TI 02 - January 19

N U M B E R 2 JA N UA RY 2 01 9

ALEXANDRA ARAÚJO

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LMA's Administrator

“OUR TEAM IS THE SECRET” P 12

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

BREAKING THROUGH

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

THAT IS THE QUESTION

MY PRODUCT

INOVAFIL IS MAKING CLOTHES FROM NETTLES P 18

IS PORTUGAL READY FOR THE DIGITAL ECONOMY'S CHALLENGES? P4

LAURA CARVALHO: GOOD MORNING AMBITION P 19

SUSTAINABILITY

THE GREEN CIRCLE OR THE PORTUGUESE ECO WAY OF LIFE P 11

MY COMPANY

INNOVATION

XAVIER LEITE IS A BEACON OF INNOVATION

FIORIMA IS ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD

A.SAMPAIO GETS 11 ISPO TEXTRENDS AWARDS

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P 14

P 20

THE BILL, PLEASE

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TAILORING&SEWING

EDITORIAL

By: Manuel Serrão

By: Manuel Serrão

João Ribeiro de Almeida 56 years old

PREMIUM TEXTILES

The Portuguese ambassador in Buenos Aires has a law degree (1987, University of Lisboa) and entered the diplomatic career in 1990. Among other offices, he was placed in Portuguese embassies in Athens and Zagreb and was consul general in Benguela and Barcelona, before being appointed ambassador in Bogotá, in 2013. He was honoured with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit and was appointed Officer of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.

He has also received commendations from the United Kingdom, Colombia, Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece and Iceland.

Since the last crisis, earlier this decade, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry grew aware of the urge to reinvent itself.

Instead of just tweaking minor procedures or production details, or merely exploring new approaches to the market, the companies that made it to 2019 understood the need of a genuine revolution.

The nearly 40 Portuguese companies that directly and individually participate in the 2019 ISPO are a relevant example of the aforementioned. Alongside the pursuit of new markets all around the world, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry bet on producing and presenting highly innovative products, with an up-to-date design and the use of the latest top of the line technologies.

The success of this strategy can be seen, not only in the survival and vigor of our exporting companies, but mainly in the landslide of awards to Portuguese products at the ISPO TexTrends, handed by the reputable, demanding and international jury of this ISPO Munich contest - an external recognition that we should be proud of. t

Did you see with good eyes the advent of the so-called economic diplomacy?

Economic diplomacy has always been part of the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s (MFA) DNA and now assumes even more importance. With the inclusion of AICEP in the Ministry's structures, our international policies combine the representation of Portugal abroad with the promotion of Portuguese exports and the capture of foreign investment.

Regardless of the sector, do you agree that the brand Portugal has already become valuable for those who showcase and export?

There are sectors more advanced than others, but without a doubt that the Made in Portugal is now a strength and a synonym of quality. However, this is a never-ending job.

The day we stop to rest, we will immediately be surpassed because other countries’ producers do not rest.

Selectiva Moda and the companies that participate in fairs have benefited greatly from your support in Colombia and, now, in Argentina. These collaborations have a positive feedback for MFA? Will they be maintained?

I did nothing more than my duty, and with great enthusiasm. You are the perfect picture of a modern and innovative country that competes at the highest level. The sector can always count with my support and with all of AICEP’s structures. The existing feedback is substantially positive.

Is Latin America still an opportunity for Portuguese exports?

Portugal has essentially bet on Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile. Although these markets still have a lot to explore, we must also look at Argentina, where our exports have increased by more than 30%. Given the country's recent reopening to the world, Portuguese companies need to be aware of this market's great opportunities.

From the outside, what is the image of the Portuguese textile and fashion industry?

There is a clear image improvement. A great investment has been made, but a lot more needs to be done. However, we’re on the right track. In fact, it’s one of the most dynamic sectors of the Portuguese economic activity.

If one day you change offices again, where would you prefer to see our paths cross?

My last four diplomatic destinations all began with the letter B: Benguela, Barcelona, Bogotá and now Buenos Aires.

To keep up the tradition, maybe one that starts with a B. It would be good if it were in a market where you would be settled, so I can see the professionalism, enthusiasm and good taste with which I always see you work. t

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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/ PROMOTED BY

CO-FINANCED BY

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n THAT IS THE QUESTION

by Raposo Antunes

IS THE PORTUGUESE TEXTILE INDUSTRY READY FOR THE CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY? It’s do or die. The digital era is no longer the future, but the present, and some are already rolling with it at full speed. With a revolution in march, this is a fast-growing trend and the Portuguese textile industry has what it takes to walk in the front line. All that’s needed, everyone agrees, is to face this new paradigm and look forward.

But please hurry.

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“Companies that do not adapt to the digital economy reality will have difficulties and eventually disappear”

“It’s the entrepreneur’s responsibility to equip their employees with the tools to face the new challenges”

MÁRIO JORGE MACHADO ADALBERTO ESTAMPADOS' CEO

CARLOS SERRA TROFICOLOR'S CEO

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he path is made by walking. The verse of the Andalusian poet António Machado could serve as a motto for the new paradigm that the Portuguese textile and clothing industry has to face – the digital economy.

However, this is a path that has to be made at a fast pace if the Portuguese companies don’t want to miss a train that is already rolling and, in some cases, going at full speed.

The Portuguese companies interviewed by T Jornal have no doubts: the digital economy is no longer the future – it’s the present. And those who do not adapt are putting their survival at serious risk. "Nowadays, a part of the B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) economy is digital and opinions are unanimous in saying that this trend will grow significantly," says Mário Jorge Machado, CEO of Adalberto Estampados. Graduated from the University of Minho (1985), this polymer engineer, who has become accustomed to predicting the future from the time he was a professional chess player, has no doubts: "Companies that do not adapt to the digital economy reality and to the new business models will have difficulties and eventually disappear.”

Mário Jorge Machado goes further and asks if the right question shouldn’t be instead “How can the textile and clothing industry adapt to the digital economy in order to generate value?".

The CEO of Adalberto Estampados, the European leader in the stamping art sector, also gives some examples of what should and shouldn’t be done to get in at full speed into this industry’s new paradigm. "A good example of what should not be done is changing the labor legislation in order to introduce more strictness into

the sector. This is a moment in which the market demands companies to be more flexible," he points out.

On the contrary, Mário Jorge Machado gives an example of what he thinks should be done: "training the companies’ managers and senior executives in new business models, explaining the opportunities and threats that companies will have to face." And he even suggests a government intervention: "This training

is critical for the industry’s survival, so the government, in partnership with business associations, business schools and universities, should create a special program for managers and executives with appropriate incentives."

José Cardoso, CEO of O Segredo do Mar, explains that the digital economy’s success is partially built on the ability to understand the ever-changing consumers’ needs and to create scenarios and realities – in

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“Our industry is not yet on full swing regarding the digital economy, but it has what it takes to make way on it and end up on the front line” BRAZ COSTA CITEVE'S GENERAL DIRECTOR

product delivery and services – adapted to that information.

To be able to do so, he says, "requires high-speed, flexibility, innovation, integrated production capacity, quality and certified associates located in an economically and politically stable area, preferably with modern logistical means. In short, the exact current profile of the Portuguese textile industry".

To prove his thesis, José Cardoso gives as an example

the largest online sales platforms: "All the giants – Amazon, Asos, Zalando, Alibaba – know about the Portuguese productive capability and that trust can be measured by the volume of production they currently place, or are planning to place, in Portugal".

Regarding this important relationship between demand and capability, José Cardoso understands that there is still a long way to run, both by government entities and the

sector’s companies.

On that note, José Cardoso reminds us that a new Web Summit is fast approaching, representing "a unique opportunity for our ambassadors to develop new connections between an up-to-date and dynamic industry and the new revolutionary business platforms". "The initiative is global, such as our will," he emphasizes.

Carlos Serra, Troficolor’s CEO, also has no doubts that

“I believe that we are not ready yet, but in the short-term, we will have to surrender ourselves”

“This requires highspeed, flexibility, innovation, integrated production capacity, quality and certified associates”

TERESA MARQUES PEREIRA VALERIUS GRUP'S BRANDS DEVELOPER

JOSÉ CARDOSO O SEGREDO DO MAR'S CEO

the Portuguese textile industry has, in general, the technical and technological abilities necessary to face the digital economy’s challenges.

However, "it is necessary for the human resources to be able to follow these developments, and it’s the entrepreneur’s responsibility to equip their employees with the tools to face the new challenges", says the denim specialized company’s administrator.

Teresa Marques Perei-

ra, from the Valerius Group Brands Development, still has doubts about the Portuguese textile industry readiness degree. And to our question – "Is the Portuguese textile industry prepared for the digital economy’s challenges?" –, she answers: "I believe that we are not ready yet, but in the short-term, we will have to surrender ourselves".

She considers that, first and foremost, the industry must realize that it’s imperative to change. "We need to change the technological infrastructures and create networks that are effective and proportionate to the digital economy’s challenges," she says.

