TI 06 - October 19 by T Digital

N U M B E R 6 O CTO B E R 2 01 9

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

DUARTE NUNO PINTO

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

P&R TÊXTEIS CEO

“AT P&R INNOVATION IS A TEAM SPORT” P 12/13

THAT IS THE QUESTION

HOW TO REACT TO THE NEW CONSUMER TRENDS? P 4/5 BREAKING THROUGH

INVESTMENT

CAROLINE IS A DESIGNER-SCIENTIST WITH A LOT OF COURAGE

TWINTEX INVESTS 2.6 MILLION ON NEW LAYOUT

P 19

P 14

THE BILL, PLEASE

ELSA PARENTE IS A MINHO STYLE LAVOISIER P8

RETAIL

FLOR DA MODA REVAMPS ANA SOUSA AND DEBUTS TEMPERATURA P 24

October 2019

TAILORING&SEWING

EDITORIAL By: Manuel Serrão

By: Manuel Serrão

Begoña Pascual The Ipsa Ratio’s founder and CEO is a consultant who specializes in intercultural communication, sales and customer experience. She studied Philology and linguistics, and served as CEO for a consultancy focused on corporate training. She became a specialist in the fashion and retail sectors after collaborating for over two decades with powerful brands like Inditex, LVMH, H&M or Cortefiel. Founded in 2016, Ipsa Ratio has become a reference for the fashion industry in both Spain and Morocco

Why are you heading to Portugal? Well, I truly love and admire Portugal. The growing quality of the Portuguese fashion is well-known in international trade shows, and the robust track record of its textile industry makes it an important benchmark. Portuguese fashion displays momentum, it is vibrant and innovative, and generates an incredibly positive image abroad. An image of quality and transparency, especially when it comes to socio-environmental issues. During FIBO, a fashion industry forum that we organized earlier this year in Malaga, we had the chance to see for ourselves just how strong this renewed Portuguese drive is. Portugal was the guest country on this first edition of the event and I must say that it exceeded all our expectations. What can Ipsa Ratio bring to the table in the Portuguese market? We offer effective solutions for the Portuguese textile and fashion industry compa-

nies during their development or expansion stages. We have strong teams in Spain and Morocco that provide customized advice and legal and image consultancy. We accompany clients individually at each essential step on the road to success. In an effort to provide common spaces for debate and networking for the fashion sector, we put together seminars, forums and gatherings aimed at industry leaders and managers, in the hopes of activating business opportunities for the textile and fashion industries. Which are, in your opinion, the most compelling differentiating arguments for the textile economy outside Portugal? Its sustainability, no doubt about it. Europe is well aware of how Portuguese designers are changing the way things are done, and are active proponents of a new sustainable fashion, showing a clear commitment to sustainability. Hopefully, we will be able to say the same about Spain soon. t

KNOWING HOW TO READ THE SIGNS ALSO HELPS Nuno Pinto, the CEO of P&R Textiles and the cover this edition of T International, had this curious and inspiring statement (which we chose for title) that in his company innovation is a team sport. In the double sense that innovation is a constant focus for P&R, but also a concern and effort that is shared by everyone, from the entrepreneurs to the young worker. We all know, but it is never too much to remember, that innovation is essential for an industry that has been aiming to reinvent itself in order to remain competitive in an increasingly difficult global market. It just so happens that innovation is not just merely the technological innovation, the constant attention to new technologies and new production processes. Nor can it be reduced to the incessant pursuit for new products or to the search for the most modern forms of marketing and distribution. It’s important to never forget the end consumer, their mood swings and habits. An industry may be technologically well-equipped and have a powerful image nationally and internationally, but if you insist on selling the great products you make to consumers who already have their minds set on other trends, you will have a serious problem to solve. So far that has never been a problem for the Portuguese textile and clothing industry, and the statistics continue to give us good news. Knowing how to read the signs also helps.

