synergistically, according to the production capacity installed and/or to be installed and in agreement the legislation in force. That is, each training activity is different and unique, since it is designed to adapt to the companies, the trainees and the place they are held.

Thus, the innovative character of this program is highlighted, as it is done in close collaboration with companies in the sector and with employment centres, trying to find a logical adjustment between supply (i.e. unem-

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INTERCOLOR

INTERCOLOR is a non-profit organization founded in 1963, in Paris, which serves as a platform for the research and development of the study of color. This organism meets twice a year, preparing and presenting a general range colors proposal, with two years in advance, for the Textile and Clothing Industry. The INTERCOLOR projection results of conciliation of the proposals of all member countries and is based on an analysis of macro contexts and of each country, values, life styles and transversal environments to the different realities and markets.

The Committee INTERCOLOR currently includes 15 European and Asian countries – China, Finland, France, England, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, USA and Turkey. ANIVEC/ APIV are the exclusive representative of Portugal and Modatex was named the executing entity, developing the Portuguese proposal and representing ANIVEC/APIV in the meetings of INTERCOLOR.

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PROPOSAL PRESENTED IN NOVEMBER AUTUMN/WINTER 2016-2017

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The Portuguese proposal presented at Intercolor (to winter 2016/2017) has as base concept “Maker Society”, a concept that moves away from the DIY (Do It Yourself), coming closer of DIT (Do It Together) reflecting the development of a society based on individual and group experiencing, in which tolerance and imagination are fundamental characteristics.

The city of Oporto also serves as inspiration for this concept due to the development of creative industries, the rebirth of association and group experience. The human and geographical dimension of the city provides

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rapid contamination, by which it is foreseen a consolidation of this trend in 2016/2017, transforming the way of being from Porto in “The City Inspires The Maker, The Maker Inspires The City”.

The Portuguese proposal was made by Isabel Moutinho & luís Parada, with the collaboration of Maria João Pires (Textile Designer), Sandra Gomes (Sociologist), Luís Buchinho (Fashion Designer), Rene Alain (Video Editor), Ricardo Moura (Graph Designer), Margarida Silva e Cristina Almeida (Observers).

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MOOD SEASON reconciliation INTERCOLOR

The concept that societies can find stability through reconciliation represents a deep change of paradigm. It implies a new vision about cooperation and knowledge share, information and affection between its different elements. New identities and new societal relations are imagined through reconciliatory practices. An almost symbiotic connection between individuals, a sociobiological view of the concept of community.

“ Reconciliation is best thought of as a means for transformation. It is the engine that enables victims to become survivors and divided societies transform themselves into communities”.

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Invention of Non-Art · Sublime Imperfections · Symbiosis Man / Nature · Validation of undifferentiated · Truth of experience

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The valuing of the authentic, as well as the predisposition to imperfection are paradigms to the creation of new synergies.

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River of Fundaments · Incorporate the tradition to resolve the present · Recognize values · Dare to decontextualize channels · Cohabit with the past The inventive recovery of the identity through the creation of Stories and History.

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PROPOSAL PRESENTED IN MAY SUMMER 2016 The Portuguese colour proposal for SS16 was presented last 27th May in Barcelona, Spain at the InterColor meeting. Reconciliation, Invention of Non-arts, River of Fundaments, Inherent Beauty and A Skanner Darkly were the concepts proposed.

Inherent Beauty · Beauty vs. Mutation · Fragments of Nature vs. Petrification of the status

The Portuguese proposal was made by Isabel Moutinho and Luís Parada, with the collaboration of Isabel Guimarães (Textile designer), Sandra Gomes (sociologist), Luís Buchinho (Fashion designer), Ricardo Moura (graph designer), Carla Alves e Gabriel Duro (students of Fashion Design) and students of the 2nd year of the Fashion Design course.

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The conciliating becomes boring being eventually rejected at the expense of the power of the intoxicating disturbing.

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A Skanner Darkly · Intensity and Frequency · Transparency and Reflection · Modelling of colour by light The speed of light reflects the celerity of the current moment, in which the intensity is identified with the brightness and the frequency with colour.

Limits are broken and the contrasts are extended.

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TALENT MADE IN MODATEX AT THE PORTUGAL FASHION CATWALK Finalists of Fashion Design MODATEX presented collections Olga Teixeira

The finalists of the Fashion Design course of Modatex, last 25th October, had the chance to show the general public all their creativity, as well as the result of the teachings and experience acquired over the three years of training. Angelina Ribeiro, Carla Alves, Bruno Peixoto and Sandra Saraiva debuted on the catwalk under Bloom, Portugal Fashion platform, which this year strongly bet on the disclosure made in various fashion schools.

The trainees of Modatex presented their collections on Saturday, one of the strongest days of the event, thus having the opportunity to experience, at an early stage of their career, the feeling of showing their work to a wide audience and in one of the biggest stages of the national fashion.

Angelina Ribeiro was inspired by the three life cycle phases to create the collection III. The birth, the course of life and “the inevitable natural death or caused death – Euthanasia” are the three phases addressed by the creator, who focused mainly on the final phase, addressing “the immense physical and mental suffering” and the “emotional and mental exhaustion of those around.”

