As it prepares to celebrate its centenary, illustrious Portuguese fabric producer Riopele has its eyes and goals firmly set on the next 100 years. Producing fabrics for the world’s most high-profile fashion brands means that a commitment to the highest quality, design, performance, service and sustainability standards is all in a day’s work. Richard Hagan spoke with CEO José Teixeira, Business Development Manager Francisca Oliviera and Sustainable Products Manager Ângela Teles.
Based in the north of Portugal, 25 miles from the country’s second biggest city of Porto, Riopele is a family-owned fabric producer with a storied history spanning almost 100 years. Unlike the majority of its competitors, Riopele is uniquely vertically integrated, combining raw materials, spinning and weaving them into fabrics in advanced processes all under one roof. These then form the basis of a stunning array of finished, high-quality, high-performance fabrics for major fashion industry customers across Europe and the world.
Weaving a rich history
Riopele was established in 1927 by Mr José Dias Oliveira in a small mill containing two cotton weaving machines. Inspired by the name of the river running through the fledgling company’s property – the Rio (river) Pele (skin) - Mr Oliveira used the river name as his company name, and duly got to work.
The company grew from strength to strength all while remaining in the hands of the Oliveira family. In 1953, Mr Oliveira’s son, José da Costa Oliveira, joined the business. He was followed several decades later in
2007 by third-generation family member
José Alexandre Oliveira, who assumed full control of the business in 2013.
A year later, he began a substantial modernisation drive which saw the company invest over €40 million in new equipment and facilities. A major project that spanned the following decade.
Then in 2023, the Oliveira family marked another milestone when fourthgeneration family member Francisca Oliveira joined the company as Business Development manager.
A spin through the numbers
Today, Riopele employs 1,200 staff members, roughly 40% of whom are female. It is especially proud of its staff retention, with
employees remaining with the company for an average of twelve years.
The company’s impressive facilities include three production sites boasting over 300 machines inside a total covered factory space of 140,000 square metres. Altogether, Riopele outputs over 800,000 metres of fabric per month, exceeding 8 million metres per year, for a combined annual turnover of almost €100 million.
Riopele’s completed products ship out to more than 300 active customers, spanning 50 countries and every continent, although in general, Europe and North America are its most important markets.
According to CEO José Teixeira, Riopele’s unique product and service mix have been
key to the company’s success in these large markets. “Our customers appreciate the full value of the product that we provide,” he said. “Their relationship with us is not price driven. They value both our social responsibility and our sustainability credentials. And since we are fully vertical, we offer a short time to market versus our competitors.
“Our experience has been that every brand that is associated with Riopele’s fabrics has always progressed positively in their business, with several of our customers’ brands boasting the fastest growth rates in the entire fashion industry. Our fabrics, sold at an affordable price, deliver good looks, comfort and a high standard of luxury and performance for those brands’ customers.”
“One of our biggest advantages is that we are vertically integrated,” agreed Sustainable Products Manager Ângela Teles. “It makes us more versatile and able to respond faster to changes in the market. Our customers choose us because they love our fabric’s excellent performance and quality, as well as our fantastic service. But in addition to that, they love that we
are always innovating. We make an effort to constantly surprise our customers with new technologies and new products.”
“The fact that we are fully vertical also makes us the first choice for customers wishing to develop new products,” added Mr Teixeira, “because they can deal with one company rather than multiple companies across a supply chain. It’s easier for them.”
A perfectly sustainable fit
In line with the company’s upcoming centenary celebrations in 2027, Riopele is working hard to achieve its anniversary goals. Organised under the banner, ‘100 years, 100 million, Zero Carbon footprint,’ Riopele’s sustainability campaign is progressing in fine fashion.
One of the company’s headline sustainability projects is its almost €10 million phased rollout of rooftop solar PV panels. Phase one, producing 1 megawatt, was completed in 2018. Phase two, with a 4.7 -megawatt capacity, was launched in early
2024 while phase three, boasting an additional 3 megawatts capacity, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. In total, Riopele’s solar PV installation will feature approximately 8,000 solar panels covering 52,000 square metres of rooftop space in phase two, 4,000 panels and 33,000 square metres in phase three, making the company energy-independent during the day.
By early 2024, the company had already achieved a carbon footprint reduction of more than 50%, having reached that point in only two years. By 2027, it expects to be carbon neutral.
“Many programmes have been put in place to achieve that goal,” explained Mr Teixeira. “All of our vehicles are being replaced with EVs, and we have a platform for our workers to enable car sharing and carpooling to reduce car usage. The steam for our processes, which used to come from natural gas, now comes from our new biomass burner which burns alien vegeta-
tion that otherwise contributes to forest fires every year. We treat more than 99 per cent of our waste, plus we treat and reuse 52 per cent of our water thanks to a closed-loop system. By 2027, that number will be up to 60 per cent.”
And while Riopele is reducing its environmental impact, it has not forgotten its social impact. “Portugal is a small country and the region in which we are located is even smaller,” said Business Development Manager Francisca Oliveira. “We make a major positive impact on this community, which drives us to ensure the company is here for another 100 years. All of our investments revolve around sustaining the company and retaining the people who work here.”
Ms Oliveira reflected on her past and future at the company. “Riopele was always present in my life,” she said. “I’d come here and talk with the people.
Knowing and having seen the past, makes me want to actively contribute to Riopele’s future. Its rich history motivates me to come and work hard every day.”
“Riopele invites all in the fashion business to join us on this inspiring quest,” said the three, in conclusion. “Our doors and arms are open to welcome our current and future partners!” n