One of the main challenges, according to Teresa Marques Pereira, is to embrace an "open" relationship. "We all have to communicate globally, but with small local adjustments. Another challenge is to change how we look at our competitors. The digital age came to dictate the 'fair game' and what matters most is to know where the best resources are. Whoever arrives first and sees the opportunities, reaches the market faster", she says. "The digital forces us to be always present, to pay attention to the communicational flow, and especially to learn how to manage information effectively! It is, from my point of view, the most important resource to be worked on because from it we can extract competitive advantages and create a greater dynamic."

In a nutshell that sums up perfectly the companies’ opinion, Braz Costa, CITEVE's general director, expresses confidence in the future: "The Portuguese textile industry is not yet on full swing regarding the digital economy, but it has what it takes to make way on it and end up on the front line".

Or, as António Machado would say, the path is made by walking. So hurry, please. t

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ALY JOHN IS ONLINE AND LAUNCHES CAPSULE COLLECTION Aly John new online store has been up and running, "an innovative platform where all the brand’s denim products are available". From mom jeans to skinny jeans, all pairs of pants cost more than 140 euros (in some cases they reach 400 euros) and are made in Guimarães. Entering the digital market was one of the brand’s goals, which is also thinking about launching a male collection.

R. LOBO WANTS TO GROW AND AIMS FOR THE GERMAN MARKET A significant increase in its share of exports to the German market is one of the main goals of R. Lobo, which has invested around 750 thousand euros in equipment (particularly in automatic cutting machines) and in the company’s relocation to a new and more spacious industrial building. The company, which specializes in circular jersey apparel, is now betting on increasing its turnover.

INBICTUM IS THE NEW COLUMBUS' EGG

8 million euros is the investment made by Familitex in a new dyeing and finishing unit, located in Famalicão

TEXTILE EMPLOYMENT INCREASED 10% IN THE LAST THREE YEARS The Portuguese textile industry has created net employment for three consecutive years. The 12,853 jobs created between 2013 and 2017 represent a 10% increase in employment in the sector - revealed Paulo Vaz, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association’s general director. To continue to thrive, the Portuguese industry knows that it has to set its eyes on the future and “keep the sector organized and speaking with one voice."

"I see an opportunity in Brexit.

Let's see how people will react.

We always worked well with England even before Portugal joined the euro zone" José Carlos Castanheira Goucam's CEO

The latest and brightest Columbus’s Egg of the Portuguese textile industry is Inbictum, a fashion brand and technological start-up which believes that the path to success is not to foist products upon the consumer, but ask him first what kind of clothes he really needs.

With a base of operations located in Barcelos, Inbictum became noticed by winning the 2018 iTechStyle Summit’s Smartest Product award with the “icojacket”, a cork-lined jacket with an integrated electronic system that allows you to connect via wireless with a smartphone, listen to your playlist on Spotify and know how many kilometres you've walked, among other things.

Hugo Miranda, a young electrical engineer specialized in telecommunications, is the company’s CEO and the leader of a team of five which combines the knowledge

of two generations and from different disciplines. Susana Meireles (doctorate in Biomedical Sciences), João Silva (programmer), Marcos Alves (designer) and Maria Fernanda (prototype manufacturing) are the other team members.

For the Barcelcom’s stand at ISPO in Munich, Inbictum invented and developed an electronic billboard which replaced the traditional paper catalogues. The billboard talked with the potential buyer, showed him the company’s whole product range and at the end sent to him, via email, all the information regarding the products in which he was interested.

To be a 4.0 tailor and create clothes custom-made to the buyer’s unmet needs is the bread and butter of Hugo Miranda's company, which starts the life cycle of its products by asking the costumer: what do you need? t

PORTUGAL IS GREAT IN BED (LINENS) When it comes to bed linens, the Portuguese textile industry is the largest manufacturer in Europe, being accountable for 32% of the total EU production. In a study made by the consultancy firm Index Box, the numbers show that in the last ten years, the Portuguese linen production has grown, on average, 3.5% per year. In 2016, 134 thousand tons of bed linen were produced in Europe, a race that was headed by the Portuguese companies, well ahead of Italy and Germany, with only 19% and 14% respectively. Together, the production of the three countries is accountable for 65% of all bed linen produced in the EU.

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Rua Santa Apolónia 24 Silvares 4835-436 Guimarães

Starters: Codfish cakes Dish: Portuguese stew Dessert: Crème brûlée Drinks: Gatão red wine (from Amarante), water and coffee

FRANCISCO XAVIER LEITE

61 YEARS OF AGE TÊXTEIS PENEDO’S CEO

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

He was born in Guimarães, the third of six children from the marriage of a stay-at-home mom and an army captain. He began working on his own initiative when he was 13, as a warehouse employee at Lusaustri, and lived a full adolescence. By day he was at the factory, in the evening he was at school, and still found time to play football.

From Lusaustri he jumped to Foncar's administration and after that to Bordalima, where he was the commercial director, before becoming an entrepreneur at Têxteis Penedo.

He has five daughters, ranging from 13 to 40 years old.

A BEACON OF INNOVATION

Life taught Xavier Leite that the letter S chapter in the dictionary is very accurate: first appears sacrifice, then suffering, and only then – lastly – comes success.

"There is no success without suffering," says Têxteis Penedo’s CEO, who was a child when he started to work. He was given an interview at Lusaustri, which could only have gone very well, because at the end they told him that he was starting work on the following day.

At home, he spent the night persuading his father to let him go to work, promising that he would continue to study at night.

He started at the warehouse, earning 600 escudos, a salary that doubled the following month, and soon he was earning more money than his father.

After that, the climb to the top continued until he ended up being Alberto Sousa’s, the man who ruled Lusaustri, henchman. Always on the rise.

"I had never seen a loom or a stamping machine", he says, re-

garding the boldness of becoming Foncar's chief administrator in the early 1980s, while Portugal was under the International Monetary Fund’s intervention.

Foncar was a large ship, with 400 workers, which rocked on the edge of the abyss, but Xavier didn’t let that frighten him and managed to turn the company around, multiplying the company’s turnover by ten in little more than three years by betting on a novelty called Tactel - which allowed him to become one of NATO’s suppliers and to make sweat suits for Hummel.

When he switched Foncar for Bordalima, he was ready to become an entrepreneur. The opportunity to make the leap was Penedo, a supplier that sold him almost all of their bedspreads production.

"It was a well-run company, but with two weaknesses: an excessive exposure to the domestic market and to the manufacturing of a single product– bedspreads", recalls Xavier, who soon turned the company

around by directing it to exports and by diversifying its range of products.

Propelled by the bank, which urged him to move forward, he set up an ambitious investment plan to increase capacity, "a huge thing" that got sabotaged by the economic crisis that swept Portugal.

This century’s first decade was a hard and difficult period, but for six years now Penedo has its head out of the water and has proven capable to swim in a calmer – but not danger-free – sea.

"Globally, consumption has stagnated. We feel that demand started to slow down in late 2016. So, our strategy is simple: to keep investing in innovation and machinery that allows us to make new, different and more advanced products for niche markets”, summarizes Penedo’s CEO, a beacon of innovation of the Portuguese Textile industry , which, among other things, presents as its business card the cork.a.Tex-yarn, and a set of curtains with built-in led lights. t

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ASSOCIAÇÃO NACIONAL DOS INDUSTRIAIS DE LANIFÍCIOS

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10 THOUSAND SAMPLES ARE ATB’S TRUMP CARD

CITEVE GIVES CERTIFICATION TO UV PROTECTION TEXTILES CITEVE is the Portuguese technological centre responsible for awarding the UV Standard 801, the strictest certification for textiles with ultraviolet (UV) protection factor. Member of the International Testing Association for Applied UV Protection, CITEVE is the representative in Portugal of this entity, responsible for developing the UV STANDARD 801 label.

the start of the A library with 10 knitting order to thousand samples the fully-finished is one of the trump fabrics delivery. We cards of Acabareceive orders on a mentos Têxteis de Thursday afternoon Barcelos (ATB), a and deliver them feat that makes the to the client on the company proud morning of the foland that allows it to remain compelowing Monday", says Mário Mano. titive in a world To achieve this where fast fashion agility, ATB courules and the tradition of only prents with its sister company Etevisenting two collections a year is Mário Mano, fundador da ATB, e o filho, Ricardo Mano. mol, solely dedireaching extinction. cated to knitwear, "The deadline is always the day before", that has 87 workers and 160 looms. jokes Mário Mano, ATB’s founder, on the onWith 187 workers working in three shifts, 24 hours a day, ATB not only finishes the megoing optimization of supply chains, which has dramatically shortened the time lag between shes produced in Etevimol, but also works on the piece being drawn and reaching store shelservice provision, finishing wool fabrics.

"The more than ten thousand samples we have ves. ATB dyes and finishes between 36 and 40 in stock are one of our competitive advantages. We tonnes of fabrics on a daily basis for a portfolio have them well organized and that allows us to of customers that includes Benetton, Esprit, respond on time to requests from customers who Mango and the Inditex group. Last spring, the urgently need, for example, five meters of a certain Spanish group placed an order of 600 tonnes of fabric to produce a prototype", explains Ricardo, knitwear, a turnover of 1.5 million euros.