The integration of this theme in the collection is done through “silhouettes that exploit hospital gowns and nightgowns.” “The colours, skin colour and red, along with the details, counterbalance the fragility and transparency with the memory of the human skin, with its wrinkles, folds and weal”, explains the creator in the description of her work.

The Modatex finalist doesn’t hide the enthusiasm for the “opportunity to present a collection at Bloom, which is undoubtedly remarkable”: “It was my first contact with the backstage of a fashion week and on the first collection I have “produced”. I am really grateful for the bet done on myself and for the very positive experience that this opportunity has given me”. For Angelina Ribeiro “the promotion of a possible career in the area doesn’t flow directly and linearly from the participation in the respective event, but in fact, it is a showcase for a specific range of people directly linked to the area.” But she recognizes that her future in fashion depends on several other factors: “my ability, especially financial, to continue performing works in my own name, therefore participating in contests and of the respective quality of the works,” “The Body of Architecture” is the theme of the final collection of Bruno Peixoto, presented on the catwalk of Portugal Fashion and which “establishes the connection between architecture and the human body, analyzing the body as an experience of architecture. For the young creator, “this experimental body conveys the idea of a 2nd skin, of protection and involvement, in which architecture, as concrete material, manifests itself as “prosthesis”, an external extension, but intimate of the body.”

The pieces of this collection “reflect dualities between tension and lightness, strength and fragility, compact and fluid, transparent and opaque, gloss and matt in overlaps and/or welts that explore the textures graph game.

Bruno Peixoto recalls the moment he saw his collection on the catwalk: “It’s above all a rewarding sense of mission accomplished and recognition of a long journey.

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fotografia: portugalfashion

ana angelina ribeiro 路 curso de design de moda 路 modatex porto

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PHOTOGRAPHY: PORTUGALFASHION

bruno peixoto 路 FASHION DESIGN COURSE 路 modatex porto

This moment brings us closer to the reality of a fashion designer, as a Creative, marked by advances, retreats and hesitations, but also by certainties and truths. The moment of the catwalk is the culmination of this long path, so it’s quite involving and rewarding”. The creator recognizes that this initiative can have a decisive role in the careers of young national talents: “I believe more and more in the importance and capacity of this type of platform to promote and give visibility to potential work of young creators. It’s an excellent opportunity to communicate and capture the watchful eye of those looking for new talents and can boost a successful career”.

Carla Alves chose to tell “the story of a red violin carrying the mysteries of life, immersed in fantasies and realities.” The choice of this instrument as inspiration came about because, in the creator’s opinion, “it’s an instrument that reflects a timeless passion hiding beautiful secrets.” “It reflects our longing for the ideal beauty and embodies it through the sound it emits. It represents the beauty that dwells in the corners of the Soul, between the sacred and the profane, she considers.

For Carla Alves “the feeling of presenting the collection at Bloom was of a great delight, it was the feeling of accomplishment of a cycle”: in her opinion, “the primary stage in this cycle is the creative development process, the embryonic phase of authentic experimentation, in which everything is search and discovery, all are attempts, some failed, others not, it is the stage of making mistakes and learning and making mistakes again”.

“The presentation of the collection, specifically in the catwalk, is an opportunity to disclose our physical work, as a performance that is consumed in the moment, and that runs out in the same instant, lasting only through records”, says the young creator. She believes that “this platforms can promote and give visibility to both, the work of the creator as to the institution itself; hence its importance”. “It’s gratifying to have the opportunity to present the collection to an audience interested in what is developed in Portugal and in what the Portuguese young creative minds have to offer. It’s important to disclose our pieces, our physical, tangible work, but it’s also essential managing to expose our identity and philosophy as designers, creators and thinkers. Only then, absorbed as a whole, we can create an authentic concept”, she concludes.

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Sandra Saraiva was inspired by the “account of the meeting of Dante and his beloved Beatrice at the Paradise doors and how they run through the various cycles until they reach the Mystic Rose inserted on “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri”. It was from here that she developed the collection: “The Epiphany of Dante”, in which “the symbology of purity, kindness and graciousness are implicit”. The set of coordinates that Sandra Saraiva took to the Portugal fashion shows “pieces that represent the idea of celestial rose, with ethereal volumes and overlaps. “The lightness, simplicity and softness of the materials accompany the freshness of a mist, but as not all the clouds are reachable, a more fullbodied and textured fabrics remind us the identity of high clouds that we can’t reach”, she describes. About the moment when she had the chance to show her work at Portugal Fashion, Sandra Saraiva says “it’s a feeling of work accomplished, and of course, it’s wonderful the recognition of that work. It’s a way to hear the public’s opinion, even on a small scale”. “Presenting our work at the platform Bloom makes us feel as the embryo of future fashion designers, recognized and acclaimed by the public”; she recognizes, admitting that this show can have an impact on her professional future: “It may be a way to make my work public and known. Everything depends on future opportunities, and much more important, it depends on the public’s feedback. But there’s still lot of work ahead and I’m just in the beginning”.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: PORTUGALFASHION

sandra saraiva 路 FASHION DESIGN COURSE 路 modatex porto

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PHOTOGRAPHY: PORTUGALFASHION

carla alves 路 FASHION DESIGN COURSE 路 modatex porto

ana catarina guedes FASHION DESIGN · MODATEX PORTO

INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY ON THE WAY TO SUCCESS The students who have presented their collection in the catwalk of Portugal Fashion are finalists of the Fashion Design course of Modatex, an intensive training program, lasting three years and that is complemented with a period of an internship. The goal of this course is that trainees can combine the creative component to the technical performance, so corresponding to the needs of the current market.

