T01 International - October 18

TWO COFFEES & THE BILL

NUNO CUNHA SILVA: THE QUIET ENTREPRENEUR P8

N U M B E R 1 O CTO B E R 2 01 8

I N T E R N AT I O N A L DIRECTOR: MANUEL SERRÃO

MY COMPANY

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR SMART INOVATION P 12

LUÍS CASTRO HENRIQUES

PHOTTO: RODRIGO CABRITA

AICEP's President

“THE TEXTILE EXPORTING EFFICIENCY IS AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW”

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

PORTUGAL IS IN FASHION. CAN FASHION BENEFIT FROM THAT? P 18

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

BREAKING THROUGH

MODTISSIMO: LIVING PROOF OF THE INDUSTRY'S HEALTH

IN ANA SILVA'S LIFE THERE ISN'T A DAY LIKE THE OTHER

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TAILORING&SEWING

EDITORIAL

By: Manuel Serrão

By: Manuel Serrão

Ana Rodríguez Muñoz 48 years old

FROM PORTUGAL WITH LOVE

The IFEMA fashion show organizer was born in Madrid, has a degree in Psychology and since 1991 works at Feria de Madrid. Pertegaz is her favorite Spanish designer: "classic but timeless, the elegance above all else". She likes rugby because of its code of values - "respect, integrity, passion, solidarity and discipline" - and tries to apply them to her professional and personal life.

The Portuguese textile and clothing industry became international many years ago. However, not everybody is aware of that. The T International is now born with the purpose of assisting this transcendent and urgent mission that is letting the world know the worth of our industry.

For those who were already aware of the good news, there are always new companies, new realities and new people to present.

In 2017, we hit record exports and everything indicates that in 2018 a new maximum will be achieved.

The good news is that this turnover is reached with half the workers, in comparison to 20 years ago. In conclusion, this is the best year of our exports since before the global crisis.

With the invaluable help of AICEP’s delegations and the support of the Compete 2020 community funds, in 2019 the Portuguese fashion industry will continue to attend the world’s main fairs through the From Portugal project and also through Selectiva Moda and ATP (Portuguese Textile Association) and their strategic partners such as our technology center, CITEVE. A whole set of new promotional actions that the T International will follow and report, step by step. t How do you see the Portuguese companies’ participation in Momad?

It’s a very solid presence that conveys a very good image of the country and its textile industry. Second only to Spain, Portugal is the country with the most representation in our fairs. In Momad’s September edition, 35.2% of the international exhibitors were Portuguese - about 80 brands occupying an area of 1,200 m2.

In a globalized world, how do the trade shows stand out?

The fashion fairs must be constantly evolving if they want to continue to be the meeting point for the sector’s professionals. Momad's two annual editions are, for a large percentage of brands, the best way to test and market their products. And for the buyers, it represents a unique opportunity to find new suppliers, keep up with the news and seek inspiration.

Are the 4.0 Industry and the sustainability the new trends?

The world changes, and we have to follow the new trends and provide the industry’s players the innovation that enables them to improve their productivity. That was how Momad 4.0 was born.

Sustainability has become a key element. We must all change our way of thinking and find ways to

contribute to a better world, including in how we dress. The new generations are already doing it, and we, the fashion events organizers, must be able to move in that direction.

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In Spain, the brand “Portugal” adds or decreases value?

For decades now, the Portuguese textile industry has been enjoying great prestige in Spain, due to its know-how, tradition and quality. We are proud to have a high Portuguese representation in our fair.

Are Aicep and Selectiva Moda doing a good job in supporting Portuguese companies all over the world? Regarding Momad, what is your opinion?

In recent years, we’ve seen these organizations grow and and improve their work in order to enhance the international development and expansion of Portuguese companies.

Is IFEMA working in order to support the Spanish clothing companies internationalization?

We invest in internationalization through different channels - through the commercial offices abroad and through the international development department, and also directly from Momad, by organizing, in each edition, an international buyer program. In the last edition, we had 36 international establishments invited. t

Property: ATP - Associação Têxtil e de Vestuário de Portugal. NIF: 501070745 Editor: Paulo Vaz Director: Manuel Serrão Adress: Rua Fernando Mesquita, 2785, Ed. CITEVE 4760-034 Vila Nova de Famalicão Telephone number: +351 252 303 030 Email: tdetextil@atp.pt Subscription e Advertising: Cláudia Azevedo Lopes Telephone number: +351 969 658 043 - mail: cl.tdetextil@gmail.com ERC Provisional Registration: 126725 Circulation: 1000 copies Print Shop: Grafedisport Adress: Estrada Consiglieri Pedroso, 90 - Casal Santa Leopoldina - 2730-053 Barcarena Legal Deposit Number: 429284/17 Editorial Status: Available in: http://www.jornal-t.pt/ estatuto-editorial/ PROMOTOR

CO-FINANCED

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n QUESTION OF THE MONTH

by Raposo Antunes

CAN FASHION INDUSTRY BENEFIT FROM PORTUGAL BEING FASHIONABLE? It’s an advantage, no doubt about it, but tourism – and the visibility that it provides - isn’t the only responsible for putting Portuguese fashion into the spotlight on a global scale. The brands had to step up and invest, take care of their identity and promote their design, benefiting from this prosperity wave that leaves the world with eyes set on Portugal. Nonetheless, everyone wins now that Portugal is in fashion.

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“It helps a little, but it doesn’t take Portuguese fashion to the world, nor does it elevate Portuguese designers to a global scale”

“The brand “Portugal” gained strength and the Portuguese creators gained visibility.

However, we need to be known as a country of fashion designers and not only as an excellent manufacturer”

“Portuguese fashion has gained some space, but it needs to be consistently strengthened so that fashion becomes fashionable itself”

LUÍS BUCHINHO DESIGNER

SANDRA BARRADAS CHERRYPAPAYA'S CEO

KATTY XIOMARA DESIGNER

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t’s common knowledge that when a country is in fashion, everyone wins. It’s like a system of communicating vessels that, in this case, overflows to the Fashion industry itself. All the creators and brands approached by T Jornal emphasized the advantage of Portugal being known internationally for the most varied reasons.

"As a matter of fact, we have an incredible country, especially in the tourism sector, with an excellent gastronomy, beaches, leisure, geography, landscapes and cities, all very different from each other", describes the fashion designer Luís Buchinho, answering the question “How can the fashion industry benefit

by Portugal being in Fashion?”.

"It helps a little, but it doesn’t take Portuguese fashion to the world, nor does it elevate Portuguese designers to a global scale. Portuguese fashion can’t be seen as a whole. Each case is a singular case", he says, adding that a financial group’s hypothetical investment in Portuguese brands could be very valuable.

Sandra Barradas, founder of the children's clothing brand CherryPapaya, combines the two realities in one, saying that "the brand “Portugal” gained strength and the Portuguese creators gained visibility. However, Portugal needs to be known as a country of fashion designers and not only as an excellent manufacturer. " With more doubts about this alleged propellant effect that the countries’ rising visibility can have on fashion, designer Katty Xiomara admits that "Portuguese fashion has gained some space to be seen and to let others realize that it exists."

However, she says, this is not enough for Portuguese fashion to become fashionable itself.

"Our fashion needs to be strengthened consistently, so it can gain structure and weight in the minds of those who visit

us, who therefore, also carry the message of what they see and what they buy."

Katty Xiomara isn’t talking solely about a major marketing campaign, “which would be also a great move", but instead she suggests: "why not build a creative neighbourhood?". And to illustrate what she means, gives as an example the city of Porto, that has a great concentration of artists, designers and illustrators, "but no urban concept to bring them together."

Regarding T’s question, she speaks of her personal experience: "When I travel, I look for local products that can leave a mark, something that goes beyond the souvenirs and the photographs. Something that quickly injects sensations into my memory and that helps me to relive those moments.

I think that, like me, there are many people who are looking for authentic and unique products that are magical and make us feel good! ".