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: 451405/19 Editorial Status: Available in: http://tjornalinternational. com/editorial-statute/

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n THAT IS THE QUESTION By: António Freitas de Sousa

HOW TO REACT TO THE NEW CONSUMER TRENDS? The consumer’s standpoint is key, when the foundations of the fashion business are down on the line. Never has this attitude changed so much in such a short length of time as today: immediacy, customization, ecologic responsibility, and everything running online and in every possible platform are the new trends, to which brands have to submit. Acknowledging the phenomenon is vital for companies, in order to respond efficiently to these new approaches

October 2019

study that FinTechs usually present as one of the secrets behind their business states that millennials would rather go to the dentist than going inside a bank. Nobody has been able to identify its authors yet, but that’s not the point: new generations have a radically diverging attitude towards consumption – fashion, savings or otherwise – and directors have to consider these indicators when driving their businesses. Moreover, the new consumption habits invented by millennials have infected all the demographics at a groundbreaking speed: brand apps are the best method of communicating with all consumers, be they millennials or any other age”, refers Susana Coerver, Parfois Marketing and Communication Director. Right off the bat, what this means is that online is the main drive behind the business – which was made evident when Inditex decided to invest two million euro in order to become the first group that sells online to the four corners of the world. Online, sure, but not just any online: “The omnichannel will replace the multichannel, system that still prevails and that is characterized by a single approach to the brand’s activity on each of the channels they’re present in. Multichannel does not pursue that synergy between several channels, save for some basic elements. On the other hand, with omnichannel, the customer-journey is integrated on a single shopping experience, breaking down the wall between the channels. The central point is not which of the channels will prevail since what really matters is rather the complementarity of everyone’s strategy. Not even determining the function of each one because the principle of omnichannel is to provide the consumer with the possibility of undertaking the operation in any of the channels”, details Daniel Agis, specialist in Brand Marketing and Distribution Strategies. Diana Teixeira Pinto, Marketing Director at MO (Sonae group), agrees in

In line at a Joe & The Juice store in London, a hyper-connected young shopper with a baby

full: “The online experience has to be as simple and as similar as possible to the experience in store. One must guarantee the brands’ coherence across channels”, she states. Or put it another way: the clients approach is demanding, but they want simple solutions and transversal access as the vehicle. The idea is Rui Maia’s, International Sales Manager at Lion of Porches: “Companies have to be very aware of consumers’ new habits, which will become increasingly more demanding. We simply have to adapt to them the fittest way”, he says. One of those ways is, definitely, speed: “Hyperacti-

ve consumers want everything straight away, now or never. It’s got to be available right away. They don’t like to wait, which forces the industry and the brands to be fast on their response. The shopping experience must be simple and it might happen at any time”, shares Peter Jeavons, European Managing Director at First Insight. Craig Crawford, managing director at ThinkIT, CreateiT, sums up the concept: “The new attitude is: see it, scan it, shop it”. And this comes after the offer has been crunched by those who know. Not those with all the information, not those who are able to decode it, but rather those who experience

October 2019

on her lap, a dog on a leash, and a cellphone in her hand, buys a dress online

it from a user’s perspective and describe it in a way that is massively comprehensible – the influencers. “The influence of social networks is overwhelming: influencers, mainly those who use Instagram, is enormous”, refers Susana Coerver, a trend that Peter Jeavons acknowledges: “New consumers are hyper connected, they’ve always got an eye on the screen; they leave a massive trail of information about their likes and dislikes, what they want or don’t want. This trail must be used by industry and retail”. “The weight of online channels on sales operations is increasing: by 2020 it will break the 25% bar-

rier, on average, in Europe”, predicts Daniel Agis. Within or outside the traditional channels, the new consumption will have three essential characteristics: sustainability – leaving space for second hand clothing; customization; and accessibility in terms of costs. Any incongruity between the three is not a mistake, just a sign of the times. For Graça Guedes, a researcher at the University of Minho, “the consumers’ behaviour is changing a lot, globally. They have behaviours that ten years ago would be incomprehensible. The search for used clothing is one of them: it is a very significant cultural change.