The practical component is, therefore quite emphasised. Throughout the course, the students create products for various sectors: Baby and Children, Womenswear, Menswear, Jeanswear and streetwear. The final stage of the training is the development, planning and implementation of an Author Collection/Final Collection.

The training is led by a team of active and recognized professionals in areas, such as Fashion Design, Plastic Arts, Sewing and Pattern-making Techniques.

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The course also includes subjects as fashion illustration, information technologies applied to design, fashion trends, marketing, fashion history, pattern making and sewing.

By combining the theoretical background to the development of technical, creative and professional skills, Modatex is creating the basis for trainees to succeed on their path as Fashion Designers.

In addition to the four finalists who showed their creations at Portugal fashion, eight other finalists completed their final collections.

Catarina Guedes was inspired by the gipsy animator dancers of the Ancient Egypt lands, the Ghawazee or Ghaziyas, who roamed the land delighting everyone with their free, loose and mesmerizing movements to create Ghawazee, creating a contemporary vision of this ancient aesthetics.

El Nirvana is the name of the collection of Eliana Teixeira, based on a personal interpretation of the divine geometry and on the indirect way the Universe/Creator has to communicate with the world.

“The Return of the Gods” is a collection based on the Ancient Aliens theory or Ancient Astronaut Theory, suggesting, through indeterminate evidence that the Ancient Aliens had contact with the earth’s civilization, influencing and guiding the ancient cultures. Filipa Gomes started from this assumption to develop a collection, wondering how the return of Gods to Egypt would be, combining the Egyptian tradition with the futurism associated with alien mythology.

Gabriel Duro returned to the 80s sportswear shapes and was inspired by the military details to create “Jungle Fever”, a collection that creates an urban safari environment. He created printings with Eric Hanu and mixed the elements inserted in African fabrics with the cartoons Adventure Time.

The repression and concealment of sexuality in contemporary society, in confront to the way it is addressed

by Art. This was the starting point to “Cunt”, the work of Joana Calafate, seeking to combine Art and Fashion and help society to embrace its sexuality.

“Artis Imperium”, by João Carvalho, was inspired by Ancient Rome, creating a collection in which he imagines Nero, after the great fire, he decides to rebuild Rome in maximum Beauty and Art, creating an artistic empire as we had never seen before.

Through “Concrete”, Maria do Vale explores the richness of concrete textures and its multiple combinations of materials, creating a collection with multiple appearances which combines the oppression with moments of liberation.

Rute Fontes started from a story she wrote about a woman called Adam to create her final collection. “Adam” is focused on a part of the story in which Adam wakes up with no memory of human evolution and goes out dressed “inappropriately”. She eventually returns home and creates clothing with her primitive vision of the world.

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PARIS, LONDON AND VIENNA: THREE STAGES FOR THE PORTUGUESE FASHION Portuguese Creators conquering Europe National creators showed their collections again on international stages, integrated once again in the itinerary of promotion of Portuguese fashion, a project promoted by ANJE – National Association of Young Entrepreneurs under Portugal Fashion. Paris, London and Vienna were the European capitals where the proposals of respected names and new talents paraded, in an activity that seeks not only to make known what is best made in Portugal, but also create business opportunities and expand the national brands.

ticipated in the London Fashion Week; has already performed a parade in Malaysia and has also participated in the Scoop International Fashion Show (London), in the Vision Copenhagen Fair, in the Show&Order (Berlin) and in the Capsule Show (Paris). For the premiere in the Vienna Fashion Week, the creator opted for a collection that explores the dichotomy between the handmade creation and the digital creation. The inspiration came from the embroidery of Bargello Florence, applying geometrical rules and textured patterns and thus creating what she called “pixel art”. The “Realignment” collection has a colour palette composed of strong tones, marked by the contrast between “the fresh textures of summer fruit and the roughness and stiffness of the construction of the Bargello’s embroidery”. Yellow, water green, white and black are the colours that characterize this collection.

Four of the creators who presented their proposals in the European catwalks started their path at Modatex and three of them are still connected to the institution as trainers (João Melo Costa, Carla Pontes and Luís Buchinho). Teresa Abrunhosa, who participated in the exhibition of Fashion Scout Paris, also started her training path at Modatex.

This trip around Europe started in the Austrian capital, on 10th September, with the integration of the creators Ricardo Preto and Susana Bettencourt on the calendar of the Vienna Fashion Week, held in MuseumsQuartier Wien.

Ricardo Preto, who had already been to Vienna presenting the proposals of the Meam brand, has now returned to show a collection in his own name, entitled “Contemporary Warriors”. Taking inspiration from the need to “walk more slowly than the others…slide like silk against the tide… sleep softly as cotton…”, the creator developed a set of coordinates that put an end to the “gray areas”, focusing on simple colours, such as red and blue or black and white.