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Maria Gambina, director of the School of Art and Design (ESAD), in Matosinhos, confesses that she always felt uncomfortable with the "What is fashionable?" question. "As a fashion designer, I believe that a good collection is one that stands the test of time and that has identity and design. Maybe that's why I've always been in love with the classics: a trench coat, a duffle coat, a bomber ... I've created them over one thousand times, but always with

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“Maybe fashion has gained visibility, but I hope that it doesn’t affect the industry’s identity because that is what will prevail when the country is no longer so fashionable”

“The Portuguese brands benefit the most, because they end up with an exclusiveness differentiator when compared to international brands”

“We all benefit.

There are groups that make tours around the Portuguese designer stores and ask us about the fashion sector and about our creative process”

MARIA GAMBINA ESAD'S DIECTOR

RUI MAIA CÃES DE PEDRA COMERCIAL DIR.

ANABELA BALDAQUE DESIGNER

a great respect for their identity.

What does this have to do with the question you’re asking me?

Everything. I have always been afraid of being "fashionable". I associate it with massification, something ephemeral, trivial.

Does Portuguese fashion design has now more visibility? Yes, maybe, but I hope that doesn’t affect the industry’s identity because that is what's going to prevail when the country is no longer so fashionable".

Pragmaticaly, Rui Maia, In-

ternational Business Manager of Têxtil Cães de Pedra, understands that "it’s always positive for Portugal – and, collaterally, for the Portuguese textile and clothing industry to be known for good reasons.

Unfortunately, there has been a lot of focus on the negative in the past."

He points out the case of the tourists who visit us. "I think the Portuguese brands gained some visibility with this tourist flow and maybe they are the

ones who most benefit from this situation because they end up with an exclusiveness differentiator when compared to prestige international brands ".

In that case, he says, the product that the tourist finds in Portugal is almost the same as in their country of origin. "So, if you come across a brand that is not so well-known but it has quality, that can prove to be an advantage in impulse shopping," he says. After that, “the curiosity can lead to the research of the brand through the web, where the client will have access to other products," he adds.

According to Rui Maia, the next step for the industry agents should be to promote the already established Portuguese brands and to associate them with Portugal: "We have the examples of other European countries, such as Italy, France, and more recently Spain, countries that the consumer immediately links to fashion and quality. That is what we should all work on. " In addition, he says, "we have excellent examples of Portuguese home textiles brands that are immediately associated with quality. The same happens with the footwear sector, where Portugal is neck to neck with Italy and proves to be better than France or Spain, for example."

The designer Anabela Baldaque has no doubts regarding T Jornal's question: "Yes, this factor propels, grows, promotes and touches the local economy." If only because there are more tourists in Portugal, namely in Porto, and that itself stimulates the possibility of sale. "I have been attending groups of people who take tours of the Portuguese designer stores and ask us about the fashion sector and about our creative process", she says.

Manifestly, she concludes: "Yes, Portugal is in Fashion, and this can only benefit us all.

It makes us even prouder of our country. " t

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ERT DOUBLES JOBS IN JUST THREE YEARS From 2015 to the present date, ERT has doubled the number of jobs, according to a spokesman for the group founded and led by João Brandão, who closed the last exercise with a turnover of 100 million euros and counts with about 700 employees. "When the country was in deep crisis, ERT created jobs and was the light at the end of the tunnel for many families in São João da Madeira," adds the company spokesperson.

IMPETUS ENTERS THE US MARKET ONLINE FROM MIAMI

BUREL COMES INTO PLAY IN THE FOOTBALL CITY

INNOVATION PLUS TRADITION: THE PERFECT SYMBIOSIS

To coat the office walls of the Football City Complex, in Oeiras, the Portuguese Football Federation chose a modern version of burel, a handmade fabric from the Portuguese mountainous regions. Created by Burel Factory, from Manteigas, this fabric is an elegant and customizable solution and it has an amazing thermal and sound insulation capacity.

Adding innovation to tradition results in a perfect symbiosis that allows the textile industry to be competitive.

This is how Ana Lehmann, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Industry, described the 4.0 Industry’s adoption

by Portuguese companies, a project co-financed by the Government in 4 billion euros and that was presented a year ago.

450

suits

its Crialme's daily production capacity

The United States and Germany were the two countries chosen by the Impetus group as strategic markets for their international expansion, after consolidating their position in France and Spain.

Online sales were the tool chosen by Impetus to enter the North American market. The company has a small business structure in Miami that supports its presence in important electronic platforms such as Underwear Expert and Amazon, where the Portuguese group is already in the Prime service.

ProtechDry - an innovative piece of underwear, which absorbs small amounts of urine, developed in partnership with the University of Minho and made in 95% washable and sustainable cotton, is the product in which the Impetus group bets to establish itself in the demanding but juicy North American market.

For the attack on Germany - and to the neighbouring Austria and Switzerland – the company hired a German commercial director, with 30

years of experience in the sector, especially regarding markets of Germanic language.

"The strategy is to have corners in all the big department stores chains," explains Fernando Figueiredo, the Impetus administrator who has been leading the group's Online Business Sales department for ten years.

Focusing efforts on a few hand-picked markets is the main goal of the Esposende group's international expansion strategy. The company ended last year with a 44 mil-

lion euros turnover.

"It's better to be stronger in a fewer markets than to be weak in all of them.

It takes scale and size. I can’t invest one million euros in marketing in a market where I sell only half a million", says Alberto Figueiredo, the group's president.

In the Spanish market, where Impetus has corners on a network of around 100 El Corte Inglés warehouses (for whom it manufactures, under the private label regime, underwear brands such as Emidio Tucci), the company debuted a marketing campaign budgeted at one million euros, which had the goalkeeper Iker Casillas as the leading man.

"This campaign has increased exponentially our reputation in the Spanish market," says Fernando Figueiredo, adding that Spain, France (where they mark their presence at Galleries Lafayette) and Portugal are currently Impetus’s three main markets. t

JMA WILL BUY MORE STAUBLI JACQUARD LOOMS JMA will buy more Jacquard looms from Staubli as part of the modernization effort that has already led the company to invest three million euros last year. Part of the Moretextile group, JMA is not only investing in equipment, but also in the renovation of the lighting system, namely with the implementation of LED technology. "These investments make JMA more versatile and efficient, allowing us to shorten customer response time while reducing energy costs", said Artur Soutinho, Moretextile’s CEO.

EMPLOYMENT IN THE SECTOR HAS GROWN 10% IN THE LAST YEARS The Portuguese textile industry has been creating net employment for three consecutive years. The 12,853 jobs created between 2013 and 2017 represent a 10% increase in employment in the textile sector - revealed Paulo Vaz, ATP's general director, in his speech during the XX Textile Forum. To continue to thrive, he said, the industry has to set eyes on the future. A future that can be whatever we want, "as long as the sector is organized and speaks at one voice."

"The phrase 'I can’t' is forbidden in my house, in my classroom and in my company" Filipa Moreira Founder and creator of Phi Clothing

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TWO COFFEES & THE BILL Praça

João Pinto de Azevedo 171 Urbanização de Talvai 4760-446 Famalicão

Appetizers: Codfish cakes, swordfish fillets, bean stew Dish: Roasted veal Dessert: Sponge cake Drinks: Cedro do Noval red wine, water and two coffees

Nuno Cunha Silva

Nuno was born in Aveiro, grew up in Braga, studied between Porto and Covilhã and now he is working in Barcelos. His parents - a judge and an English teacher - are responsible for the first part of Nuno’s nomadic journey. As a young university student, he stumbled around until finally found his way in the textile industry. It was not easy. Fed up with Chemical Engineering, after studying it for four years, Nuno tried to join the Navy and after that placed his bet on studying Food Engineering.

But as they say, the third time’s the charm: he moved to Covilhã to attend Textile Engineering and won his first money, teaching weaving courses under the European Social Fund. He has three children: Filipa, 26, who has a restaurant in Braga; Nuno, 24, with a degree in International Business and works at NGS; and the youngest, Alexandre, who is 15.

THE QUIET BUSINESS MAN

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

52 YEARS OLD CEO OF NGS MALHAS

It is curious that although Nuno is as calm as a Sunday afternoon, the turning point of his career happened when he almost got mad during a conversation with François Gros - the only boss he has ever known.