Mário’s son, proving that a new generation of Ma"We usually receive small orders where the turnaround time can be as little as a week from no’s is ready to take the company into the future. t

PAULO MELO: LABOUR RIGIDITY LEADS TO LESS WEALTH AND EMPLOYMENT

ORDERS FROM PUMA AND STANNO MAKE MFA SMILE

Smart Inovation has developed a label that communicates to the consumer the functionalities present in the products he’s acquiring. The label mentions the general characteristics, advantages and benefits of the product and highlights Smart Inovation’s nanotechnology: small grains of liquid sand carrying active ingredients that kill bacteria, mites and mosquitoes.

The return of orders from Puma is just one of the good news that MFA-Manuel Fernando Azevedo received in the last few months, combined with the arrival of the Dutch Stanno and the Danish Endurance (that sells exclusively online and specializes in running equipment) to a clients portfolio that already included brands such as New Balance and Hummel.

To the 7 thousand pairs of football socks per year commissioned by Puma are added the half million pairs ordered by Stanno, a particularly strong brand in Benelux and Germany (where it supplies the national men's and women's volleyball teams), MFA hopes to return to the 17 million euros of turnover reached in 2016.

In 2017, a slight decrease in orders led the MFA to stop 60 of its 460 looms (divided between the Santo Tirso and Famalicão factories), causing the turnover to fall to 16 millions of euros. This year, with the return of Puma and the arrival of new customers, MFA had to reactivate 38 looms and found new reasons to smile.

Despite this acomplishments,

Manuel Flórido Azevedo chooses to be prudent. "Sales are growing. We closed 2018 mantaining the 24 million pairs of socks production and the 16 million euros in sales", says Manuel Flórido, 57, the son of Manuel Fernando Azevedo, 82 years old, the businessman (and a former encyclopaedias salesman) that founded the company.

Sports socks are the main MFA’s product, a company that does the finishes for the Swiss brand Jacob Rohner, known for their high technical socks. MFA also maintains a partnership with the Irish brand Ridgeview, manufacturing approximately two million pairs of very thick wool socks at its Avidos facility, purchased from Fitor and where the company invested a total of 7.5 million euros. "The retail price of the socks we produce goes from four euros for ten pairs to 60 euros for a single pair. The difference is not only in the materials, but also in the time of knitting that can go from 40 seconds to seven or eight minutes per pair", explains Manuel Flórido. t

"We do not want to have our own brand because we don't want to compete with our customers" Paulo Rodrigues Fiorima's Industrial Director

A flexible labour regime is essential to our industrial competitiveness - said Paulo Melo, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association’s president, in a two-page interview with Vida Económica. The increase in labour rigidity will block competitiveness and, in the long run, mean less wealth and less employment, argues Paulo Melo, regretting that this isn’t obvious to the people with political and governmental responsibilities.

SMART INOVATION CREATES TECHNOLOGY IDENTIFYING LABEL

8%

was how much Lipaco's sales grew in 2017, in a total amount of 2.6 million euros

PORTUGAL HAS A DOCTORATE IN FASHION DESIGN

The University of Beira Interior awarded its PhD in Fashion Design, the first in the area, to Clara Fernandes, who defended a thesis about the importance of the fashion designers’ entrepreneurial profile and their connection to the Textile and Clothing Industry.

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TENOWA

RIOPELE Line of fabrics made from the textile industry’s scraps, thus reducing water and energy waste. TENOWA means circular economy by recycling and reusing textile leftovers. It’s just one of the company's examples of green production, which also involves photovoltaic energy.

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THE WONDERFUL GREEN CIRCLE

FABRICS

RECUTEX

Demi is a sustainable fabric, a blend of long staple cotton with Rose Fiber (a viscose extracted from the stalk of rosebush, one of the most surprising innovations), characterized by its luxurious feel and drape, giving a silky and shiny appearance and – best of all – it's biodegradable.

SEAQUAL

LMA

Three sustainable fabrics are used. The PES/WO fabric is made with merino organic wool, with non-chlorine treatment and with recyclable polyester. The PES/EA is made from SEAQUAL recycled polyester yarn made from 100% recycled materials including post-consumer plastic bottles and plastic captured from the sea. The PA/PES is made from recycled polyamide mixed with Seaqual polyester yarn made from 100% plastic captured from the sea.

Fabric made from cotton thread coated with cork from powder cork wastes, increasing the fabric's resistance to microorganisms, in addition to being decorative and recovering a natural raw material (cork), that otherwise wouldn’t be valued.

Combines Refibra™ fibre with Himalayan Nettle fibre. Refibra™ uses wood from sustainable forest plantations and recycled cotton from textile materials. Himalayan Nettle fibre comes from a 100% sustainable plant that grows in the Himalayan forests at an altitude of 1800-3000 meters and grows without needing to be replanted.

DEMI

Fabrics and Knits dyed by the Wetamarble process are sustainable and differ from conventional processes due to the high water saving in the dyeing process. The WetaMarble process allows a 90% water saving, compared to conventional dyeing. The fabrics dyed by this process look marbled, making them distinctive and appealing.

The WetaMarble process is the answer to dyeing facilities in the near future.

PENEDO/SEDACOR

HIMALAYAN NETTLE

SOMELOS

WATERMARBLE

COTTON AND CORK

FILASA

New fibres obtained from fabric production waste. It has the purpose of producing coloured yarn.

This process makes the dyeing process unnecessary, which becomes a strong contribution for the environment, saving water, chemicals and energy.

WASHEDCOLORS

energy consumption and 60% of the air pollution.

HEMP FIBRE

INOVAFIL

A central concern of the textile industry in general, sustainable production - and the innovation that comes with it - has been growing. The Green Circle project by iTechStyle, launched during the last Modtissimo, was an undeniable success, having been one of the most visited spaces of the fair.

The news on the national and international media only proves that Green Circle was a win bet and an extraordinary opportunity to showcase all the innovative and sustainable pieces that our textile industry is producing.

This success was a result of the dynamic established between the various players of the Green Circle by iTechStyle, namely the Associa-

ção Seletiva Moda; the CITEVE, who supervised and guided the whole process; Paulo Gomes , from Manifesto Moda, who was responsible for the project’s creative design; the designers, for their willingness to use sustainable materials to develop their pieces; and especially the Portuguese textile companies, which provided the materials, showing the sector’s innovative and sustainable solutions.

The success of Green Circle by iTechStyle crossed Portuguese borders and the showcase is scheduled to be present at sustainability and circular economy international events.

On this page, you can find some of the project’s products presented at Modtissimo.

The hemp plant is a very fast growing crop, producing a high fibre yield per acre. It also doesn’t exhaust the soil, adding rich organic matter to the topsoil and helping it retain moisture, requiring very little water. Allied to organic cotton, this yarn results in a highly sustainable fibre blend.

BUTTONS

LOUROPEL Buttons produced from the most varied and unexpected materials: ureic compound and corn and wheat flour, granulated cork wastes, vegetable fibres, sawdust, recycled polyester resin, recycled hemp fibres, rice husk, recycled paper fibre, recycled polyester resin and recycled cotton fibres.

PICASSO DYEING

PENTEADORA

PLASTIC BOTTLES

JOAPS MALHAS

TINTEX

Re.born fabrics arise from the need to rethink the use of raw materials, which cannot be incorporated into the final product at any given moment in the spinning process. These fabrics are made with a minimum of 50% of 3R fibres (reuse, reduce and rethink the use of material) from woolen and worsted spinning units.

Ecoalf optimizes the lifespan of plastics by reusing and recycling items as many times as possible.

The plastic bottles are collected and pass through a series of cleaning and crushing steps to obtain plastic flakes which, through a mechanical process, are converted into rough polyester spun fiber. This way it is possible to reduce 20% of the water consumption, 50% of the

The project is based on obtaining an alternative process of dyeing that is environmental, social and economically responsible. It consists in the development of coloured textiles using, as dyes, natural compounds obtained from plants. The guiding force of the project is focused on the research and development of eco-sustainable products, favouring the use of natural compounds in the fabric's colouring.

RE.BORN

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n INTERVIEW Alexandra Araújo LMA's administrator, 37 years old, comes from the union of two industrialists families ("I prefer to call us industrialists rather than entrepreneurs because industrialists actually produce something", she jokes). The Abreus’ and the Araújo’s got together thanks to the marriage of Alexandra’s parents – Lina and Leandro. Xaninha (that's how family and friends call her), is the couple’s only daughter – or their eldest daughter if you consider LMA, the company they founded in 1995, as Alexandra´s younger sister. Very secure of herself, Alexandra has always been a bit of a tomboy. Passionate about textiles, cars and horses, she is married and has a daughter, Nina, who’s 11 and wants to be a textile designer.

"WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER’S NEEDS"

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e have to make our customers understand that they can’t have the Portuguese quality at Asian prices", explains Alexandra Araújo, LMA’s manager, an increasingly greener company. "Thinking about the possible reuses of our articles in the future became mandatory whenever we are working on new product", she says.

How did last year go?

It was quite challenging, which left us all very tired. We have worked on the weekends and it’s normal for us to exchange emails late at night.