Susana Bettencourt, young creator of Azorean roots, radicated in London, has already an extensive international experience, having par-

AFTER VIENNA, LONDON Two days after Vienna, it was the turn of London to get to know some of the emerging talents of Portuguese fashion. These parades were held for the second year within the Fashion Scout platform, which aims to find new talents, counting on the close involvement of the media and buyers from all over the world.

Daniela Barros – who in October 2013, moved from “Espaço Bloom” to the catwalk of Portugal Fashion – And João Melo Costa were the two national representatives in parades held on 12th September at the Freemasons Hall. On the next day, these proposals were part of professional exhibitions for the specialized public.

In London Daniela Barros presented the collection “N_00A”, consisting of “minimal” and “geometrical” proposals, that explore “clothing as an extension of the body”. Classical deconstruction and reinterpreted form are the key-words that can define what the creator called of “relaxed tailoring”, i.e. a combination of “hard lines” and of “relaxed structures”. In chromatic terms “N_00A” is a collection marked by black and white, combined with deep blue, as well as by the “print terracotta”, betting on the “look total” and on the “color block”.

By the British Capital also passed the collection “We Have Plans” by João Melo Costa, which has as keythemes “plan” an “plant”, concepts based on the release of all that is superfluous so that a new life may arise.

Despite starting his training in the course of Plastic Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts of University of Porto, the de-

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signer turned out to follow the Fashion Design course at Citex, currently assigned Modatex. Since 2011 he has been presenting his proposals at “Espaço Bloom”, Portugal Fashion and in 2012 he reached the second place ex aequo with Carla Pontes, in the Competition for Young Designers of Portugal Fashion. In 2014 he has participated, within the project Bloom Portugal Fashion, in the initiative International Fashion Showcase (IFS), held in February in London. The coordinate he produced at that time was one of the three chosen for an exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of the British Council, which was visited by prominent figures, including Prince Charles.

THE RETURN TO PARIS In late September the Portugal Fashion marked its 30th participation in the Paris Fashion Week Ready-to-Wear, having Fátima Lopes and Luís Buchinho as ambassadors of the national fashion.

Fátima Lopes presented her proposals for the warm season at the famous cabaret Lido. The collection was inspired by the 60s and by the musical show Sweet Charity and recovered the spirit of that time, marked by “attitude, crazy nights, avant-garde, independence and impertinence”. The creator incorporated in her collection the code of this period – the female-male clothing, straight and graphical cuts – and was inspired by the “dark and incredibly unique universe of Bob Fosse, namely in its mythical musical Sweet Charity”. Graphical patterns as balls, stripes, “plumetis” or even pied-de-poule in tones of white, navy, highlighted black and a touch of yellow refer to this universe where the woman conceived by Fátima Lopes “goes through the years with enthusiasm and jaunty air”, presenting herself “elegant and glamorous, even without meaning it”.

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Luís Buchinho took his “Happy Hour” to the National Library of France, anticipating a summer “intense and sweet, like a long night we want to last forever”. The northern creator imagined a season of “fun, of well-being, of a light and cheery state of spirit” marked by silhouettes “seductive and flirty, as if leaving a pool party, of a cool and relaxed environment.”

He betted on “subtly sports shapes, inspired in retro bathing suits”, mixed with “cocktail dresses for a chic and elegant look”. The palette of “Happy Hour” is made of feminine and seductive colours in pastel tones – light green, sky blue, lilac and mauve – a reminiscence of floral tones and exotic cocktails’ colours drunk under the hot sun”. “Black, white and magenta, as flower petals, enhance the palette”, explained Luís Buchinho. The materials chosen include structured fabrics, as silk taffeta or more flexible, as knitted viscose and silk, combined with “lace in transparency games, through gently applied organza and chiffons”.

In addition to the shows, the internationalization of Portugal Fashion also includes a commercial component with the presence of a set of designers in professional and specialized events held abroad. In Paris, Luís Buchinho and Susana Bettencourt participated in the Tranoï, a global reference event which seeks to associate the creativity to business. The young talents Carla Pontes, Daniela Barros, João Melo Costa and Teresa Abrunhosa attended the exhibition side of the Fashion Scout Paris, platform dedicated precisely to the capture of new names in the international fashion and under which the parades of João Melo Costa and Daniela Barros took place.

This year the Portugal Fashion was also present in initiatives, such as Seek and Show & Order (Berlin), Scoop International Fashion Show (London), Vision (Copenhagen), Auriel Showroom and Capsule Show (Paris).

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DESIGN 路 LUIS BUCHINHO PHOTOGRAPHY 路 Portugal Fashion

TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY: A cluster strategy FOR 2020 Paulo Vaz, GENERAL-DIRECTOR OF ATP

1. Introduction An old aphorism, shared by various cultures, says: for the ones who don’t know where they are going or where they want to go, all roads are good. It turns out that invariously, they end up at a dead end, in a cliff or at the starting point. The same applies to businesses and sectors. Aimless, meaningless and without a plan, the industry will be like a boat drifting, being so much more vulnerable as the sea of the conjuncture ripples, increasing the risk of sinking.