At the time of this heated conversation, which took place sometime in the year of 1998, in Barcelos, Nuno had been working for 11 years at Tebe, where he made his debut as a trainee. Earning the national minimum wage, he made a bit of everything all the way to the top.

He was a kind of czar, responsible for the technical and industrial areas, as well as for planning. The only areas he didn’t control were the commercial and financial ones. So he didn’t take it well when François told him that the companies’ consultants advised a decentralization of powers and that he had to choose between being the technical director or the production director - he could not continue to accumulate the two roles.

"I explained that I liked to go up, not to go down, and I resigned right there", recalls Nuno, who at the moment had nothing up his sleeve – he had no idea what he was going to do next.

He took advantage of the three months of notice that he had to give the boss to build his alternative: a small, highly specialized company - that would be christened NGS - dedicated to the creation and sale of different knits, outsourcing the yarn production as well as the knitting.

Lacking the capital to make the project take off, Nuno brought Joaquim Cardoso on board by presenting to him a business plan on an A4 sheet. The Maconde’s businessman soon secured a loan of 50 thousand escudos for NGS to be able to leave the paper and become a reality.

After taking a leap of faith in 1998, when he left Tebe and became an entrepreneur, Nuno dared to make another big leap in 2013, by acquiring (in partnership with Gabritex) the bankrupt Eical dyeing shop (in the meantime renamed Iris), of which he was the biggest customer.

"It was the right strategic move. It was fundamental to control the dyeing process and finishes, protecting our know-how", explains Nuno, who chose to have lunch at Taberninha do Chico, only a few hundred meters from the Iris factory, to where NGS was

transferred three months ago.

With a customers portfolio that includes Max Mara, Burberry, Coach or Zadig & Voltaire, NGS enters its 20th year of life with a turnover of 10 million euros (30% of which corresponds to direct exports), 24 employees, a 45% position in Iris (Gabritex has another 45%, the remaining 10% belonging to Eduardo Martins, the CEO of the dyeing company) and a clear strategy.

"Our business card are the 1,900 different samples of knitwear we have on display. We are able to respond quickly to our customers’ requests. Occasionally, the raw material can be brought in at eight o'clock in the evening and is available for delivery at eight o'clock the next morning. We are going to increase the percentage of direct exports, which guarantees us greater margins, and bet on sport, presenting our first technical collection at the next ISPO", summarizes Nuno, a quiet entrepreneur, satisfied by the auspicious debut at the Munich’s fair – the only sample he submitted to competition was immediately distinguished. t

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WANT TO RUN BETTER? USE LMA KNITWEAR A mesh made with ceramic yarn to be used for sportswear is one of the milestone products that LMA has for this year.

"With us, you can run one more mile" is the slogan that the Rebordões’s company has come up with to do the marketing of this new, high-tech product that is sparking curiosity amongst some of the most important sports brands worldwide.

"It's not by chance that Salomon wants to start making racing leggings in Portugal," explains Alexandra Araújo, LMA's manager, adding that the new fabric, which uses nanotechnology in its manufacturing process, reduces the production of lactic acid by the muscles, thus allowing the runner to run for a longer amount of time.

At ISPO Munich, LMA presented a series of technical products that resulted of its cooperation with Smart Inovation,

a Barcelos company created by two physicians and a mechanical engineer. Is that company that develops and supplies the chemical active principles that, when added to the meshes, gives them bactericidal and mosquito repellent features (among others), that are able to maintain these properties in at least 75%, even after 100 washes.

With a 30% growth in sales, harmoniously distributed through all its business segments (sport, footwear, shoes, etc.), LMA, founded in 1995 by Leandro Manuel Araújo, had in 2017 the best year ever since its creation.

"We are exhausted but happy because with our team of 49 people we were able to produce and sell so much more," concludes Alexandra, the daughter of the founder of LMA, a company that expects to close the last financial year with a turnover of more than nine million euros. t

MUNDOTÊXTIL COMPLETES 18 MILLION INVESTMENT Mundotêxtil is concluding this year the 18 million euros investment in the retrofitting and modernization of its Vizela’s plant.

The investment allowed the company to increase significantly its levels of competitiveness, not only by producing more while spending less, but also by directing their industrial flexibility to the production of small series.

Since 2014, the Vaz Pinheiro family company - which has a turnover of around 43 million euros and employs around 600 workers - has invested an average of three million euros per year to consolidate its leadership position as the largest producer and exporter of felts.

"We are world leaders in innovation and quality. Quantity is no longer our biggest strength", says José Pinheiro, 62, adding that the company's strategy is now the permanent rise in the value chain: "We can never stop investing in equipment, innovation, design and internationalization".

To always surprise the market with new and increasingly technical products is a permanent concern of Mundotêxtil, which in the summer presented the prototype of a beach towel with a solar charger - developed in partnership with UMinho - and a

FOREIGN CUSTOMERS LOVE PORTUGUESE TEXTILES The textile products are one of the commodities that foreign costumers most appreciate about Portugal. The conclusion is from the Economico newspaper, which organized a list of "the seven Portuguese products that foreigners love", where the quality, the strict deadlines and the exporting capacity of the national industry are highlighted. According to the industries’ numbers, textiles will export a total of € 5.5 billion in 2020.

JOAPS GROWS IN TECHNICAL AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

TEXTILE PULLS THE INDUSTRY FORWARD

Increasing the weight of technical and organic fabrics in the companies’ turnover is now JOAPS' main strategy. The company closed 2017 with a turnover of five million euros, a growth of 7.5% when compared with the previous year. Technical meshes are already worth 20% of JOAPS' sales, which is benefiting from the sustainable materials growing demand.

The Textile and Clothing Industry was the sector that most increased its turnover - a total of 6.6% between 2015 and 2016 according to a study made by the Bank of Portugal.

In the same period, the industry's EBITDA grew by 10% in 2016, a great number when compared to a 2% total of the processing industry and the 7% of companies in general.

"We feel that we can't continue to grow and make more pieces without recovering the waste" José Vilas Boas Ferreira Valerius's CEO

JF ALMEIDA BUILDS A HOTEL TO HOUSE BANGLADESH WORKERS JF Almeida is investing 400,000 euros in a hotel unit, a building with 26 rooms that will house the foreign workers the company is importing in order to face the enormous shortage of skilled labour that affects the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry. "We prioritize the Portuguese, but we cannot stand with our arms crossed and not face the enormous difficulty that is hiring people to operate the machines", explains Joaquim de Almeida, the group's CEO.

"Innovation is our DNA", says José Pinheiro, Mundotêxtil's President

dress with a UV protection certification - the result of a collaboration with CITEVE and Porto’s Faculty of Medicine (FMP).

Also in collaboration with FMP, Mundotêxtil innovated by developing products for medical and hospital use, namely in postoperative and burned units. And it is now in the final stages of an innovative project that will develop a new generation of felted

fabric structures, worth more than half a million euros, which is being developed in partnership with University of Minho.

"Innovation is our DNA - it's what we do every day," concludes Pinheiro, a self-made man who created Mundotêxtil when he returned from the military service, to where he was recruited after giving up Economics at Coimbra University. t

MFA IS BACK ON THE PORTUGUESE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS FEET After a break, FC Porto’s players will once again wear socks made by Manuel Fernandes Azevedo (MFA), one of the largest socks manufacturers in Western Europe. The group, which produces 25 million socks a year, supplies world-class brands such as New Balance and Hummel, and equips players from Liverpool, Celtic, Kyiv, Atletico Bilbao, among others. The MFA also has the exclusive on the Discovery Chanel’s Eurosport and Discovery Adventure socks and underwear collections, holding the brand’s licences in Europe, Africa, and Middle East. After reaching a peak of 17 million euros in revenue in 2015, the company closed 2017 with a turnover of almost 16 million, of which 95% corresponds to exports.