Having a lot of work is a good sign.

What’s all the frenzy about?

The global marketplace has changed a lot and at a very fast pace, and we have to keep up. People are beginning to realize that sustainability and recycling are not just buzzwords, but urgent needs. If the current consumption level is maintained, natural resources will be extinct by 2050.

That’s old news…

However, we are now faced with new requirements. Our Nordic customers, who already have benchmark brands established, no longer want knitwear that blends fibres, such as polyester with spandex, because that makes recycling impossible.

Does that make sense?

Yes, of course. It's like putting a bottle with an aluminium cap in the glass recycling bin. It’s not possible to recycle a T-shirt that is made with three types of fibres. During the knitting process, we have to think about making the articles recyclable.

Is that a trend that came to stay?

I have no doubt about it. Just the other day, we were showing our collection to a very important Swedish customer and he told us that he was only interested in seeing one-fibre materials, because his brand only sales pieces that are 100% recyclable.

Are they all asking the same?

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

Not yet. There are customers who still send an entire order back if the colour isn’t exactly the desired one. However, there are others who no longer do so because they understand the cost that those actions represent to the planet – thousands of litres of water and diesel wasted.

Does the majority already have an ecological conscience?

It’s a growing concern. A customer from Northern Europe asked us if we could direct him to a textile factory in Portugal and we mentioned that would be a nice way to save money on transportation.

January 2019

However, he immediately replied that the issue was not money, but the ecological footprint.

that they cannot have the Portuguese quality at Asian prices...

Sustainability has been, for a very long time now, an important part of our daily practice. We have the GOTS, Bluesign, Reach and Oeko-Tex 100 certifications, and for some customers, we only work with thread and finishing suppliers that comply with the Reach and Oekotex rules.

The more mature, the greener LMA is… :-)

Circular economics is a must! Thinking about the future reuse of an article became mandatory whenever we are working on a new product. But our concern for sustainability is not limited to production - it has also reached the social stage.

What else is changing?

There is no longer just one collection.

To get our customers’ attention, we must keep offering them novelties: more products and more colours but in smaller quantities. Last year, we created a thousand new references. We have to understand the customer’s needs.

That’s not always easy...

To stay ahead, first we have to understand the customers’ different cultures. We can’t behave the same way with a Chinese client, an Italian, or an American. They do not reason in the same way, so they want different things.

How can you succeed in this competitive world?

We are very focused on producing protective clothing and technical sporting fabrics. In these segments, we are able to do anything the customer wants. And we are very flexible. LMA was a pioneer in joining in the same building the four technologies: ketans, fabrics, circular and raschel.

Flexibility is an asset...

The Portuguese textile industry has learned to work fast and well, and also how to communicate with customers. The other day, regarding a case where a Chinese supplier replaced a requested button pocket with a zipper, one of our clients said that the ideal was to have the Portuguese quality at Asian prices :-).

Are big brands, like Adidas, coming back from Asia?

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helmets and knee pads.

Why bet so much on partnerships?

Is it being difficult?

Is LMA prepared to respond to the consumers new environmental concerns?

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Step by step, we are being able to do so. Not a long time ago, a customer told us that our quality was so good that he would try to save on the rest of the production process, taking, for example, the clothing manufacture to where it was cheaper, so it could keep paying for our materials.

They are essential for those who, like us, intend to be always innovating. So, we establish partnerships not only with knowledge centres and universities, but also with other companies. We are always learning, teaching, evolving, moving forward and building the future.

Are those partnerships a two-way street where everyone wins?

There are more and more customers realizing that the extra they spend here, buying at a slightly higher price, is easily compensated by what they gain in quality.

We have partnerships with dozens of spinning mills, national and foreign, but also with clothing factories. The spinning mills need us to show the potentialities of their thread, and we need the clothing factories to show, with ready-made pieces, what can be done with our fabrics.

Your bet on sporting meshes was a clean shot...

The future looks brighter for you, but not so much for the clothing factories...

In 1995, when LMA was created, my father discovered a niche market - a business segment with less competition - that needed to be filled, and he had the vision to anticipate a trend that is now known as athleisure.

I don’t agree. Today, a German customer called us to ask if we could arrange him a clothing factory in Portugal. Manufacturing in Portugal is a segment where demand is clearly higher than the offer.

Are they all beginning to realize that it pays off?

After an initial period in which you lived of the domestic market, LMA started supplying Nike, Adidas and Champions... You were in heaven!

It was a very good time. We made all the football knitwear for Nike. 22 of the 32 teams that were in the Korea / Japan World Cup wore LMA’s knits. Nike was very demanding regarding quality certifications.

It helped us grow and taught us to work.

However, in 2005 they left you and went to China. LMA lost half its sales.

Did you fear the company could not handle the blow?

It was a big blow. The company was growing and suddenly was left without the customers who were the largest in the world in that segment. We were able to duck the blow because we had savings and a strategy to get out of the pit.

What was that strategy?

We had to diversify, to get away from everything the market already supplied, and to increase our offer. We placed a bet on technical fabrics, and extended our portfolio as much as possible to reduce risk. And we also started working for new segments, such as protective clothing and the automotive industry.

However, they suffer from a shortage of seamstresses...

They aren’t the only ones. We also suffer from the lack of qualified staff. We try to overcome this problem by providing internal training, but we are constantly being stolen of our collaborators...

By following Richard Branson's advice: "Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to." At LMA, there is no one earning the minimum wage, and we are always improving working conditions.

One day we'll have a pool and a gym.

Is innovation essential for success?

Let me give you an example. Concerned about a study that showed a 50% reduction in fertility from the use of a cell phone in the pants pocket, a Swedish customer asked us for a fabric that would inhibit magnetic radiations. We developed a fabric for that effect, scientifically proven by a French laboratory.

What other partnerships do you have in place?

With CITEVE and P&R we are doing a sweat suit that can monitor our limbs when in stress. In protective clothing we are developing a fabric that is flexible when you move slowly, but hard on impact, like on a fall.

The protective clothing has become an important area...

However, you made it and now LMA is on the AuxDefense project...

The key is to always be looking forward and learning from everyone - customers, suppliers, knowledge centres, other companies, and the consumers. In this ever-changing world, it’s crucial to be able to quickly adapt to new circumstances.

Are the Asian manufacturers only competitive in large quantities?

It’s a fantastic project, in which we are partners of UMinho, TechMinho, Fibrenamics, Air Force, Army, Fibrauto, IDT Consulting, Latino Group and Sciencentris. We just finished developing anti-ballistic vests and lightweight, ergonomic and aerodynamic

The big secret is our team. The research and development department is made by all of us, LMA’s 50 employees, a dedicated and competent team. I doubt you can find another team like ours. t

There are Asian suppliers who are very capable and do a very good job. However, we’re tailors. We are unbeatable in tailoring technology. The only problem is to convince our customers of the fact

Lina Abreu Alexandra’s Mother and LMA's Founder You were always a curious and intuitive child. Are you still like that now that you’re ahead of LMA?

It must be genetic. LMA was born out of curiosity and intuition. It grew because it knew how to anticipate trends and needs. This ability to anticipate is very important.

Are you afraid of the future?

We have to take risks if we want to keep moving. Fear and uncertainty come to all of us, but what sets us apart is how we deal with tough situations.

Difficulties are an opportunity to learn, to improve, and to be creative.

How can this be solved?

They are. However, from time to time they have relapses :-). For instance, a major brand changed CFO and decided to save some money by taking to Asia some of the projects we were in charge of. It didn’t take him six months to get back to us. They got to the conclusion that for the quality and service, it was worth paying our prices after all.

Although it was very hard to get in. You cannot imagine what it took us to convince the Portuguese police that a shirt with synthetic fibres was much more comfortable and more durable than a cotton one.

the questions of

Is innovation the key?

Are these LMA’s secrets for success?

Leandro Manuel Araújo Alexandra’s Father and LMA's Founder If you could go back, would you choose the same profession?

Yes! No doubt about it. I love what I do! Working with this team and having a new challenge every morning is very motivating.

If you could ask me a question, what would it be?

Until the last month of pregnancy, I was a boy ... But at the age of nine I was already driving a car and a motorcycle. 37 years later, did this girl disappoint you?

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MY COMPANY Fiorima

Rua Quinta do Gojo 75 Frossos 4700-155 Braga

Workers 84 Turnover Seven million euros Activity Design, development, production and marketing of knitted socks Production Four million pairs of socks per year Range More than five thousand different products Export 99.5% of the production Certifications SA 8 000, ISO 9 001, ISO 14 001 and OMSA 18 001

JOANA VASCONCELOS’ TEXTILE SCULPTURE IMPRESSES BILBAU The gigantic textile sculpture that occupied the entrance hall of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was the highlight of Joana Vasconcelos’ exhibition at that museum.

A "monumental" piece, says the newspaper El Mundo, while the influential El País describes that "visitors look up in amazement to observe it." The "Egeria", that’s how the piece is called, is the result of the collaboration between the artist and the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association, having been executed with fabrics of varied colours and textures provided by the Portuguese textile industry.