And when we talk about the textile and clothing industry we, obviously, talk about the companies that comprise it, which need to have collective and capable references to guide them in the respective individual strategies.

ATP – Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal, as the organization representative of the industry, has been promoting the achievement of strategic plans to the sector, adapting them to community support frameworks in force, bearing in mind that these are fundamental to the definition of companies’ investment projects that, obviously, are integrated in the respective individualized strategic plans.

The CSF (Community Support Framework), that will be effective until 2020, determines, like in the past, the definition of a new Strategic Plan for the sector, that ATP presented on 24th September in “Alfandega do Porto”, after a long, careful and very involving reflexion and consultation work in order to translate in a synthetic and syncretic way the major fears and aims of the companies and of those who run them, the concerns that might occur and the needs being satisfied.

More than strategy, the document presented is also a guide for action, providing a vast recommendation set to companies, specialized competence centers that support them and the State, in the definition of public policies that might promote effectively

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the competitiveness and improve the industry in terms of global competition.

We conclude this introduction with another aphorism in which we can define strategy as a dynamic intent. In this sense, strategy is change and this is fundamental to the affirmation and survival of individuals and organizations. The change has risks and dangers, but nothing compares to inertia, which is always fatal…

We all want a more modern textile and clothing sector, ascending in value chain, enabling more productivity, more leeway and more market share internationally. The challenge until the end of the decade is the recovery of exports to the levels reached in 2001, when the sector reached the peak of sales abroad, although then with almost twice as many companies and workers expected to constitute the industry in 2020.

This is a possible task to accomplish, provided that all stakeholders are aligned, the export base is extended, and the strategic options are well defined, understood and implemented. Much should be done, but it’s also certain that a long and rough road has been travelled, with many victims on the way, but above all with many resistant, who inspire us also, that the horizon we anticipate for the end of the decade is a time of celebration with many winners. This will be the grand purpose and unflagging effort of ATP. 2. Quick diagnosis of the sector Before working on a reality, we need to know it, so the first step of the base study of the Strategic Plan was to perform a diagnosis based on surveys to the sector, multiple interviews to dominant personalities and extensive analysis of various statistical data and worked under different perspectives and intentions. The result can be summed up in 10 conclusions: a. Loss of relative importance of the Textile and Clothing Sector relating other econom-

ical activities during the last decades, but without affecting the relevance of their absolute values on employment and exports; b. The increase of the Textile and Clothing Sector percentage of turnover for exports (from 65 to 70% in seven years), highlights the growing internationalization of the companies, in which we can include the growing of the exporting base, but also the natural reaction to the collapse of the domestic market, which since 2008 has fallen more than 40% in sales. c. The Textile and Clothing Sector is no longer a sector with good and bad companies, it became a more balanced industry, due to the competitive shocks that, in the last years, promoted a profound restructuring; d. The liberalization of the international trade and the competition from Asian countries, as higher “players” in the global textile and fashion business is valued asymmetrically by companies and by the different subsectors of the industry. Such assessment various between considering them the main obstacle to the future development of the sector – and even to its survival – and the total indifference, being an outdated theme for an important percentage of organization; e. The financial weakness of organizations, namely regarding the equity structure, has consequences in their economic capacity, especially in investment for expansion; f. The Textile and Clothing Sector is increasingly concentrated regionally around the municipalities of “Vale do Ave, “Cávado” and “Sousa”. There is a deepening of the logic of cluster, which is presented as a competitive advantage, by the synergies it presents and by the scarce European competition as economic model; g. The Textile and Clothing Sector is deeply restructured, and practically expunged from the inefficient and out of place business community. We can say that, at first, the industry resisted surviving and then

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betting on exports to restore growth and turnover and to gain international market share. This cycle is completed and the future bet is on winning leeway and recover profitability; h. The companies of the Textile and Clothing Sector, although understand the virtues of outsourcing the activity to gain leeway and competitiveness, are still very centered in their industrial DNA and much more comfortable in businesses or relations “business to business” than in relations oriented to the final customer, the great difficulty in changing this fundamental nature, must be admitted. i. There is a huge indifference and/or mistrust in relation to Power centers, either in Lisbon or Brussels, which are seen as obstacles rather than as facilitators of the economic activity. j. And, finally, the understanding of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Sector as a natural or wild cluster, in contrast to others created administratively or domestically. The Textile and Clothing Sector is thus a modern cluster, natural integrator of technological innovation, creativity and service, features that differentiate companies and products from international competition and propel the rise in the value chain, essential to avoid the price trap. This is the ultimate reason that determined that this Strategic Plan was built on logic of Cluster.

3. THE MACRO TRENDS We can, briefly, present the main macro trends that will define the future of the textile and clothing industry, as well as all businesses related to fashion, in five large frameworks: 1. Regulatory Framework.

Though globalization is a phenomenon far from being exhausted, it is certain that it already shows some signs of minimum conformation of this reality, either through political initiatives and legislation by the States and transnational organizations, or through a way of almost automatic correction. The negotiations for deals of free trade between the European Union and the United States and between the European Union and the Mercosur should be noted, Reaffirming the geopolitical and economic importance of the Atlantic axis, in contrast to Asia/Pacific, which will provide new opportunities, including the increase of national textiles and clothing exports to the US market.