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n INTERVIEW Luís Castro Henriques 40 years old, holds a bachelor degree in Economics, a Master degree from Cambridge University (2008), and an MBA from INSEAD (2009). From age eight to 18 he lived in Brussels, where his father was one of the first Portuguese officials in the EEC. Professor of Economics at Católica University, he then moved to management, first at EDP Inovação and then at AICEP – The Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade –, where he was a member of the administration between 2014 and 2017, the year he became president, replacing Miguel Frasquilho, his friend and former teacher.

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e must rapidly expand the base of our exporting companies. It is very important that exports grow 2.5% above the GDP", says Luís Castro Henriques, president of AICEP. How did your first year as president of AICEP go?

"WE WANT CUSTOMERS WITH POSITIVE RESULTS"

Just like I expected. The strategic plan has been accepted, approved and its implementation is ongoing. Everything is up to date, according to the expectations. Our operation is going very well.

What makes you most proud of?

The excellent results of our work in the investment capture area. Last year, we reached the highest value since the pre-crisis period. And, of the 2.4 billion that are on pipeline, more than 70% correspond, for the first time, to foreign direct investment (FDI). I am very proud of these numbers.

The situation has changed...

I arrived at the agency 15 days after troika left our country. The intervention’s negative image was still fresh. It was necessary to change it and to put Portugal at the investors radar again. In 2015, I did a roadshow across 21 countries that had never considered investing in our country. The results of this efforts have already started to show.

Were the exit of the “rubbish” rating and the notoriety of our country precious aids?

The rating reversal was a favourable factor that we are taking profiting from. Notoriety is important, but not sufficient.

Because?

The Japanese learn in the first grade the arrival date of the Portuguese to Japan.

However, that is history. They don’t really think that we still go to their country on a caravel :-) we have to show that we are a technologically advanced, sophisticated and competitive country. It is not by chance that our textile industries sell more and more to Japan.

What surprised you the most?

The huge ability of the textiles and clothing companies, from a sector normally called traditional, to react to a homeland crisis by betting on exports. That's a virtuous tendency that gives us a new challenge.

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

What is that challenge?

To support this positive route of change and transformation by helping companies that export only ocasionally to do so in a systematic and recurring manner. The efficiency with which the textile is working is a good example to follow.

AICEP’s budget suffered a cut of more than 20% in 2010. Before it had been of 50 million euros and now it’s 39. Is the

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money enough?

We cannot be autistic. There is a collective effort to restrain public spending, and AICEP could not fail to participate. The budget we need to comply with our plan is already identified – an increase of around 3 million euros per year.

Do you need more people to accomplish your mission? Or are the 450 employees you have enough?

We need more 31 people to do everything in our strategic plan by 2020.

Do you think that nowadays there’s more work to do?

A lot more. And in some areas with more urgency, such as, in particular, on the support for internationalization processing.

On average, we received three times more applications than during the NSRF (National Strategic Reference Framework).

It’s a good sign …

It’s a sign that there’s more and more young companies being born global and created on the basis of selling abroad, therefore having a great exporting capacity.

I mean, is everything going well?

The overall balance is quite positive. With the pipeline that we manage to gather up in 2017, we will grant as many support as during the whole QREN, and in half the time. It’s good news for the country to have a productive sector that is increasingly export-oriented and demanding in terms of human resources.

Have you stopped the continuous lack of human resources?

During the crisis, we lost a lot of highly qualified young people. Exports were essential in getting us out of the recession.

I hope that this new economical impetus we’re experiencing will help us to not only retain the workers we already have but also to bring back some of those who left.

The fact that the Portuguese exports will worth 50% of GDP in 2025 is not too modest? In a small country, this percentage should not be, at least, from 60 to 80%?

In 2009, they only weighed 30% ... At the end of 2017, they were already at 43%.

Now, we have to focus on a goal within the reach of the country's ability. When we reach that goal, we will think about how to reach the 70%. The important thing is that the exports keep systematically growing 2.5% faster than the GDP. Do you worry about the entrepreneurs complaints on the costs of energy and on labour laws that affect competitiveness?

If I wasn’t worried, we would have a problem. I have to follow what the companies consider as difficulties and always see what the agency can do to help them overcome those difficulties.

In the particular case of energy costs, one of the most recurring complaints, what can AICEP do?

Technology keeps evolving. We are attentive and we are reaching the conclusion that companies are becoming more and more energy efficient. Many invest in co-generation equipment. And there are sectors

that are able to reduce fixed energy costs by making joint purchases.

We can deduce you are optimistic...

We are fulfilling our mission, which is to do everything in our power to improve our competitive environment. We all have to understand that this is a continuous game, in which stopping means going backward, and that’s why we always have to improve.

Is AICEP’s international network satisfactory?

We are present, physically, in 50 markets.

However, we cover more than 65. It’s a network that is being updated according to new requirements and goals. We are constantly trying to improve the services we provide. Besides having satisfied customers, we want customers with positive results.

Is that the goal?

The main goal is to diversify sectors and geographies and to have a more global vision. We need to stop thinking of Portugal as a small peripheral country in Europe and finally assume ourselves as a nation at the centre of the Atlantic world, which we are.

The 100 largest companies are worth 42% of total exports. How can this dependency on companies such as Galp, AutoEuropa or TAP be reduced?

First, by directing more companies to exports. Companies with an export profile have grown 38% between 2010 and 2015.

They are already about 23 thousand, but represent only 6% of non-financial corporations. We must promptly expand this base.

What's you strategy?

Our strategic plan is very ambitious. We are investing one million euros in a new digital platform that will be revolutionary in the way we interact with companies. It’s also a new way for interacting with society.

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shock of China's accession to the WTO (World Trade Organization). However, our textile entrepreneurs and their associations, with all the merit we can give them, have been able to adapt to the paradigm shift.

AICEP is proud of the relevant contribution it has made for this to happen.

Did the sector's resurrection surprise you?

At AICEP, we are aligned with the growth strategy of our industrial clusters. The extraordinary reinvention of the textile sectors was a very interesting phenomenon.

You think that the traditional sectors have a future...

Traditional sectors? Our textile and clothing industry is one of the most sophisticated in the world. It’s well-equipped, produces with great quality and it has made enormous progress in the design department.

From what I see at fairs, we are neck to neck with the best in the world. We don’t have to be afraid of anything.

Is the “Made in Portugal” tag a good business card?

We should be proud of that. Nobody has any doubts about the quality of our products. The rest of the world is beggining to realize that in terms of creativity and design, we are at the level of the best in the world.

The narrow concept of SMEs prevents many companies from receiving support for internationalization. Don’t you think that should be changed?

Yes, I do, absolutely. This concept can and should be improved. I hope that it will be reviewed on a European level.

It’s essential to be able to reach out to much more companies and to focus ourselves on added value activities. At the moment we support 13 thousand companies. We want to double that number.

And what else?

Does Brexit worry you?

To help those who already export on a large scale to export even more. And we are giving direct support not only to SMEs, but also to business associations, which has allowed us to multiply our area of intervention.

Before, AICEP did about 100 activities per year. Today we support more than 700. This gain is very good for the country.

It's an inevitability we have to deal with. We are not yet able to assess accurately the impact that it will have on exports. However, sooner or later things will become clear. In the meantime we have to be prepared to diversify and find alternatives in markets that are opening up, like the Canadian market.

You also have training and educational plans...

And the excessive dependence on Spain?

We are developing, in partnership with universities and business schools, advanced training programs regarding internationalization that are tailored to each company. The first program of Academia Internacionalizar (Internationalization Academy), developed in collaboration with INDEG-ISCTE, started in May. At the beginning of the century, the death of the sector was taken as granted...

17 years ago, it wasn’t obvious that some industries would be able to withstand the

José Robalo ANIL’s President Don’t you think AICEP should be more involved in the economic diplomacy effort, regarding embassy network, in order to better support our companies?

The integration of AICEP and Tourism into the embassy teams was a very positive move. Co-localization is very important because it allows the synchronization of efforts and thus increase the effectiveness of our external network.

However, of course you can always do more and better...

What will you do to disseminate alongside companies the export support services you currently have available?