INÊS TORCATO DREAMS TO SEE PEOPLE WEAR HER CLOTHES Seeing people on the street wearing her clothes is one of Inês Torcato’s dreams. The young designer confessed this wish in an interview published in Vida Económica. "My dream is to have a brand with some international recognition, to present my collections in international fashion shows and to walk on the street and see people wearing my clothes", said Inês, who studied Audiovisual, Multimedia and Painting at Soares dos Reis and Fine Arts School, before focusing on fashion design.

10 thousand kilometers of fabric are sold by Adalberto Estampados

One step ahead Socks with pockets? Did the thought ever cross your mind? Well, neither did ours. However, what matters is that it has crossed the minds of Fiorima’s owners. The socks factory, which shares its birthday with Portugal's accession to the EEC, was founded by Manuel Machado Rodrigues, Orfama’s historic and veteran manager.

In Fiorima, imagination rules. It might seem strange, but an extra pocket always comes in handy. Even on socks. To store tobacco if you’re addicted to nicotine. To accommodate shin guards, if you’re a football player. To deposit creams, if you suffer from any pathology.

The socks with pockets are one of Fiorima’s latest novelties, but not necessarily the most sophisticated, which is not surprising for a company to which NASA commissioned the design, development and production of their astronauts’ socks.

"We never started our own brand because we don’t want to compete with our customers," explains Paulo Rodrigues, 54, Fiorima’s manager, who’s proud to have a factory completely in sync with the 4.0 fashion industry’s automation: "We have robots for 20 years now "(In the photo, the Star Wars robots).

The company is also proud of its certifications ("We have all the certifications - environment, safety, quality, efficien-

cy, and energy," says Paulo) and patents: the Intelligent Socks and the Gaiter Socks.

The Intelligent socks have integrated sensors that collect and communicate, in real-time, relevant information – such as body weight, body temperature, heart rate, geographical location, calories burned, average speed, distance traveled, among others - of whoever is using them.

The Gaiter Socks, on the other hand, prevent mud, water, sand, leaves or other small objects from getting into your sneakers.

One step ahead is Fiorima's mantra, which focuses on innovation ("innovation only exists when you expand your knowledge frontier", clarifies Paulo) to be always ahead of the competition. The company already makes 20% of its turnover with technical products and has a partnership with Smart Innovation in order to develop socks with medicinal properties.

"We are in the process of developing new health products, which can lead to new patents.

Our socks with antifungal properties for athlete's foot, diabetic foot and chilblains result from our partnership with Smart Innovation", concludes Paulo Rodrigues, a textile engineer who, after having completed a postgraduate degree in Health Management, graduated in Health Engineering and is now finishing Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minho. t

ALBERTO TAVARES LEADS OLBO & MEHLER’S GLOBAL OPERATION Olbo & Mehler and Mehler Engineered Products have announced they will unite their global operations into one company to streamline the response to the market. This new project of the German group will be led by the Portuguese Alberto Tavares, the CEO of the Famalicão-based unit. He will now be the CEO of the new unified segment Engineered Products, with factories scattered in several countries, namely Portugal, the United States, Germany, China, India and the Czech Republic. In 2017, that segment represented a total of 165 million euros in sales.

WITH SOCKAPRO, THE SHIN GUARD FITS INSIDE THE SOCK

The former players Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Mikel (FC Porto), Francisco Geraldes (Sporting) and Licá (Estoril Praia) already tested and approved the Sockapro , a sock with a system that incorporates a shin guard and that is already patented in Europe. In Sockapro, the shin guard is attached to the sock through a system of elastic bands, which means that the player only needs the put on the socks to be ready to enter the field.

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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. THE AUDITÓRIO DOS OCEANOS , AT CASINO LISBOA, WAS THE STAGE CHOSEN FOR THIS YEAR'S AWARDS PRESENTATION, WHICH WAS FFF'S FIRST FORAY INTO THE CAPITAL

2. HAVING MUSIC AS ITS THEME, 2018 EDITION WAS ALWAYS AT FULL BLAST. BEFORE THE CEREMONY, DJ BELITA WAS IN CHARGE OF THE WARM UP SESSION

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

THE FASHION FILM FESTIVAL BIG NIGHT For the first time in Lisbon, and for the first time open to the public, the 5th Fashion Film Festival awards ceremony was a demonstration of glamour and great talent. With more than 120 films in competition, the contest finale brought together the Portuguese industry figures and directors from around the world. Throughout the night, between applause and musical moments, the big winners were welcomed on stage, in a ceremony where Portuguese brands and companies, such as Latitid, RDD or Falcão Fibras, were the highlights.

5. FERNANDO FERNANDES OPENED THE CEREMONY WITH THE THEME "WRITING'S ON THE WALL", FROM THE FILM “007 SPECTER”. ACCOMPANIED

BY TWO SOLOISTS, THE WELL-KNOWN ACTOR AND SINGER PUNCTUATED THE AWARD CEREMONY WITH SEVERAL MUSICAL MOMENTS

6. WITH A NEW DESIGN, THE FFF AWARD WAS THE STAR OF THE NIGHT

10. MARTA FONSECA, FROM LATITID, DIDN’T HIDE HER JOY AND PRIDE WHEN SHE WON THE COVETED BEST BRAND FILM, DELIVERED BY SOFIA RIBEIRO AND MONICA NETO, FROM ANJE

11. “MOVE”, FROM FALCÃO FIBRAS, WAS THE LAST WINNER OF THE NIGHT, RECEIVING THE FFF MÁXIMA CATEGORY, VOTED BY THE PUBLIC. ANTÓNIO FALCÃO (SON) RECEIVED THE PRIZE FROM THE HAND OF MARINA SOUSA

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4. BRAZ COSTA (CITEVE), MARINA SOUSA (REVISA MÁXIMA), KATTY XIOMARA, ALEX TURVEY AND FRANK FUNKE (BERLIM FASHION FILM FESTIVAL) WERE SOME OF THE RENOWNED FIGURES WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY

3. AT DINNER, EXPECTATIONS WERE GROWING, AND THE CONVERSATIONS WERE CENTERED ON THE FILMS AT CONTEST

9. RUI ZINK PRAISED THE FESTIVAL AND THE NOMINATED FILMS

7. THE AWARDS CEREMONY OPENED WITH THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY FOR INTERNATIONAL FASHION FILM CATEGORY. DANIEL DEUSDADO GAVE THE FIRST PRIZE OF THE NIGHT TO RAFAEL REPARAZ, AUTHOR OF THE FILM "EUROPA II"

8. LOU ION SAN TOOK THE STAGE ON BEHALF OF CASINO LISBOA TO THANK THE PRESENCE OF SUCH A LIVELY AUDIENCE

12. THE EVENING ENDED WITH A BROADWAY WORTHY MUSICAL MOMENT. THE TORRES VEDRAS CAMERATA MADE THE ROOM SHAKE WITH A MEDLEY OF CINEMATOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

13. FRANCISCO ROSAS, REPRESENTING DOLORES GOUVEIA, RECEIVED THE BEST TECHNICAL TEXTILE FILM AWARD, GIVEN TO THE RDD TEXTILES PRODUCTION "CO-CREATE"

14. AT THE END OF THE EVENING, THE FFF TEAM - ESTELA RIBEIRO, MANUEL SERRÃO, JULIANA DUQUE AND MATILDE COSTA - HAD MANY REASONS TO SMILE. PORTUGAL IS BECOMING A REFERENCE IN FASHION CINEMA

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X MY PRODUCT by: António Gonçalves

Nettle Thread

Developed by NIDYARN, Inovafil ‘s R & D department for high performance functional thread, in partnership with University of Minho

What is it? A thread made with Nettle Fiber What is it for? To provide a sustainable alternative to traditional thread Project Status? Industrial production

ZIPPY IS MORE OPTIMISTIC AND HASSLE-FREE In order to fit in with children’s true day to day, Zippy adopted a new attitude, more hassle-free and optimistic and wants to become a family’s partner, helping the parents throughout the growth of their children.

"Zippy is now closer to the day-to-day life of parents and children and seeks to be able to improve it by making their lives easier and more meaningful," says the Sonae Sports & Fashion children’s fashion brand.

GLOBAL TEXTILE CONVENTION WITH EYES SET IN PORTUGAL Seen as a unique case study of the Textile and Clothing Industry’s regeneration, Portugal was presented at the ITMF World Convention as an example to other countries. At the meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, Paulo Vaz, the general director of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry Association, presented the next edition of the convention, which will take place in Oporto between the 20th and 22nd of October 2019.

"There is a great demand of flax, much more intense than the demand on wool. Flax has come to stay" João Carvalho Fitecom's CEO

Inovafil: making clothes from Nettles Doesn’t it sting? That’s the question everyone asks about Inovafil’s new thread, developed from nettles. Rui Martins, the company’s administrator, guarantees that it does not sting, burn or irritates the skin. On the contrary: in addition to being ecological, the yarn is breathable and has antibacterial, anti-static and thermoregulatory properties.