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Values Framework.

The contemporary consumer is fully informed by a solid set of values, which determine their purchasing act and so, influence in particular the relation between the retail and the production.

The sustainability of the planet entered in the mainstream of the “inputs” that determine the purchasing act, gaining, in that way, the correspondent economic importance and decisively influencing the competitiveness and competition capacity of organizations. Produce and sell ethically will be one of the great “drives” of the fashion business by the end of the decade.

3. Demographical Framework.

Developed countries – and already some developing countries – face a worrying situation, which results in low birth and increased longevity. Beyond the implications that this will bring to the sustainability of the Welfare State, the impact in consumption will be increasingly evident, which will require the industry to adapt itself in order to meet a diverse demand, in which the values framework will suffer dramatic changes, leading brands and retails to look for other arguments, starting with the design of the products and their features, other ways of promotion, another design and function of points of sale, including the virtual ones.

4. Technological Framework.

The textile industry will be strongly influenced at the level of product and process by the technological innovations (R&D).

Some experts say that 70% of textiles are still to be invented, which translates well the huge potential they contain. On the other hand, e-commerce starts getting expression, not dissociated form the physical point of sale, but in an integrated communication strategy and sale of brands.

5. Competitive Framework.

Finally, in the competitive framework, the introduction of the speech of reindustrialization and relocation of productive activity in developed countries has different approaches. Effectively, the USA are promoting a true reindustrialization of the country, encouraging the establishment of new productive activities and offering an attractive context for this purpose, namely the low cost of energy and money for investment.

Europe, which has none of the productive factors necessary to the industrial regeneration, aiming to become competitive, rather insists on a speech of wishful thinking to

align with the global trend, while maintaining its liberal and permissive economic policy, ends up keeping on encouraging industrial relocation on a large scale.

2.

It’s a pity that Europe insists on error, by lack of leadership and political will, aggravating the problems that are already clearly visible at the level of internal imbalances.

Europe is still referenced by the “knowhow” in several areas, including textiles and clothing, which is increasingly valued by high end brands, to lend authenticity and legitimacy of the differentiation in a world that is saturated by mass production and marketability. Stimulating the reindustrialization by means of technological innovation, engineering and creation of new products and processes, but also promoting the value of the secular knowledge repository of the “well-doing” in traditional activities, capturing the interest of young people into these; it could work as a factor of regeneration of the textile industry and an inducer of skilled, well-paid job, a process in which Portugal could play a particular role.

4. THE SEVEN STRATEGIC AXES Capitalization need of the companies and enhancing equity. Focus on financing of the activity and investment financing.

2. Management of the organizations: improving the governance of the companies and incrementing results. Gain critical size through mergers and acquisitions, as well as business cooperation.

3. Be more competitive to be competing on a global scale. It’s essential to meet and intervene in the costs of production, in particular, the energy and the environment.

Regarding the internationalization aspect, it is necessary to increase the share and export base.

4. Innovation (Technological and Non-Technological) will essentially be incremental, as it’s held by companies and for companies: focusing on product differentiation, by creativity (fashion and design) and by technology (materials, processes and functionalities).

5. Valuing of human resources as a priority: to increase the productivity (vocational training, including training in top management) and differentiate by the intensity of the service. In this axis there’s the novelty of the conclusion of a long-range social contract between employer and worker representatives.

1.

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The image and the visibility of the sector are fundamental in a world dominated by “media” and communication. At the national level, the goal is the institutional recovery and at the international level, the goal is to position superiorly the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Sector in the value chain to gain share, win more valued and demanding segments, increase leeway.

7. Finally, the last axis is an absolute novelty, but that is imposed. It’s about entrepreneurship in order to regenerate the textile rank, with new companies, new entrepreneurs and new professionals.

6.

5. THREE WAYS + THREE EVOLUTION SCENARIOS Resulting from the Sector diagnosis to which is added the detection of major trends that will determine the course of this activity in the country and in the world, and after the implementation of the intervention strategic axes; we can define 3 ways for the companies and 3 scenarios in which we can fit in 2020.

Three ways for the Textile and Clothing Sector: Brand, Technology and “Private Label”.

Three ways are open to the Sector’s companies, structuring its future profile: the way of the brand and fashion distribution, the way of technical and functional textiles and the way of “private label”. The common matrix to these three ways is the rise in the product value chain, differentiation by intangible, so that companies can escape the massive and destructive competition from Eastern countries, remain competitive in niche markets and in more value added products and ensuring sufficient margins to remain in this new and possible paradigm.

1) Brand The first way, the one that bets on fashion in the view of the creation of own collection, distinguished by brands and related to final consumer through the constitution of retail networks is perhaps the most difficult, the most complex the one that requires more material and human resources and, in addition the ability to wait for results, which typically always arrive late and hard.

It should be admitted that by 2020 about 25% of the Sector’s companies – and an equal percentage of turnover – can be allocated to brands and distribution of fashion collections

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in the domestic and international market.

Note that this was a goal set for 2013 and that the crisis of 2008 and 2011 didn’t allow to reach, estimating that, with the adjustments that global contraction of businesses determined, that the percentage of sales with own Portuguese brands in the domestic market hasn’t reached 20% 2) Technical and Functional Textiles.