We have invested in a new digital platform that ensures greater and better coordination with associations and companies - that will allow large-scale and segmented sharing of all the information we have.

Is re-industrialization necessary? What can AICEP do to make it happen?

It’s important for the country to have a competitive and diversified industry - each sector has different cycles and that variety reduces the risk of a generalized crisis.

However, AICEP is not a prescriber. The experts on that subject are the entrepreneurs and the businessmen. The agency’s interest is placed on good projects that can impact the economy.

Do you have quantified goals?

the questions of

It is not an immediate concern. The fundamental point is to diversify. In a world marked by uncertainty, there are no recipes for success. There’s only risk management.

Are there any other short-term measures to improve the agency's services?

We will set up an Advisory Board, which will meet twice a year, and will be an aiding tools for listening to companies and associations - a forum where we will share what we plan to do. We cannot improve if we do not listen to our customers.

Paulo Melo ATP’s President What do you think about the textile industry's collaboration with AICEP?

Very positive. In QREN, in partnership with Selectiva Moda, we supported an investment of 32.5 million euros in the internationalization of companies. In Portugal 2020 we have 20 million already approved. I hope things will continue like this, at great speed. And it is clear from the export figures that this collaboration has brought good results for the country.

Ever thought that the industry’s evolution would be so positive?

Ten years ago I was already confident that the textile industry would be able to turn around and move on. I had a feeling that would happen. And I am sure that the textile industry will continue to contribute to Portugal being considered internationally as a good business destination - and also to increase and diversify the country's export base.

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MY COMPANY Smart Inovation

Parque Industrial ACIB Lote 7 Várzea 4755-539 Barcelos

What does it do? It manufactures active particles that, when incorporated in different types of products, prevent diseases and improve the quality of people’s lives Workers 7 in Portugal, plus 14 agents spread over the five continents Participated by Total Repel (Brazil) Productive capacity 100 tons / month Product Lines Mites and mosquito repellent, bactericide, diabetic foot, chilblains, athlete's foot, and termites Beginning of Commercialization 2015

CODE WANTS TO EXPAND TO SENEGAL, NIGERIA AND TUNISIA Code is negotiating partnerships with distribution chains in Senegal, Tunisia and Nigeria, which, if successful, will bring this Portuguese brand from the SDV group to expand its presence in Africa. Currently, in addition to Portugal, where it has a network of 61 points of sale and sells about six million pieces/ year, Code is present in Algeria and Morocco, where it provides 11 Aswan Assalam chain’s stores, and in Poland, where it sells annually 25 million pieces. SDV was created in 2003 by Joaquim Dias Cardoso, when the entrepreneur left Maconde, and arose from a partnership with the Jerónimo Martins Group.

10 millions

is Riopele’s investment program for the next five years. In the last five years, the company has invested 23 million euros

FILASA INNOVATES WITH FIBERS OBTAINED FROM WOOD Filasa, the Lasa Group's spinning company, is asserting itself as a sustainability pioneer by using Ecovero, Lenzing’s new viscose fibre, throughout its production. The fibres are obtained from sustainable wood and fulfill the Ecolabel‘s strict guidelines, reducing in half the water expense and the gas emissions, if compared with the generic viscose. A special production system allows to identificate the EcoVero fibres in the final product, making it possible for retailers to ensure their product’s sustainability. After being the first spinning company to join the Better Cotton Initiative for the use of sustainable cotton, Filasa continues to score points in sustainability.

The sky is the limit It used to be said before that behind a great man, was always a great woman. However, in this egalitarian 21st century, it is far more appropriate to admit all the variants of the equation: behind a great woman is a great man, behind a great man is another great man and behind a great woman is another great woman. Everything is possible.

When it comes to medical textiles, the correct formulation is much simpler: behind a diabetic foot it's a mosquito-repellent t-shirt, an anti-dust sheet or a bactericidal medical gown is Smart Inovation.

Smart Inovation, which we will now call by its initials (SI), is a start-up created from a university-born project (the University of Minho, in this case) and later developed and converted into something saleable by two doctors and a mechanical engineer.

"The project was at an embryonic stage when we took it. We ensure the technology’s final development, thought about products with commercial viability and created a business model", explains Mário Brito, 28, who graduated in Mechanical Engineering in London and is one of the three SI’s partners.

The secret of this business is the SI’s developed and patented technology, based on the use of silica nanoparticles, in liquid state, that carry the diseases preventive active principles to different materials.

"Our method of using nanotechnology to give function to the materials is totally different and more advantageous than, for example, the use of microcapsules, because it guarantees a much higher durability," says Mario, adding that the bactericide incorporated

with SI technology has 99, 9% efficiency after 50 washes, according to the tests performed by CITEVE. SI's first major domestic business was with Zippy, which presented a line of baby clothes with mosquito repellent that was safe to use even for pregnant women and infants as young as six months.

"Until then, there had never been a children's clothing line with those features because it’s forbidden to use insecticides in clothing for children under the age of three. However, our product is a repellent and not an insecticide, which means that it’s non-toxic and bio-compatible, and it’s able to maintain its effectiveness to repel mosquitoes transmitters of malaria, dengue, zika or yellow fever even after more than 100 washes", says Mário Brito, who before founding SI worked in British hospitals, in the biomedical and bio-mechanical departments, and in the production management of JAP’s car centre.

The difficult part was to open the door. However, it didn’t take long until the Portuguese Textile and clothing Industry’s Gotha (Lipaco, Fitor, Sancar, ADA-Albino Dias Andrade, Barcelcom, etc.) became part of SI's client portfolio, which includes the American company Avintiv, Italy's Pantex Global or Walmart Brazil, among others.

"The sales growth has been exponential. In the first quarter of this year we sold more than on the whole of last year", concludes Mario Brito, who continues to research new opportunities for a technology that can be applied to products as diverse as diapers that avoid rashes, mattresses with anti-mites linings, mosquito repellent paints, termite-proof shelves or anti-chilbler socks. t

"Portugal, Spain and France are our priority markets. We don’t want to open stores everywhere without being able to consolidate the brand in those markets" Rita Calheiros Salsa Brand & Marketing

THE CRISTIANO RONALDO OF SCARVES

They are more than half a million and filled the Russia’s World Cup Stadiums with colour. The scarves and other textile objects of the competition's official merchandising are made by 4Teams - Advertising & Merchandising, a textile company that also manufactures for various football national teams, like Spain, France and Portugal. A business that brought 4 million dollars to the company, that had to work 24/7 to finish the order. Already known as the Cristiano Ronaldo of scarves, Pedro Santos’ company, that was founded 10 years ago and had only 12 employees, now employs 89 people and registered a turnover of around 4 million euros in 2017.

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Rua do Cruzeiro, 170 R/C | 4620-404 Nespereira - Lousada - PORTUGAL | T. 255 815 384 / 385 | F. 255 815 386 | E. geral@qualityimpact.pt

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1. MODTÍSSIMO ATTRACTS MORE AND MORE FOREIGN BUYERS. IN THIS 52ND EDITION, THEY WERE MORE THAN 500, COMING FROM MARKETS AS DISTANT AS JAPAN, COLOMBIA OR USA

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

5. PAULO GOMES IS THE CURATOR OF THE GREEN CIRCLE SHOWCASE

LIVING PROOF OF THE INDUSTRY'S HEALTH "The textile and clothing industry is an industry with a future", said Caldeira Cabral, the Portuguese Minister of Economy, during his visit to the 52 nd edition of Modtissimo, which took place on September 26th and 27th at Alfândega do Porto. "This fair is the living proof of our Textile and Clothing Industry’s health and the demonstration that it has found a new life in innovation", added the minister. With a foreign buyer’s increase of 30%, the Iberian peninsula's oldest textile show has surpassed all expectations. "It made us dream with even higher flights," concludes Manuel Serrão, the fair’s organizer.