The idea is not exactly new, but it might be revolutionary for the textile industry, now that circular economy and sustainability are beginning to dictate the market’s trends. The Nettles, known for easily irritating the skin, were used in garment production in Germany during the Second World War. Faced with an international trade blockade and a cotton shortage, the Germans found an alternative in this wild plant and used it to produce uniforms.

Now, in times of peace, it’s Inovafil that seeks to win the race for sustainability through the use of natural fibers. The company, based in Guimarães, has an exclusive partnership with a German nettles producer, which grows and processes the plants, making it possible to incorporate them into thread production. The product’s great value comes from this high sustainability aptitude when compared to the sector’s traditional solutions. "Nettles are wild plants that appear spontaneously and require almost no water, which makes their production very easy and also very ecological", explains Rui Martins.

Sustainability has been the core of several NI-

DYARN’s - Inovafil research and development department – projects. In addition to nettles thread, the company has also developed ecological yarns from organic cotton and hemp. However, "the nettle thread is always the highlight in any presentation", confesses the company’s administrator, who has presented the product at customer visits and international fairs. "The reactions are very good. Being innovative creates a lot of interest and curiosity and has raised several orders."

With less than a year in development, the thread is already being produced and able to be put on the market. The first reactions have arisen from the clothing sector, although Inovafil believes that the product will succeed in any of the textile industry’s branches. “The fashion industry is always much more open to new experiences, but we believe that this product will suit any of the industry’s areas. Thanks to the fact that it is produced from the nettle’s stalk, the thread becomes similar to flax and can be used in any textile production", says Rui Martins.

In addition to arousing the textile sector’s curiosity, the nettle thread’s innovative spirit earned Inovafil an iTechStyle prize, awarded

by CITEVE. At an international level, a mesh produced by Vilartex using this new thread was distinguished at Munich Fabric Start with the Hightex Award for innovative products. t

LION OF PORCHES OPENS IN TBILISI, STOCKHOLM AND LUXEMBOURG Stockholm, Luxembourg and Tbilisi are the new flags on the world map of the Lion of Porches' stores. The Cães de Pedra group’s sporting brand closed 2017 with 28 million euros in sales and has an international network of 39 stores in 17 different countries, plus the 10 corners in the El Corte Inglés department stores in Spain and seven showrooms - five in Spain, one in England and another one in the Netherlands.

BUREL COMES INTO PLAY AT FOOTBALL CITYN

To cover the office’s walls of the Oeiras’ Football City, the Portuguese Football Federation chose a modern version of burel, a handmade fabric from the Serra da Estrela mountainous regions. Created by Burel Factory, the fabric affirms itself as an elegant and customizable solution, beyond having an amazing thermal and acoustic insulation capacity.

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M BREAKING THROUGH Laura Carvalho BomDIa General Manager

Family Single Training Highschool diploma, to which she added a series of technical courses House A rented apartment in Vizela, very close to the factory Car Renault Dacia Laptop Acer Mobile phone The company’s Huawei and her personal phone, a Samsung Hobbies She is addicted to gymnastics and enjoys going to the movies with her 23 year old niece Sara Vacations in 2017, she spent a week in Lisbon with her niece and made a trip to the north with her friends. Last year, she went to Barcelona Golden rule In life, we don’t have time to lose, only time to live!

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

Good morning ambition She was still a teenager, exactly a quarter of a century ago, when she got her first and only job at Tecidos da Viúva de Carlos da Silva Areias & Cª factory, commonly known as BomDia, the name of the brand it produces. The year was 1993 and Laura Carvalho, now 42 years old, had just finished her sophomore year and decided that she wouldn’t wait any longer to start making money, leaving behind her dream of becoming a doctor.

It wasn’t an easy decision, especially for her parents, Albertina and Virgilio, who at the time were living in Alsace (where Laura was born and lived until the age of five) and would most certainly like to have the youngest of their two daughters continue with her education.

Laura, who grew up in Santo Tirso, spared no effort and started sending resumes to every company she knew and ended up getting called to Vizela. BomDia needed someone to organize the company’s archives, so she grabbed the opportunity with both hands. "It was great. I made myself available to do anything. I had a huge hunger for learning ", she recalls.

It wasn’t long before she was dealing with the entire factory‘s archive, the first step on a journey that would take her to the top of the mountain in 2016, when she accepted the invitation to take over as the company’s general director.

"BomDia was my university. People believed in me, in particular Carlos Gonçalves (the company’s president and shareholder). And I felt the desire and the obligation to live up to those expectations", summarizes Laura, an ambitious woman who is perfectly aware of what she wants: "I want to be excellent!"

In the pursuit of excellence, and to quench her hunger for knowledge, she accumulated after-hours courses (English, French, computer science, among others) that helped her build a firm career, one that’s only available for those who set aside the elevator and go up the stairs in a climb to the top. After the archive came the logistics department, followed by the commercial sector and the product development direction – that included design coordination.

"My parents taught me the right values: to honour my commitments, to put my soul into my job, to always improve my abilities and to respect the work of others", says Laura, inoculated since childhood with the virus of the best of ambitions – the one that collects the fruits of its work and that doesn’t want more than what’s yours.

Accustomed to working with will and heart, giving every day a little more and trying to be always better than the day before, the BomDia’s general director acknowledges that she doesn’t know the name of all 150 company’s workers, but ensures that there’s no day that passes that she doesn’t go down to the factory floor.

"I want people to produce more and more, but I also want them to feel good and happy to work here. It's a bad sign when someone doesn’t like to enter the company in the morning...", says this ambitious woman who arrives at the factory before nine o'clock, coming from the gym (where she goes every day, including Saturdays, to complete a one-hour program specifically designed for her by a personal trainer), and never knows when she'll be able to leave.

Single, Laura confesses to being an incorrigible workaholic: "I'll never stop being like this. It was my choice. Circumstances led me to this."

During her 25 years working at BomDia, where she had her first and, until now, only job, she has felt tempted to have a change of scenery. However, after careful consideration, she has always resisted that urge.

"The way the Gonçalves’ family grabbed the factory was a very positive turn. They have a very strong vision of what the future should be. I'm in love with BomDia. I think it’s where I am going to work until I retire", concludes Laura Carvalho, a woman who already has 22 Heimtextil fairs in the curriculum and whose ambition is as good and resistant as BomDia's felts. t

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FAIRS

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airs schedule

FIMI February 1st to 3rd – Madrid Baby Gi, Beppi, Dreampassion Baby Clothes, És parte de mim, FS Baby, Mary Tale, Mimi Chic, Ponto por Ponto ISPO February 3rd to 6th – Munique 4 Teams, A. Fiúza, A.Sampaio & Filhos, Barcelcom, Bergand by Gulbena, Carvema Têxtil, CeNTI - Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials, CITEVE, Clothius, Dune Bleue, Faria da Costa, Fiorima, FLM Textil, Fradelsport, Heliotextil, IDEPA, Impetus Portugal, J.Caetano & Filhas, Lemar, Lipaco, LMA, NGS Malhas, Oldtrading, Olmac, Onda, P&R Têxteis, Ropar, Sidónios Seamless Tech, Sit – Seamless Industrial Technologies, Smart Inovation, Tapa Costuras, Têxtil António Falcão, Têxtil Sancar, Wat, Identity FC MAGIC February 4th to 7th – Las Vegas Adalberto Estampados, Becri, Silva & Irmãos, Trendymystery, My Shirt MILANO ÚNICA February 5th to 7th – Milão Albano Morgado, Familitex, Lemar, Otojal, RDD, Sanmartin, Adalberto Estampados, Riopele INTERGIFT February 6th to 10th – Madrid Dilina Têxteis, DKT – OPIBRANDS, DolceCasa, Rio Sul CIC, Têxteis Lar S. José, Têxteis Iris MOMAD February 8th to 10th – Madrid Averse, Blackspider, Concreto / Valérius, Cotton Brothers, Faroma/ Maloka, Givec, Karlek, Lion of Porches, Loco Luxo, Lovely Arcade, Luis Buchinho, Pé de Chumbo, Scripta, Scusi, Simple Change/Sal de Pipa, South Fashion Brands INDX February 10th and 11th – Birmingham FS Baby, Just Lovely, Mom(e) PURE LONDON February 10th to 12th - Londres Boon Clothes, Little Nothing, Beppi, Orfama, Temasa PREMIÈRE VISION February 12th to 14th – Paris Fabrics - A Sampaio, A Textil Serzedelo / Texser , Acatel, Adalberto Estampados, Albano Morgado, Avelana, Etexba, Familitex, Gierlings Velpor, Joaps, Lemar, LMA, Luis Azevedo, Lurdes Sampaio, NGS Malhas, Otojal, Paulo de Oliveira, Penteadora, RDD, Riopele, Sidónios, Somelos, Tessimax Tintex, TMG, Trimalhas, Troficolor Accessories - Bordados Oliveira, Envicorte, Idepar Yarns - Fifitrofa, J.F.Almeida, MAF/Filasa, SMBM, Têxtil António Falcão Manufacturing - J. Caetano & filhas, R.Lobo, Siena, Soeiro Centro Têxtil, Toddler Portugal, Triwool Knitwear - Orfama CPM MOSCOVO February 25th to 28th – Moscovo Cristina Barros, Blackspider by Cristina Barros, Beppi

PERFORMANCE DAYS GIVES PORTUGAL 5 AWARDS

Five Portuguese fabrics (two from Tintex, two from LMA and one from A. Sampaio) were among the 24 most sustainable Products of the Performance Days fair, which took place in Munich on November 28 and 29. The jury, made up of industry experts, local universities and brands, has rewarded our companies' efforts to use more sustainable raw materials (such as tencel, hemp and merino wool) and water-saving treatments such as the Colorau dyeing. t

A.SAMPAIO GETS 11 ISPO TEXTRENDS AWARDS 22 DISTINCTIONS Tintex, with Best Product, Forum, the world's larand A. Sampaio & Filhos, A. SAMPAIO & FILHOS gest sporting goods fair, with 11 award-winning 11 SAMPLES - Two Top 10 (one Base Layer and held in Munich from Fesamples (of which two are one Outer Layer) and nine selections ( three bruary 3rd to the 6th.