High Technicality Textiles.

The second way will be integrated and run by a set of companies that will opt for the increased industrial diversification in the Sector, abandoning in whole or in part, the classical products and developing expertise in technical and functional textiles, based on research and development and technological innovation. Portugal has more than 200 companies working in this subsector, some with considerable success, but despite identifying the two major companies of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Sector as belonging to technological textiles (car industry suppliers), the consolidated turnover of that group lies on 20% of the total of the Textile and Clothing Sector, as, for example, in countries such as Germany and Finland, it reaches 40 and 70% respectively. These figures give us the size of the potential that can be achieved, although this subsector is not for everyone as it is extremely demanding in terms of human and financial resources.

The redefinition of what the national clusters network will be, in which the textiles, the Clothing and Fashion are part of, are determined to find a bigger assertion and dynamic, more focused on its nature and specific interests, allowing more favourable conditions, so that this subsector can have an exponential growth in the future, being even able to reach, in 2020, near 30% share of the turnover generated by the totality of the Textile and Clothing Sector.

3) “Private Label” Most companies of the Textile and Clothing Sector will continue doing “private label”, though adjusted to a new paradigm, which doesn’t fit the ones that simply lie their alleged competitive arguments in the sale of productive capacity and cost-minute, in the traditional belief that doing well and producing well is enough to win customers and markets. It won’t be risky predicting that, in 2020, we will still find between 45 to 50% of companies in the Sector working in this subsector.

Three Evolution scenarios: Gold, Silver and Lead 1) Gold Let’s start with the most optimistic scenario, which could be called “gold”. In this context, we can assume that an extended core of companies of the Textile and Clothing business community will survive, yet integrated in an active and interdynamic industry, boosted by mergers and acquisitions among them, including here the consolidation of a thriving sub-sector in the area of textiles of great technicality, mastering the product engineering and thus creating differentiating elements with regard to international competition, imposing a “made in Portugal” acknowledged by quality and product innovation and service excellence.

In this scenario it will be also possible to admit saving a set of national origin brands, but highly internationalized, with strong identity, creativity and with winning business models on a global scale. Still, in this “gold” scenario, in 2020, we would be talking about of a business community constituted only by less than five thousand companies, employing around 100 thousand direct works, which account for more than 6.5 billion Euros in turnover, out of which 5 billion will be exported. In the national total, the Textiles and Clothing exports shouldn’t exceed 7% of the country’s overseas sales, compared to 9% nowadays.

2) Silver In a “Silver” scenario, the Textile and Clothing industry shows some disruption, assuming that some sub-sectors may suffer significant losses, starting to be represented by a small number of larger and resilience companies, but without the collective expression from the past, with significant loss of influence and international implantation.

Even so, we continue to rely on a robust business sector, consisting of more than 3500 units, employing more than 75.000 people and contributing to a turnover of more than 5 billion Euros, of which at least 3.5 billion will be directed to foreign markets. In this configuration, the Textile and Clothing Sector will no longer be strategic for the country, while still important, which implies a progressive disinvestment.

3) Lead Finally, in a “lead” scenario, the most pessimistic of all, but unfortunately with some probability level if the economic situation of

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the country and of Europe doesn’t suffer a reversal of the current downward trend, the industry will be disintegrated, without sub-sectors in connection with others, which implies the disappearance of vast areas of activities and of reference companies, with deep consequences on the economies of the regions where they were located and on employment.

A negative scenario of this nature reduces the sector to a lower activity in the overall national economy, which doesn’t have more than 2.000 companies, extremely fragile from an economic and financial point of view, with great competitive difficulties on an international scale, unable to generate more than 3 billion Euros of business and export less than 2 billion Euros. With no expressive critical mass, the Textile and Clothing Industry will accelerate its loss of value and “know-how” accumulated; it won’t be able to even fix a number of employment in about 50 thousand direct workers 6. RECOMENDATIONS. A Strategic Plan that doesn’t take into account the way of achieving the goals outlined, with concrete actions, allocated recourses and “timing” of achievement, will, necessarily, be a work to be completed, limited to a diagnosis or study, more or less well-designed, redundant in the intention and unable to produce consequences and, thus, to differentiate itself positively.

The previous Plans, elaborated in 2002 and 2007, already presented this approach, which we are now recovering, trying to improve, launching new and complementary ideas.

Here we summarize some the recommendations, addressed to the Public Administration, to competence Centres supporting the Sector and to companies.

A) To Public Administration Here it’s necessary to distinguish two levels of recommendations to the State and its executor bodies of public policies.

1. Reduction of the State Weight. Prosecution of Fiscal and Labour market Reforms. Put pressure on Community Instances for Europe to have a trade policy really friendly to its Industry. Having a reindustrialization as a reality and not as a rhetoric speech.

2. To the level of direct support: a. Support the creation of an Operational Program of Support to the national textile and fashion “cluster”, based on axes of

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strategic action, inspired by the guidelines of this Plan and other useful contributions.