It is amazing – only paralleled by renting luxury items. It’s strange. It’s not a money issue. It’s more intelligence entering the circuit: access to diversity is obtained through transience. It is not economically smart to own things: the notion of possession is different. People want experiences, not things. Our society is on the verge of dematerializing possession.” Rodrigo Siza Vieira, Lectra General Manager for the Iberian Peninsula, reveals that “a team of 100 specialists at Lectra worked, for the past four years, on creating a combined solution of hardware and software that allows companies to correspond to the new consumers’ desire for customized garments, changing the characteristics of the products without affecting the work flow”. Fashion on Demand, Kubik Link, Quick Nest and Quick Estimate are Lectra’s solutions to integrate the long and segmented chain of value that is clothing, bringing it closer to the final consumer. What is at stake here is customization (custom-made fashion) and the total automation of processes: integrated and intelligent solutions that enable the action and reaction with little to no human intervention, which not only speeds up the response as it also reduces the margin of error. “The customer’s request generates an automatic process to the cutting machine. Companies will tend to stop producing stocks, making, instead, small series, repetitions or unique products, already with a destination in sight, which will be a revolution of the industries business model”, concludes. For Rui Maia, despite it all, the business rationale is maintained: there is an optimization because the turnover that the online generates is used to negotiate with the logistics companies. However, consumers may have to pay for this service. Competition will determine that. The online has better margins: there are logistics and transportation costs, but you don’t need to pay employees or store maintenance” To sum it up: “I want it all and I want it now”, as Freddie Mercury used to sing. Back in 1989. t

“Companies will

stop making stocks, producing, instead, small series, repetitions or unique products, already with a destination in sight” RODRIGO SIZA VIEIRA LECTRA

“[With online stores] There are logistics and transportation costs, but you don’t need to pay employees or a store maintenance"

“The omnichannel will replace the multichannel. The central point is not which channels will prevail, but the complementarity of everyone’s strategy”

RUI MAIA LION OF PORCHES

DANIEL AGIS ESPECIALISTA EM MARKETING

“Brand apps are the best method of communicating with all consumers, be they millennials or any other age” SUSANA COERVER PARFOIS

“People want experiences, not objects. Our society is on the verge of dematerializing possession”

“The online experience has to be as simple and as similar to the experience in store”

GRAÇA GUEDES UMINHO

DIANA TEIXEIRA PINTO MO

“Hyperactive consumers want everything straight away, now or never. They don’t like to wait, which forces the industry and brands to be fast on their response” PETER JEAVONS FIRST INSIGHT

October 2019

AUTOEUROPA SHOWS INTEREST IN P&R’S SENSOR SUIT AutoEuropa is interested in using P&R’s sensor suit in their automobile crash tests. The suit is being developed by a consortium led by P&R Textiles, within the scope of the Textile Cluster (CT). The group headed by P&R includes five other partners: CITEVE, INESC Tec, FEUP, Fade Up / Labiomep and LMA. “This tool aims to generate information for the development and validation of technical sportswear – high competition included – with refined features and adapting perfectly not only to the athletes‘ ergonomics, but also to their needs” explains Duarte Nuno Pinto, P&R’s president.

800

thousand euro was how much Riopele invested in a solar-power central, exclusively for its own consumption, which will enable savings up to 14% in its electric bill

TEXTILE PROVES THAT THE INDUSTRY IS FASHIONABLE AGAIN

Isabel Furtado explains to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portugal’s President, that innovation took over the textile and clothing industry

Textile is the living proof that the industry is in fashion, said Isabel Furtado, president of COTEC Portugal, at the association’s 16th Summit closing session. The aim of the summit is to promote the companies competitiveness through innovation. Also president of TMG Automotive, Isabel Furtado made sure that the COTEC summit was held in Famalicão, where the heart of the Portuguese textile industry beats. There, she emphasized that “the sector’s businessmen knew, very successfully, how to respond to the profound changes that have impacted this traditional segment of the economy, which was at risk of disappearing completely”. Isabel Furtado (in the photo with Portugal’s

President and with Famalicão’s Mayor) drew attention to the fact that the current digital revolution will leave the repetitive, boring and intellectually empty production to the machines, freeing the flesh and blood employees to the attractive side of the industry: the development, effectiveness and proactive performance. Before an audience of about seven hundred entrepreneurs, a substantial part of them from the textile sector, Isabel Furtado urged those in charge of the companies to bet on digitalization – with the workers (giving them the necessary training) and with the public institutions (COTEC included), so that the large investments that need to be made soon can find its way toward a growth environment. t

ALEXANDRA MOURA DESIGNS FOR DECENIO

OLDTRADING, A SEAMLESS LAB

Alexandra Moura is designing Decenio’s new collection, which should arrive in stores next spring. A new path for the brand owned by the Cães de Pedra group, which wants to rejuvenate it by bringing it closer to designer fashion and new creators. This is the first step of a change that is yet to unfold completely. The target audience of this new positioning is young people, who still don’t see Decenio as a brand for their demographic.