Top 10), are the Portugue- Accelerated Eco, one Base Layer, one Outer The Sport Textile Village se highlights of the ISPO Layer, one Second Layer e three Street Sports). From Portugal, put togeTextrends competition, in ther by Selectiva Moda and LMA which the jury distingui- 5 SAMPLES - One Top 10 (Soft Equipment) CITEVE, will once again be placed in the center of shed a total of 22 samples and four selections (two Soft Equipment, one presented by five Portu- Membranes&Coating and one Accelerated Eco) the textile pavilion, right in front of the ISPO Texguese companies, amongst a total of more than 500 GULBENA trends forum, which ensu4 SAMPLES - One Top 10 (Second Layer) and applicants. res a good flow of visitors three selections (one Accelerated Eco, one LMA received five disto the Portuguese compaOuter Layer and one Street Sport) tinctions (including a Top nies present at this stand.

10), Gulbena received four TINTEX To date, 43 Portuguese (also including a Top 10) 1 SAMPLES - Best Product (Base layer) exhibitors are enrolled in and NGS Malhas also saw NGS MALHAS the ISPO Munich’s next one of its samples selected. 1 SAMPLES - Selection (Second Layer) edition, 37 of which are This way, Portugal’s coparticipating with the sulours will once again shine at the ISPO Textrends’ pport of Selectiva Moda. t

A GOOD START AT PV DENIM Buyers, designers and entrepreneurs from all over the world were able to get in contact with Crafil, Lisama and Troficolor’s new collections, at the Portuguese premiere in Denim Première Vision, held in London on December 5th and 6th.

"From the very first moment, there was a lot of movement and we made some interesting contacts, mainly English, but also French, Italian, Swedish and Turkish," says Patrícia Maga-

lhães, Troficolor’s representative. The brand, which specializes in denim, presented in London a solid portfolio, ranging from fashion to workwear.

Visited by customers from the most diverse markets, the three Portuguese companies stood out for their commitment to sustainable and innovative articles, but also for the service proposals, based on flexibility, one of Portugal’s main competitive advantages in comparison

to more distant markets.

"Our collection is based on two fundamental assumptions: environmental preservation and technology," explains Abraão Fertuzinhos, Lisama’s manager.

With multiple contacts established and the prospect of entering new markets, the balance is very positive for the Portuguese denim representatives in their first participation in Denim Première Vision. t

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OPINION LOSS OF COMPETITIVENESS THREATENS GROWTH Paulo Melo ATP's President

END OF CYCLE Paulo Vaz Director of ATP ant T's Editor

2018 gave us contradictory signals about the future of the Portuguese textile and clothing sector. On the one hand, exports continued to grow and companies found it difficult to hire new employees, which demonstrates an unquestionable vitality. On the other hand, it’s equally clear that this growth has lost momentum since the middle of the year and that the international environment of our main export markets is now more uncertain. To anticipate the difficulties, we have to be much more attentive.

The Portuguese ITV carried out one of the most remarkable contemporary case studies of the developed countries’ reindustrialization. It has demonstrated that it’s possible to reconcile traditional activities with technological innovation and design, providing a differentiated service that allows a continuous rise in the value chain. However, it’s important not to lose sight that, even with the emphasis on competitiveness, it’s vital not to neglect the classic factors on which this competitiveness must be based: access to finance and the costs of labour and energy, as well as a business-friendly tax environment.

Unfortunately, in the past few years, for a variety of political and ideological reasons, as

The year of 2018 was another year of growth for the sector, although somewhat asymmetrical, with markets such as Italy, that have surprised by its strong progression, and others, such as Spain and the United Kingdom, who, for various reasons, were a disappointment, exacerbating the downward trend red-flagged in 2017.

In any case, it should be noted that 2018 was the tenth consecutive year of growth, the longest expansion cycle in the sector, with an export rate that skyrocketed sales to more than 5.3 billion euros. However, if there are reasons to celebrate, there are also reasons to be cautious.

We are facing the end of a prosperity cycle, which was based on the convergence of several positive factors, like the world’s advantageous economic and political situation that brought to Portugal orders normally placed in Northern Africa and Turkey. All of this combined with a

well as a total absence of economic policy for the country, we are witnessing a constant degradation of those said classic factors, which continue to be the foundations of competitiveness. In fact, a house without foundation ends up collapsing, no matter how beautiful the walls and roof are.

And the worse is that, despite having dominated the competitiveness’ critical factors – such as embracing fashion, design and technological innovation –, we have no room for maneuver in the classic production factors, since it’s the State and the political power that have to intervene in the cost of labour and energy and to allow access to finance, not to mention the creation of a business friendly environment, where tax attractiveness and stability are preponderant.

All this led me to the conclusion that while we rejoice in the sector’s long cycle of prosperity, it’s good not to lose sight of the fact that the future is uncertain and challenging, so we will have to increase our attention, our commitment and our dynamism to face 2019, if we want it to at least be as good as the years that preceded it. If it's only up to us, I'm sure we will be able to do it!

positive change in the companies’ competitiveness, which opted for technological innovation, design, service and further internationalization in order to differentiate themselves and face global competition.

Advantages that seem to be running out quickly as exports lose steam and the companies' less positive expectations for the future multiply.

The year that is now starting will be at least challenging. With some adjustments, it doesn’t necessarily have to be negative or dramatic.

Our companies will have to relaunch an internal discussion and rethink their strategies. There will be no magic recipes. Each company has its differentiated strengths and capabilities, which will determine how they face difficulties. However, something seems unequivocal for all of them: the demand will mean more work, more rigour and more effort in their governance and in the commer-

cial effort to be carried out internally and externally.

Complacency, old work methods or the dangerous dependence on a limited number of clients, whose loyalty is always a dangerous illusion, can become a fatal trap for many organizations that haven’t taken advantage of prosperous times to carry out internal reforms and prepare for harsher days.

Another textile and clothing sector, in another paradigm and with new developments in sustainability and digitalization, is already underway. From it, more competitive and modern companies, capable of perpetuating the sector’s international vocation, will rise. But, simultaneously, others will not perceive the change of times and will end up being victims of their inertia, inoperability and rigidity.

As has happened in the past, it will happen in the future.

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Augusto Lima Vila Nova de Famalicão’s City Hall Councilor for Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

WHAT ABOUT WRITING A FEW THINGS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?

CIRCULAR ECONOMY, NEW BUSINESS

Nowadays, there’s nobody sceptic enough to believe that sustainability in the textile and clothing industry is a fad. On the contrary, the question is: how can the Portuguese industry work that concept, and its inherent options and practices, to its advantage?

From top-notch luxury brands, that created top-level executive groups dedicated to finding good sustainability practices, to the Fast Fashion giants who joined Stella McCartney in the Make Fashion Circular initiative, adopting its principles and commitments – all of them already live and breathe sustainability.

What we found is that there are common traits in all of them. All of these companies make communicating their strategies a priority, enhancing their sustainability tactics and raising their brands to the level of the exclusive label (see for example http: //equilibrium.gucci.com).

Another thing they have in common is an Omni sustainability approach, that not only focuses on raw materials, production processes and traceability, but also on the apparently collateral issues, such as the workers living conditions and the industry’s environmental impact (participating in platforms such as www.treedom.net).

However, and despite having all of the above in common, the companies try to differentiate from each other in a creativity dispute that takes place on advertising and media initiatives. This only proves that, nowadays, more important than doing, is to show that you do it. Sustainability is now, most definitely, a matter of positive differentiation.

Even so, what strikes me the most is the undoubted importance of communicating sustainability strategies, which means that brands thought about the subject and established guidelines in this matter, at least for the next decade.

And it struck me that it wouldn’t be a bad idea if each Portuguese textile and clothing company wrote, at least for itself, what they’re planning to do in this area for the next few years. t

Nowadays, more than ever, we are constantly reminded of the circular economy’s importance for the country’s economic, social and environmental sustainability. Both pertinent and current, the circular economy subject is a must in the decision-makers' agenda, marking its presence in awareness speeches, but also on the real actions that effectively promote a responsible and balanced management near the companies.