Obviously related to the operational program dedicated to competitiveness, part of the new CSF and picking from it the necessary financing sources, will, in this way, be oriented to results and able to measure them in a more objective and consistent way, namely relaunching the investment in the Sector, in its companies, regenerating the business community, from this new projects, new entrepreneurs and more qualified and professional staff, promoting a better image of the sector and fostering a virtuous cycle of recovery. b. Recognition of the Portuguese Textile and fashion “Cluster” c. Continue to support institutionally the “mega cluster” created between the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry and the Galician Textile and Clothing Industry, whose cross-boarder program developed for this purpose and called “Euroclustex”, became a model at European level.

B) To Competence Centre supporting the Textile and Clothing Sector The Competence Centres supporting the Textile and Clothing Sector, integrating ATP, CITEVE (Technological Centre), Modatex (Vocational Training Centre), CENTI (Nanotechnology Centre), ASM (Association Selectiva Moda) or CENIT (Textile Intelligence Centre) among others are true “drivers” of the change of the Sector, which should be used in the best ways by State and Companies. The whole of its integrated action, led by the representative legitimacy of the Sectoral Association, should be able to build the strategic intelligence of the sector, essential to tune public and private wills. In this context, the following recommendations are imposed: 1. Carrying out an Action Plan, inspired by this Strategic Plan and/or other guidelines understood as fundamental in order to achieve the goals it proposes itself for the future development of the activity. This plan may include a proposal from the Operational Program for the Sector, made up of several axes coincident with the development priorities of the activity, not to mention the intersection with its regional dimension, given the level of businesses in the North of the country and its local economic and social impact.

2. Completion of the Concentration process of Associative representation. Despite the associate textile movement is practically

concentrated in ATP, there are other four sectoral associations of reduced dimension, with increased inadequacy of human and financial resources to fulfil their missions, whose existence make, therefore, less and less sense, with clear loss of coherence of speech, of the efficiency of the “lobby”, of the application of resources and effectiveness in achieving the strategic goals. It’s not just a political decision, in a good way, but more an imposition of rationality and good sense.

3. Creation of a Textile Fashion “Cluster” led by the most important and representative institutions of the entire industry, as well as its companies, which will replace the Fashion Competitiveness Polo, whose experience wasn’t successful, but that serves as teaching to the construction of a more efficient model.

4. Make the city of Porto, while great metropolis of a region in which there are several traditional industries linked to fashion and “lifestyle”, a “fashion city”.

5. Finally, strengthen the effort of building a mega cluster Textile/Clothing/Fashion between the North of Portugal and Galicia, continuing the work of cross-boarder cooperation.

C) To Companies Companies are the protagonists of the Sector. Everything starts in them and everything goes back to them. They are both part of the problem and part of the solution.

1. Change mindsets, attitudes and practices are becoming fundamental to any organization wishing to stay in the demanding, open and global market. This new reality requires radical cultural changes in values, in thought and action; the answers of the past don’t satisfy the problems of the present and even less of the future.

2. Openness to change and to the world, as something positive and not as a fatality or curse, it’s a “sine qua non” condition of success of the companies and its professionals, taking into account the cosmopolitan context – open and competitive – featuring today’s markets.

3. Having project and having strategy seems to be something essential in any company or institution. However, the reality shows that most Sector organizations, absorbed by the vertigo of routines and everyday emergencies, if not by the extreme difficulties in which the business ended up stumbling, drop out completely from the

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act of thinking, thus losing its course and fundamental orientation.

4. Have business management and control systems is vital for the viability of any organization. Professionalize the management and the company are, therefore, unavoidable requirements to maintain competiveness and the competitive position in an increasingly complex and sophisticated market.

5. Strengthen the structure of equity of the organizations in order to give them greater financial muscle and a less dependence on bank credit, in fact better accessed and negotiated if companies show themselves capitalized and sustainable in this light.

6. Specialize the business will be essential to be able to move up the product value chain, gaining market niches and setting clients for whom the price factor will thus be less decisive in the choice of supplier or business partner.

7. Internationalize the activity is an imposition rather than a choice.

8. Keep the decision centre in Portugal, where the operations are justified, it could be a motto of modern operating logic of the Sector organizations, which should no longer self-regulate themselves in their action, designing themselves in accordance to principles of rationality and opportunity.

9. Give dimension to the company, by the acquisition or sale of equity investments, through structures mergers, by commercial deals or several other cooperation forms between Portuguese companies or between them and foreign companies, it seems an indispensible strategy for those who want to have a more important commercial presence and a more sustained international ambition.

10. Greater civic participation on a proper, consistent and consequent defence of legitimate corporate interests, passes through the valuing of association and the rational use of its structures, skills and services.

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7. FINAL NOTE: This text is a possible summary of the work that supported the Strategic Plan for the textile “cluster” until 2020, it’s a long study, that, if there’s interest, we recommend detailed reading, which can be obtained at the ATP site (www.atp.pt), which, in addition, contains a precious macro trend detection work, performed by Daniel Agis, one of the most important international experts in fashion marketing , and that serves as a guide for the future, always uncertain but thrilling, of our textile, clothing and fashion sector.

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joana calafate · FASHION DESIGN COURSE · modatex porto

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carla alves · FASHION DESIGN COURSE · modatex porto

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