6. THE GREEN CIRCLE SHOWCASE HAS SHOWN TO THE WORLD THAT THE PORTUGUESE ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY’S CIRCULAR ECONOMY

10. THE MINISTER OF ECONOMY WAS THE HOLDER OF THE IAPMEI INTERNATIONALIZATION PRIZE, THAT DISTINGUISHED ATP’S FASHION FROM PORTUGAL CAMPAIGN,CARRIED OUT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FAMALICÃO CITY COUNCIL

11. THE FAIR’S CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS WERE VERY BUSY, AS USUAL

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2. THE HOSTESSES LOOK WAS IRRESISTIBLE: LEOPARD PATTERN ON THE HEADBAND, A MODTÍSSIMO T-SHIRT, PLAITED SHIRT KNOTTED AT THE WAIST AND A PAIR OF BOOTS DESIGNED BY CATARINA MARTINS

4. THE ITECHSTYLE SPACE, PUT TOGETHER BY CITEVE, IS THE BOARD OF HONOR FOR WHAT BEST IS DONE BY OUR INDUSTRY IN THE INNOVATION SECTOR

3. FERNANDO MERINO (ERT) CAREFULLY ANALYZED THE FABRICS, PRODUCTS AND ACCESSORIES ELIGIBLE TO THE ITECHSTYLE AWARDS

9. "MODTISSIMO IS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AND AT THE LEVEL OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD", SAID CALDEIRA CABRAL

7. THE FABRIC’S FORUM IS A MANDATORY STOP

8. FOREIGN BUYERS FOUND AT THIS FAIR A DIVERSE SET OF EXHIBITORS, WHO DISPLAYED THE QUALITY OF THE PORTUGUESE PRODUCTION

12. THE ESAD STUDENT TATIANA RIBEIRO WON THE UPCYCLING BY TAP COMPETITION, WHICH CHALLENGED THE COMPETITORS TO RECYCLE MATERIALS AND USE THEM FOR CLOTHING PRODUCTION

13. THE PASSEIO DOS CLÉRIGOS IS THE EPICENTER OF THE NIGHT OUT, PORTO'S TRENDIEST NIGHT, BOOSTED BY THE SPARKLING WINE M&M

14. THE UNRELENTING WORK ENVIRONMENT IN THE STANDS ALLOWS US TO ANTICIPATE THE SUCCESS OF MODTISSIMO 53, THAT ALREADY HAS A DATE FEBRUARY 21ST AND 22ND - AND A CHOSEN LOCATION: PORTO’S AIRPORT

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M BREAKING THROUGH Ana Silva Tintex Sustainability Department Director Family Married to Ricardo, has two cats, Olivia and Mafalda Education Degree with an integrated Master in Chemical Engineering (FEUP) House Townhouse in Abelheira, Viana do Castelo Car BMW X1 Laptop Miscrosoft Surface Mobile Phone iPhone 6S Hobbies Read, listen to music, go out with friends Holidays In 2017 went to the Azores. This year, doesn’t have anything planned Golden rule Accept that our life is constantly changing and that there are no absolute truths

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

The decisive moment The turning point was sometime during the 2014 Christmas holidays, in Esposende. She was with her husband (Ricardo) at Mário Jorge Silva’s house, her father-in-law, who was talking passionately about the coating project underway at Tintex and the lack of specialized personnel needed to accomplish the project. Then a question came to her: "What about us?"- which proved to be the answer to the entrepreneur's concern.

"It was not something planned. It happened. At the right time and in the right place", explains Ana Silva, who at the time was living for two years in Hanover, with Ricardo. She worked at the university's laboratory investigating the use of magnesium as a bone implant. He was working at Continental. However, they were getting a little tired of living in Germany, so they had already started to look for work elsewhere. Even the hypotheses of working in Brazil and in Malaysia were under analyses.

The change from Hannover to Cerveira (Tintex is the farthest northern textile company in Portugal) was just another step in Ana's 30 years of life, in which Oliveira de Azeméis was the starting point of a trip that had stops in Porto, Lisbon , Guimarães and Hannover.

Before being Ana Silva, responsible for Tintex’s Sustainability Department, she started out as "the daughter of João from the coffeehouse" (15 years after she was born, her father opened the Santiago coffeehouse, a business they maintain, along with the gas canisters distribution).

"We lived on top of the coffehouse. Whenever it was necessary, I would lend a hand", recalls Ana, who in her student days was known as Ana Tavares, although she already had Silva in her name – Ana Sofia da Silva Tavares.

On the summer vacation at the end of secondary school, concluded in ES Soares Basto (Oliveira de Azeméis), she spent three weeks working in a speech therapy office, a brief passion that could have changed her life. "For me, who always spoke a lot, it was a mystery to see kids who didn’t want to talk", she tells us, explaining why she applied, in college, for Speech Therapy first (where she didn’t enter because she didn’t have all the necessary subjects), before Chemical Engineering.

The choice of Chemical Engineering was made by process of elimination. Languages and humanities didn’t interest her. She liked Mathematics and Chemistry. And within the engineering area, she immediately crossed Civil or Computing.

"It was a good choice," acknowledges Ana, who specialized in Energy and Environment - and made her Master's thesis on the extraction of zinc in an effluent from the galvanizing industry.

The first money she won, still a teenager, was during the summer holidays, working at the restaurant of the Furadouro’s camping, where her parents had a trailer. And in the second year of college, she spent a month on the cereal production line of Nestlé's Avanca factory, bringing together the money she needed to finance the interail that took her to Milan, Florence, Rome, Venice, Bucharest, Sofia, Budapest, Munich and Berlin.

However, the first serious job was in Guimarães, in a Minho 's University spin off, where she worked as an adviser on NSRF (National Strategic Reference Framework) projects. She didn’t stay for long. "I didn’t like the experience. It was all very theoretical and boring", she says. The next destination was Hannover, where Ricardo (the former classmate who she started dating in the last year of college) was going to work at Continental.

And there they were, looking for work outside Germany, with Ana Tavares already turned into Ana Silva (married on the 25th of October, 2014, half a year before returning to Portugal) when the decisive moment arose, an alignment of stars that put her at the right time and place.

"The early days at Tintex were a shock. I came from a lab in Germany, where there were rules for everything. No one could be alone in the lab after 6:00 PM. And when I needed the scale to prepare a reagent, I had to ask the person in charge the keys to the place where the scale was stored and sign a paper. Things are very different here. I went from one reality to another completely different”, she recalls.

Ana likes rules - she knows they are necessary and needed. And she recognizes that it wasn’t easy to implement a quality and environment protection systems, where everything is recorded and documented, in an industry as fast as the textile, in which everything is needed as soon as yesterday. But she's enjoying it.

"It's all very different. There is no day as same the other. It's a challenging job, which becomes easier if we accept that things are constantly changing. We don’t want to be always running behind the new trends – we have to be able to anticipate them", she concludes. t

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OPINION T INTERNATIONAL Paulo Melo ATP's President

EXTERNAL COMMERCE: FIVE CONCLUSIONS Paulo Vaz Director of ATP ant T's Editor

The Portuguese textile and clothing sector has an exporting vocation, which can be found in its DNA practically since its origins.

That vocation has been reinforced by the sector’s expansion, especially in recent years, when the share of its external trade turnover rose from 65% to almost 80%, thanks to the companies’ efforts to deepen their internationalization – a response to the crisis they faced in this century’s first decade.

The presence in international textile and fashion fairs was essential for the positive change that the industry experienced in the last years, gaining advantage over the competition by presenting a strategy of value and not only price and by differentiating itself with new drives, like fashion, technological innovation and service.

With that, it was able to conquer higher qualified consumer segments and to diversify into markets that normally were off the radar for most companies, especially SMEs. Alongside this, the launch of the "Fashion From Portugal" program, aimed at improving

Those aware of the world know that it is giving us signs of profound change. We may not immediately understand them, but whoever ignores them will pay for the distraction.

At the beginning of this century, with the liberalization of international trade and the affirmation of the globalization phenomenon, there were many people who disdained the warnings that were made. Many of them have lost their companies or are no longer in the sector, with huge consequences like the massive jobs loss. Remained the memory of that moment, but apparently not for the majority of the industries’ players.

Today, I’m talking about that event because of three major trends that are converging and will transform our world into something different, and not for the better.