In Vila Nova de Famalicão, many companies are following that path, asserting themselves as renowned successful cases, particularly in the textile and clothing industry. All because they place their bet on new niche markets and invest in innovation, transforming differentiated and creative ideas into tradeable goods. Those are the companies that embody an attentive and profitable adjustment to the industry’s inevitable future.

For some years now, the City Council has taken an active role in promoting Famalicão’s economic growth, which reflects in a solid collaboration between the institutional agents and the county entrepreneurs and companies. A mission that is embodied in various types of actions, such as knowledge-sharing initiatives and good practice awareness.

It was in this context, and after the successful 1st edition of the Famalicão Made In Economic Forum, that the City Council organized, last October, an international conference on circular economy, an initiative that goes along the same line as the ones promoted by the Famalicão Cidade Têxtil (Famalicão Textile City) brand. The sustainability premise is also very present in this brand’s vast strategy, which intends, both national and internationally, to promote Famalicão as "the" Textile City.

With these kind of actions, we hope to contribute to an essential and inevitable change in mentalities and behaviors, amongst managers and consumers, regarding circular economy’s principles.

It’s therefore essential to proceed with and widen the close collaboration between the management institutions and the county’s agents in order to continue the good work developed so far. There’s no doubt that networking is by far much more advantageous than working in isolation, and the effort done by Famalicão in that direction is one of the most distinguishing aspects of our project. t

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MY RESTAURANTS

LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT

by: Manuel Serrão

Le Babachris Rua D. João I, 39 4810-422 Guimarães

A LOVE STORY

Now that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, what could be more appropriate than to tell you about a beautiful love story, one of an international passion that didn’t start in between dishes but ended up in the kitchen? The story of a restaurant that achieves a beautiful combination between the love born amongst the two owners and the passion they both nourish for gastronomy.

This restaurant was created four and a half years ago, sometime after chef Christian – half Spanish, half French – met the Portuguese Bárbara in Gallic lands and got the idea of opening in Portugal something unique. That's the story of Le Babachris, a name which unites perfectly and harmoniously the two countries. Far from traditional cuisine, the restaurant concept and vision proved to be a revolution in Guimarães’ gastronomy, with passionate and creative dishes that have inspiration as their main ingredient.

Le Babachris aims to provide each customer with a unique and surprising experience, presenting three different menus for three different moments. For lunch, you can find an executive menu with two appetizers and two main courses to choose from and a dessert. On Saturdays, the bet is placed on rice, combining it with different seasonal products.

However, the highlight is the dinner, where the chef shows all of his originality and creativity by presenting the menu “6 Inspirations, 6 dishes”, which is redone every two weeks.

I landed at the Babachris, Guimarães, by the hand of António Leite, a client and a friend that also has a love story with textiles. A story that, one day, our T international will most definitely tell.

Cristina Terra da Motta, 53, and Messe Frankfurt’s representative in Portugal since 1998, is the daughter of a German mother and a Portuguese father.

Studying Engineering was the initial idea, when she was a student at German School, but her passion for Humanities spoke louder, and she ended up graduating in Literature from University of Lisboa. After that, she was a high school teacher and worked at Sintra Museu de Arte Moderna. She has two children, both dedicated to the Arts, and a Siamese cat.

Likes

Dislikes

History The textile fair’s great bustle To cook Generous people Conversations that flow Happy coincidences Listening to the radio Opinion articles Cheese Bookstores Contemporary art Syrah Southern Germany’s lakes Historical novels Babel Minorities Painting Opportunities Cats Courage Film Festivals Toasts with butter Bathing in the sea Black chocolate To drive Unlikely heroes To read for hours “Cozido à Portuguesa” dish Epiphanies Roses Antena 2 Moby Dick Chet Baker Crazy ideas Maps Good company Eggs with truffles Pico Island The late afternoon breeze Diversity To take small naps Rarities Seasonal fruits

Messes Inequalities Injustices Tattoos Insomnia Passivity Lilies The cold Migraines Brandy Barbed wire Dormitory towns Light literature Popcorn in the theatre Mosquitoes Unpleasant surprises Poverty Cockroaches Bureaucracies Sweet perfumes Disorganization Processed food People who do not listen Differentiated treatment Crowds Environmental disasters Jellyfish Resentments Pollution Lack of civism Frenemies Pretentious people Speaking with your mouth full Cypresses Realityshows Noise Subservience Ostentation Pit bulls Strong Smells

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PV CHOOSES TEARFIL AS SMART CREATION EMBASSADOR Tearfil was selected by Première Vision as Smart Creation Ambassador and saw the company’s eco-responsible products displayed in the Smart Library of the Paris Villepinte exhibition fair. "The world needs to go beyond fast and disposable fashion. The change begins with us, with simple yet powerful decisions. The Infini yarn collection is designed to reuse the plastics that pollute our waters and marine life. This gives us the opportunity to be part of the solution by providing more sustainable fashion choices", said the company.

PEDROSA & RODRIGUES AIMS FOR THE US AND GERMAN MARKETS

SOPHIA KAH WANTS TO BE IN THREE CONTINENTS

London, the United States and the Middle East. These are the locations to where will travel the new collection of the brand Sophia Kah, created

by Ana Teixeira de Sousa. "It’s a way of honouring the Portuguese traditions", said the designer about her latest collection, inspired by Portuguese lifestyle, the Portuguese summer and its colors, and, specially, by our embroidery art, an old Portuguese tradition. Sophia Kah is a 100% Portuguese brand which has already won celebrities such as Beyoncé, Keira Knightley, Florence Welch, Nelly Furtado and Kylie Minogue. t

VAZ DA COSTA INVESTS 5M IN MACHINES AND FACILITIES Vaz da Costa has an investment plan estimated at five million euros, which includes new facilities in the outskirts of Guimarães, the acquisition of bleaching and singeing equipment and a new drum dryer.

Guimarães’ urban expansion meant that the place where the factory was raised in 1960 suddenly got surrounded by residential areas. That created a problem for Vaz da Costa, which doesn’t has the space to grow and correspond to the order's increase. However, these space problems didn’t inhibit the company from installing a new Monfort stenter, with 3.6 meters of amplitude and an operation speed of more than 100 meters per minute.

Vaz da Costa started by making home textiles embroidery under the Bovi brand, an activity to which, in 1974, was added a line of textile finishing services. A recent redesign of the factory’s lay out facilitated operational logistics by creating separate entrances and exits for these two lines of business,

To reach between 15 and 20% in sales in the United States is one of the goals set by Pedrosa & Rodrigues, which is also aiming at the German market as part of its effort to diversify.

Last year, the United States were accountable for about 5% of the company’s 16 million euro turnover, made totally in exports, of this knitting company, which employs 110 people.

The uncertainty surrounding the Brexit consequences is one of the reasons behind this diversification strategy, especially because the UK is the company’s main market.

"Every season we must be able to reinvent ourselves.

Looking back is nice but looking forward is the challenge" Paulo Augusto de Oliveira Paulo de Oliveira's Administrator

LANTAL CENTERS THEIR PRODUCTION IN GIERLINGS VELPOR

"Our company's largest investment is underway", says Amelia Marques

where 180 people work together.

Currently, the company dyes and finishes 100 thousand meters of fabric per day, not only for Portuguese customers but for other countries, such as Spain, France, Belgium and Germany. t

In 2019, Gierlings Velpor will conclude an investment of 2.5 million euros in equipment which will allow the company to almost double its sales. In 2020, the firm’s sales are expected to reach 16 million euros. The company, which employs 130 workers, plans to close this year with a turnover of nine million euros. The exponential growth in sales is based on the decision of the Swiss group Lantal (which took control of Gierlings Velpor two years ago) to centre all its public transport seats’ fabric production in the Santo Tirso’s plant.

TEXTILES HAVE THEIR OWN GALLERY AT THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ART

A. FIÚZA AND UMINHO TOGETHER TO AID FOOTBALL PLAYERS The company A. Fiúza & Irmão concluded an investment of 1.5 million euros in production, training and equipment, continuing to focus on the development of functional socks. For its new innovative product, that promises to help football players, the firm has established a partnership with Minho’s University tecnological centre.

The 2C2T- UMinho’s Textile Science and Technology Centre

got together with Fiúza to develop football socks that, in addition to compressing the muscles (which eases muscle recovery times), also incorporate sensors that measure muscular effort, thus collecting valuable information to help improve training methodology and increase performance.

The 1.5 million euros investment to increase production capacity will allow the company,

which manufactures 3.5 million pairs of socks per year, to close the current year with a turnover of more than 3.5 million euros, maintaining a two digits annual growth. Founded 35 years ago by the brothers António and João Fiúsa, who at the time worked as specialized technicians, A. Fiúza is the supplier of some of the most important fashion and sports brands worldwide. t

The National Museum of Ancient Art’s new gallery is exclusively dedicated to textiles, and will display, in addition to temporary exhibitions, a collection of 4,600 pieces gathered over the course of 180 years. The inaugural exhibition evokes the chronology of the collection itself and reveals that the first textile purchases date back to the beginning of the 20th century.