Rui Gordalina takes pride in seeing Oldtrading not only as a manufacturer, but also as a laboratory-company, where innovating has become almost as important as producing or selling. “When we speak of innovation, it’s not enough to say we are available to innovate. Of course everyone’s available, but you need to make it happen”, explains the founder and director of the Famalicão-based company, whose speciality is Seamless technology.

"It’s not just any boutique or designer that enters our platform. For us, it would be far easier to have 20 thousand boutiques instead of only 700, as some investors are suggesting" José Neves Farfetch's founder and CEO

BELÉM MACHADO BUYS TEARFIL FROM MORETEXTILE The MoreTextile Group, a leader in the home textile sector in Europe, sold its spinning business Tearfil to Maria de Belém Machado (SMBM shareholder), a decision that is in line with the company’s sole focus on producing terrycloth and bedding. Tearfil produces and sales textile yarns since its founding, in 1973, and has about 300 customers, 200 employees, and advanced technical skills and know-how, generating a turnover of 12 million euros (12% of which is exported).

October 2019

A THE BILL, PLEASE Hamilton

Avenida Santana 395 4910-225 Moledo

Main course Half a kilo of cold-cut short loin, with sautéed mushrooms and basmati rice Drinks Classic Bohemia, a glass and a half of red wine (Valle Longo, Douro, 2017) and two coffees

ELSA PARENTE

Born in Viana do Castelo, she graduated in Chemistry from the University of Minho (1998), in Braga, and worked for 18 years in Vila Nova de Cerveira, at Tintex, where she began as a laboratory assistant and left as a commercial director. She lives in Moledo and works in Barcelos, where she runs RDD – Research, Design and Development, the lab-company of the Valérius group, which she created from scratch three years ago. When the time came to go to college, the first choice was Pharmacy. She is the youngest of three daughters out of the matrimony between a housewife and an emigrant in Canada – her father worked many years in Montréal at a sizeable vertical textile factory. Married to Gil, a high-level director at a Portuguese factory of auto components with Japanese capital, with whom she has two children: Constança, eight years old, and Lourenço, nine months old.

A MINHO STYLE LAVOISIER

PHOTO:RUI APOLINÁRIO

42 RDD CEO

The economic environment is not the best, but life goes well for her. At the end of this year’s 1st semester, she had sold as much (two million euro) as in the whole 2018, the first complete cycle of RDD, the R&D of the Valérius group, which is forecasting a four-million-euro turnover for 2019. “Double is always good”, says, with a smile from cheek to cheek, the Minhota that created RDD from scratch, and now leads a multidisciplinary team of 17 people, with specialists from fields like microbiology, textile engineering, public health, marketing, fashion design or manufacturing engineering. “The atmosphere is one of expectation. Apprehension is rampant. There’s this idea that the next years will not be very good”, acknowledges Elsa Parente, who chose a place right beside her house for our lunch, a restaurant she often visits, and where she ordered the dish she usually shares with her husband (half a kilo of rare and sliced short loin) with the usual drink (Classic Bohemia) – highly innovative with the textiles, but not when it comes to food :-)

Despite the dark clouds above the Portuguese TCI and the dominant uncertainty, Elsa has all the reasons to be happy because RDD (the spearhead of Project 360 by Valérius), is gleefully surfing the current trends – circular economy, the corollary of Lavoisier’s 18th century axiom applied to 21st century fashion, where nothing is created and nothing is lost – everything is transformed. “At the trade fairs, the first question that clients ask is if we have sustainable, ecological, recycled or even biologic products...”, relays Elsa, who presented at Milano Unica, as a worldwide premiere, the first items of the 360 line, 12 knits made from a blend of lyocell and recycled cotton thread from pre-consumption waste. “Our fall/winter 20-21 collection is mostly sustainable, with recycled and organic fibres. Besides the 360 line, we have other novelties, such as the line of mercerized organic cotton GOTS certified. Our technology and knowledge enables us to significantly reduce the consumption of water and chemicals in

our processes”, states the CEO of RDD. The 360 line was on display last month, between Munich (Fabric Start) and Paris (Première Vision), but still in soft opening mode, presenting samples meant to tease the clients and allow them to conduct the first tests. The equipment is being set-up in Mindelo, at Valérius 360 factory, which started operations this Summer, though only in January will they have the conditions to handle sizeable orders. “We have a goal since the start: to reach 10 million euro in sales by 2024, with knitting made from recycled fibres at 360 as the main product”, reveals Elsa, who has become addicted to the roller-coaster ride that is working for the Portuguese textile and clothing industry. “One must love textiles to work in an industry such as this, where new problems arise every single day. At home, during dinner, all we talk about are textiles since in the auto industry there’s never nothing new – it is an uneventful day-to-day”, she concludes. t