The first is linked to geostrategic: I - The United States of Donald Trump strive on protectionism, are against global free trade, disinvest in Europe and shake the world to dangerous levels.

II. Europe is left to fend for itself for the first time in a century and will have to take care of its security. If it doesn’t

the Portuguese textile and clothing industry’s reputation, has helped make the "Made in Portugal" label a synonym of high quality, innovation and customer-oriented service.

The "T Jornal" and the "T Digital" appear in this communication reinforcement context, which now, in the second phase of the aforementioned "Fashion From Portugal" project, will have a more internationalized side, launching an English version especially oriented to the external market’s public and accompanying the industry in their presence in events around the world, strengthening an already solid and ambitious image.

A final word of greeting to the initiative, which, I am sure, will join, in a coherent, consistent and convergent way. all the others that the ATP and the industry institutions, in which it participates and collaborates, have been carrying out for the uncontested success that the sector exhibits today.

That makes everyone proud of, without letting us forget the responsibility of never accommodating ourselves.

succeed in overcoming this challenge, an irreversible disintegration process will begin and a new map of nationalisms and alliances will be established, for the detriment of us all.

III - China will be the biggest winner in this realignment, as it is the only one that has strategy, purpose and resources to achieve its long-term goals.

The second major trend is in the 4.0 industry and in the e-commerce. The digital world will be more important than the physical one we inhabit, and tomorrow’s business will be generated and developed there. Whoever ignores this is out of the market, and whoever denies this, will cease to exist. In Portugal, the delay in this domain is frightening. Just take a look at the Portuguese companies’ websites to see that.

The latest trend is sustainability and circular economy. The market will shrink for the Portuguese textile and clothing industry. The major international brands are in the process of changing their business model, with the aggravating factor of not knowing where to go next and betting despe-

rately on the margins and on the price. Portugal’s proximity advantage became blurred when other producer countries such as Turkey and Morocco re-emerged, and that are now compensating the distance and the cost of transport with local currency devaluation. There is no loyalty in business and only economic interests matter.

All that remains for us to do is to focus on where we can make a difference, precisely where others objectively fail: innovation, creativity and credibility regarding social and environmental rules. The future is in that direction, but there are few who follow this path, convinced that the formulas of the past will succeed in the future. History has already proven that it won’t and will not fail to do it again.

Our margin to embrace the radical change that is approaching is scarce.

Some still can do it. Others no longer can, even if they aren’t aware of it. The Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industries’ success can be pursued, but it will be much more demanding . Maybe that is the only certainty.

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SUSTAINABILITY IS THE FUTURE. PERIOD. The Kingdom of Denmark is promoting Copenhagen city as the centre of the world for sustainability in the fashion industry with the organization of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, among other initiatives.

Present in the two days of the summit and making a brilliant speech, the Princess showed the participants that her presence was not only a nobility inherent obligation, but an affirmation of the kingdom in one of the great designs of the European Union, the circular economy, in an approach so subtle and enticing as only fashion can grant.

"Everybody" was there ". From Stella McCartney and Ellen McArthur to brands that dominate fashion distribution globally, from the luxury to the poor quality ones.

Now, let's analyse the content. I learned that there is no brand worth mentioning that does not boast about their CSO. CSO? Yes, of course – their Chief Sustainability Officer, bearer of wonderful messages about a perfect world that they themselves have taken on the responsibility of building: cute, animal friendly, environmentally sustainable and socially just.

And another CSO determined to fight for the appropriate paycheck in every corner of the world, and another CSO to clean the planet, and another determined to ensure that all workers in the fashion industry have air conditioning on their job sites, and yet another willing to give his blood so that there is no animal trace in garments, followed by another who says he already has the solution to prevent that clothing articles end up on a dumpster at the end of its life.

Sitting in the fantastic Copenhagen Concert Hall, with my eyes on the monumental pipe organ pinned to the stage and choir and imagining myself wrapped in music, I almost got drunk on the idea of a harmonious, rhythmic and refined world pulled forward by fashion ranks.

I woke up, however, to the idea that this summit should have been organized in a “pros and cons” system, with CSOs on one side and the respective buyers on the other, to see if we could understand each other.

That’s life, fashion is image!!!!

Conclusion: at the end of a two-day summit, I was already fed up with the organization's option for "healthy, sustainable and recycled" food. Tough luck!

However, what drove me there was the opportunity to gather important information about what will be the reality of the fashion business in a near future.

It was enough for me to understand that no Portuguese company can fail to include in its portfolio products (even just one) with a commercial discourse that positions the company as a fervent builder of a sustainable future. t

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Miguel Pedrosa Rodrigues Administrator of Pedrosa & Rodrigues

THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IS ALIVE AND KICKING, HOWEVER...

Although superficially and quickly, I use this space to address four concerns that I believe are relevant to the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry (ITV) current state, hoping that future interventions may deepen each of them.

New Generations, Old Habits - ITV's generational renewal is excellent news, as it brought new skills, more sophistication and a more worldly vision to our companies. That resulted in organizations with improved management, new strategic approaches and, therefore, an important step towards the sustainability of the sector was given.

It is, however, fundamental to fight the old habits that insist on passing on from generation to generation: a) individualism; b) inability to cooperate; c) "grow" at any cost; d) do not share risk or reward, failing to look at their peers as simply that: peers, not competitors.

Misalignment in the supply chain - The Portuguese ITV is both small and special. We are flexible and fast, we have quality and we are capable of innovating in all areas of the production process. It’s thanks to all of these abilities that the brand “Portugal” is establishing itself with great strides and the quality of our companies is well recognized.

All of these amenities have the purpose of adding value to our customer (and, of course, to the other stakeholders), but I fear that our potential may be limited by some factors, such as the difficulty that different supply chain players have in understanding that only together and effectively articulated we can be consistent in adding value to the sector.

In other words, it is necessary to align efforts, competencies and commitments, from the yarn supplier to the manufacturer (which is the head of the market and coordinates the entire value chain). The theme is boring and the solution is to share goals and difficulties - each one thinking solely about themselves isn’t, without a doubt, the way to do it.

4.0 Industry - The popularity and high adherence to the ITV’s 4.0 version is a good sign, which is also due to the ATP’s and COTEC’s exemplary work in sharing knowledge and experiences. As coordinator for the development of systems, processes and procedures at Pedrosa & Rodrigues (and let me tell you that these activities are always done as a team), I have experienced the pains of growth within the 4.0.

However, the benefits of this growth are evident and allow us to see expressive glimpses of the future, which I will now list: a) The investment in Information technology will grow exponentially in the upcoming years; b) The factory of the future will be sustained by robotics, automation and software, although people are increasingly their heart and soul; c) KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) and Dashboards with predictive capabilities will be developed.

That is, the information we use to make decisions must translate both the "foreseeable future" of the operation but also its "past".

And a quick note: if there’s a positive evolution of the concerns enumerated in points one and two, I am sure we will take Industry 4.0 further.

The only certainty is uncertainty - Uncertainty is now a constant factor. We have to live with this uncertainty, and that has implications in how we manage our businesses. Complaining about uncertainty, distancing ourselves from it, or postponing its impact will be unproductive and risky.

ITV’s evolution is well known and to me it seems reasonable to establish that much more will change - we are very different today from what we were in the 1990s and it’s not controversial to say that we will be very different in 2030.

The difference between today and the 90s is that the changes that are about to happen will take place at a much more dramatic pace and intensity. It will be the manager’s ability to identify these changes and the impact they will have on the companies’ structures and resources that will make all the difference. t

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LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT

by: Manuel Serrão

A Marisqueira de Matosinhos Rua Roberto Ivens 717, 4450-255 Matosinhos

THE LORD OF THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS

In a country that is slowly discovering that one of its distinctive brands of greater relevance and economic potential is the sea, we cannot fail to praise the work developed in this area by our gastronomy and, in particular, by a profusion of Iberian institutions that are commonly referred as "Marisqueiras (seafood restaurants)”.

Throughout the country, and especially in northern region, Matosinhos has been the flag bearer of this connection to the sea, which being part of the genetic code of the city, could be better explored.