October 2019

[CASSIANO FERRAZ] www.cassianoferraz.com

PHOTOGRAPHY FASHION / ADVERTISING

October 2019

TOUR DE FRANCE’S YELLOW JERSEY MADE BY P&R TÊXTEIS

SAMPEDRO’S STONE WASH INSPIRES JENNIFER ADAMS It was in Sampedro’s factory that the American designer Jennifer Adams found inspiration for her new collection of luxury home textiles. Visiting the Lordelo factory, in Guimarães, the designer surrendered to the young and relaxed look of the stone wash pieces and decided to use them to produce her new bedding line. “The client was delighted with the results of the stone wash process that gives it a vintage look, very casual, young and relaxed” says Diogo Gomes, from Sampedro sales department.

85%

of the 120 million euro in sales that the ERT group made in 2018, were destined for the automobile industry

PHOTO:RUI APOLINÁRIO

PROCHEF SETS OFF TO CONQUER SPAIN AND THE EMIRATES

P&R has been manufacturing jerseys for Le Coq Sportif, the exclusive Tour de France supplier, for eight years

The yellow jersey worn by de leader of Tour de France general classification is developed and made in by P&R Têxteis, in São Veríssimo, Barcelos. And not just the characteristic jersey worn by the leader of the general classification. All the other jerseys – green, white, dotted, etc. – worn by the frontrunners in the several competitions (mountain, young rider, combativité...) of the most famous cycling competition in the world are made in Portugal, by the company founded in 1982 by the couple Maria da Ascensão and Duarte Nuno Pinto. For 8 years running that P&R makes these jerseys for the French brand Le Coq Sportif, exclusive supplier of the Tour de France, with whom the Portuguese company also partners up to supply the sportswear of the

North-American team Education First, currently represented by two athletes in the General’s Top 10. “Besides being the most charming ones in the platoon, they are also the most technically refined and sophisticated. Everything is glued, there are no seams”, reassures Duarte Nuno Pinto, 62, in the picture with his first bicycle, a gift from his parents, both elementary school teachers, when he turned 18 and finished his 1st year exams at the Economy Faculty of the University of Porto with flying colours. “My parents wanted to give me a car, but I went for this road bike instead”, recalls the founder of P&R Têxteis, sponsors of Rádio Popular/Boavista and the Portuguese Cycling Federation. t

BARCELCOM’S SOCK IN HOSPITALS AROUND THE WORLD A sock made to prevent thrombosis during hospital internments (before, in-between and after surgery) is Barcelcom’s new revolutionary product, reaching hospitals worldwide. Developed, produced and certified by the Barcelos company, the new sock guarantees complete safety to the patient, and is a complement to the usual medication therapy. The novelty is the sock’s unique characteristics, which significantly improve the

patient’s comfort and safety. Without silicone and with a new fitting technology, preventing it from rolling up or falling during its use, the new sock provides greater comfort and it’s easier to use. Alongside its anti-bacterial treatment, the foot grip increases safety when getting up. Moreover, fewer sizes are under production, though with a higher adjustment. The Achilles tendon area was redesigned for greater comfort, and the graduated pressure of 18mmHg enables an

optimized venous reflux. The new model by Barcelcom is already in use by different health services – public and private – across nine countries, while the company is looking into the possibility of developing this technology for other sectors with similar needs. Considered one of the sector’s 40 most innovative companies, Barcelcom produces for several international companies in the field of graduated compression, for health and top-level sports. t

Spain and the United Arab Emirates are the defined geography for the 2020 international expansion of Prochef, the Portuguese brand of uniforms for restaurant professionals and the hospitality sector. Meanwhile, after having reached a deal to dress the chef Martin Berasategui, as well as its restaurant brigade in San Sebastian (Lasarte-Oria) and in Lisbon (Fifty Second, in Torre Vasco da Gama), Prochef is preparing a coordinated attack to the market of Portugal’s neighbouring country, with the image of the famous basque chef at helm.