Marisqueira de Matosinhos was always better known by the names of its leading men. First by Henrique Torres, the great inspirer of the concept in the city, then by Miguel Faria, who knew how to be Henrique’s worthy successor and who now runs the ship with smooth but effective leadership, making this house one of the best of its kind in the whole world. It’s also here that I have come across many friends and industry's clients, who in need of a seafood, most of the time, demand Matosinho’s

lands.

The success of Marisqueira de Matosinhos is based on three main secrets: The first is an inexhaustible availability, pleasantness and precision in the service. How many houses of good food are condemned by sloppy or perilous service?

This is not the case. My friend Miguel, who more than the Lord of Matosinhos is the Lord of the Seafood, commands with brilliance a team of great professionals.

The second is an irreproachable product quality. The fish and seafood guarantee authenticity, freshness and provenance. The best there is in the world. The same with the meat, always certified and without any quality or origin repair.

The third it’s a huge process simplicity.

What is good only needs to be cleared up!

And that is what is done, with exuberant simplicity, in Miguel’s Marisqueira.

In the seafood, as Miguel says, everything is good. However, we can’t help to recommend the lobster with butter rice, a sky-high palatine explosion. The coast shrimp and the goose barnacle complete this sea wave that washes our souls and conquers our senses.

In the fish department, a superb grill is neck and neck with Matosinho’s great ones, with fresh fish of superior caliber. You don’t even need to look at the menu – just ask what's coming out of the grill. In the meat, we demand special attention to the "rolhas” stake loin, and to the Alentejo’s carne de porco à alentejana (pork with potatoes and clams), adopted with care by the house and remarkably represented.

The desserts are of good quality, with laminated fruit and regional sweets (excellent custard cream) to the head.

The wine selection is broad and generous without being speculative, as often occurs at this kind of houses.

And with that, it's all seen. Congratulations to the good old Miguel, who in his "green" softness and sympathy, knows how to gather at his table the "blue", the "red" and all the world’s colours and flavours.

Diana Pinto, 33 years old, Berg’s Marketing Director. Born in Esposende, she lived at that city until she moved to Porto to go to college. In Porto, she graduated in Economics and later took an MBA in Management. After finishing the course, she worked for SPGM, in the financial area, and later moved to Sonae Sports and Fashion where she kept on going until she arrived at Berg, the sports brand created by the group. Married, she loves to travel, to dance and to listen to music.

Likes

Dislikes

Family home work opportunities "walk the talk" my team creativity learn ambition fashion high heels with dresses home decor brands diamonds make lists fresh flowers Rachmaninov Serralves travel concerts dance Brazilian music Porto watch movies in the cinema watch series on the couch Sunday afternoons by the fire dinners with friends bread with cheese spicy francesinhas white chocolate rings Porto tonic Santorini Key West food made by my mother to hear my brother play the violin bravery climb mountains to walk in the snow esmerald green

Lazy people to disappoint the smell of tobacco farewells undercooked meat snakes Benfica corduroy beer eat in bed northern wind delayed flights chaos horror movies bad manners hypocrites going to the dentist cats to be contradicted bureaucracies monotony restricted spaces traffic people that don’t have opinions gyms gizzards algae at sea carry money regrets counterfeit clowns food without salt when people call me “darling” to lose control advertising in movies showers with no pressure roller coasters

20

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October 2018

FIORIMA IS THE ONLY ONE WITH HEEL AND TOE DESIGNS With two worldwide patents, Fiorima is the only company in the world that can manufacture socks with designs on the heel and toe. With its headquartered located in Braga, this company employs 84 people and manufactures five thousand different products. In 2017, Fiorima closed the year with a turnover of seven million euros.

55%

of Twintex's electricity needs is met with the help of photovoltaic panels

BARCELCOM WINS NOS INNOVATION AWARD

The compression socks with therapy and rehabilitation features through electrostimulation was the winner of the NOS Innovation Award in the Small and Medium Enterprises category. The award ceremony took place at the Teatro Tália, in Lisbon, where the Barcelos’ textile company was represented by Vânia Fontes and Nuno Mota Soares. The sock is mainly directed at athletes, and was used by players of various national teams during Russia’s World Cup. t

TMG AUTOMOTIVE AWARDED COMPANY OF THE YEAR TMG Automotive was awarded as Company of the Year by the Excellens Oeconomia's, an initiative held

by Negócios newspaper and PwC. TMG Automotive is the technological side of the TMG textile group, led by Isabel Furtado, the granddaughter of the founder, Manuel Gonçalves. With a turnover of more than 100 million euros, the company has more than 20 patents, own or in partnership, and in its list of customers are brands like BMW, Mercedes, Volvo Cars, Opel, Toyota, Jaguar, Porsche or Maserati.

In 2009, its three largest customers were Opel (27%), Toyota (24%) and KIA (11%).

To Negocios newspaper, Isabel Furtado underlined that the key factors for TMG Automotive's growth were "the right people, cutting-edge technology and a well-focused strategy." TMG Automotive now ranks second, with 18%, on the European market of coating

materials for the car industry, in a universe of seven companies. The market leader has more than 60%.

In January, the companies’ new 25,000 square meter plant started its operations. It was an investment of 52.5 million euros from TMG Automotive and 6.9 million from TMG Fabrics.

With the new factory take-off, the company holds now 614 jobs, with women predominating at senior management. Of the 77 collaborators with higher education (undergraduate, masters and four doctorates), 45 are female.

One of the key aspects of TMG Automotive's success has been the innovation and R&D (research and development) investment. The company invests 4% to 6% of its turnover in research and has several patents, some with clients such as BMW, Daimler and Toyota, as well as with Portuguese universities and institutes. t

LAMEIRINHO RELAUNCHES BRAND In the year that marks the companies’ 70th anniversary, Lameirinho will relaunch its own brand, using as a trump card its network of stores that, at the end of last year, was expanded with the opening of three new spaces.

"Lameirinho is a brand with history that it's already in its fourth generation," explains Paulo Coelho Lima, grandson of Joaquim Coelho Lima, who found the company in 1948.

With nine physical stores - in

Odivelas, Matosinhos, Porto, Guimarães, Viseu, Viana and Loulé, and one online -, Lameirinho is preparing a marketing campaign that takes advantage of the direct relationship that can only be assured by this retail presence.

"Online will not dictate the end of physical stores - it will complement them. We live in a time when all the distribution channels merge into one. See the product in the store and buy it at home. See at home and then go buy at the store.

Buy online and get the product at the physical store. All of these possibilities coexist - and in the future they will live together", says Paulo Coelho Lima.

"More than a sales stand, online stores are a showroom, an essential tool for our company communication", adds the Lameirinho’s CEO. The company’s online store, that opened four years ago, sells all over Europe and in the main e-commerce worldwide platforms, such as Amazon and La Redoute. t

LEMAR'S COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY In partnership with Porto’s Engineering Faculty and a manufacturer, Lemar has two ongoing R&D projects to build workwear for those working with X-rays and in extreme weather conditions. In this technical textiles area, and in partnership with CITEVE, the company has already developed prototypes of extra-light firemen suits, which everyone recognizes as being the most advanced in the world.

SOREMA INVESTS TWO MILLIONS TO KEEP GROWING Sorema will invest two million euros in the expansion of its industrial facilities and reorganization of the productive layout, a project that will create 20 new jobs. "Our factory is already 40 years old. It needs space so it can grow", explains Ricardo Relvas, administrator of the home textiles company. Sorema closed 2017 with a turnover of 10.4 million euros (4% growth over 2016), of which 90% is exported. Spain, France, the United Kingdom and the United States are its main markets.

"The goal is always having satisfied customers" Miguel Mendes A. Sampaio's Commercial Director

COSTA GIVES WESTMISTER SOCKS TO JUSTIN TRUDEAU

In his official visit to Canada, António Costa offered to the Canadian Prime Minister a set of six pairs of socks from the Portuguese brand WestMister, as an example of the national production’s quality. Justin Trudeau is known for crossing suit and tie with colourful and exuberant socks.