"Low cost aviation companies are our biggest partners. Today we have that advantage. We have clients that arrive at noon and at 4 pm are flying back home" José Manuel Vilas Boas Ferreira Valerius Group CEO

PARFOIS OPENS IN PARIS ITS 1000TH STORE With the opening of a new space in Paris, this September, at 86 Rue de Rivoli, Parfois reaches the thousand-store-mark, across 65 countries. A round number achieved precisely in the year that the brand celebrates its 25th anniversary. Specialized in accessories, such as scarves, hats, costume jewellery, handbags and purses, Parfois was founded by Manuela Medeiros and opened its first store in 1994, at Santa Catarina street, in Porto.

TÊXTIL ANTÓNIO FALCÃO MAKES YARN FROM CORN Pioneer in Portugal in the production of recycled yarns using plastic waste as a raw material, the Falcão Group is now making yarns from maize grains: PLA biodegradable yarn. “PLA fibers represent a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fibers, and are the basis for smart materials with additional functions, new applications, and niche products. In doing so, they are equally economical and efficient,” says the company.

October 2019

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October 2019

n INTERVIEW Duarte Nuno Pinto 64 years old and the only child of two elementary school teachers, he was born in Barcelos, where P&R Têxteis is based. Having completed high school at Sá de Miranda, he then moved to Porto, where he graduated in Economy. He is married to Maria da Ascensão, a former elementary school teacher turned entrepreneur, with whom he has three children: Daniela, 37, a radiologist at Hospital de São João; Mariana, 33, who has a bachelor degree in Management (Universidade Católica) and works for a multinational; and Nuno, 28, whose bachelor degree in Economics (Economy School of Universidade do Porto) and master’s degree in Management and Marketing got him working at P&R

"SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT ONLY ABOUT RECYCLING MATERIALS"

f he were Minister of Economy, he would move the ministry to Porto – claims Duarte Nuno Pinto, P&R Têxteis CEO, the company from Barcelos who made the sports equipment for Olympic medal winners Usain Bolt, Nelson Évora and Fernanda Ribeiro. The first years were tough for P&R...

We withstood 13 years losing money. My family suffered a lot to keep the factory running with 30 workers. For ten years, I kept working part-time at a cannery just to get a salary. Why was it so difficult?

We were a small company, which was still learning and dealing with the market’s fluctuations. You need to be pretty stubborn to hold 13 years in the red...

It wasn’t stubbornness. It took persistence and faith. We are not quitters. We had excellent collaborators on our side, giving their all in order to survive. And we do believe in “no pain, no gain”. How did you turn it around?

In the early 90s, it became clear that the best strategy would be dropping casual wear and focus on sportswear, a sector with a lot more growing potential, opportunity for differentiation, more technical products and sophisticated raw material. It was the right decision. Did the results of that strategic move become immediately evident?

No. It was a slow process, a gradual change. Besides investing in new machinery, we were required to gain experience and know-how in a highly technical field, as well as becoming appealing to new customers. However, the most important thing was that we knew where we were headed. We started working with Decathlon and Reebok, before we got to Adidas... How did you accomplish that?

We had a customer, Intersport, that also sold Adidas. We asked our contact at this store chain if he knew anybody there, and he scheduled a meeting for us with a sourcing manager, at the brand’s headquarters, in the suburbs of Nuremberg.

PHOTO: RUI APOLINÁRIO

Did the meeting go smoothly?

We show them a few cotton rugby jerseys, as a sample of what we made. He was interested, and promised to visit us the next time he came to Portugal. Did he keep his promise?

Not only did he keep it, as he entrus-

October 2019

ted us with a tremendous challenge. He told me he had a project of substantial responsibility just for us. If we accepted and things went well, we would have Adidas’ doors open to us. If we failed, not only would those doors close forever, we would also get fired. What was the challenge?

To produce the overwhelming majority of the Adidas sports equipment for the next year’s Olympics, in Atlanta. We took the challenge, things went very well, and we were greeted with open arms at Adidas. Since then, they come to us for most of the sports equipment for the summer and winter Olympics. When it comes to textiles, we are Adidas’ longest-running regular supplier, worldwide. Was that the decisive moment?

1995 was the first year we made money. Since then, we have been always winning, after 13 of losses. For us the number 13 is not bad luck. The company was founded on May 13th. My wife was born on April 13th. We are Catholic. In the Bible, the journey through the desert took 40 years. Ours took much less, just 13 years. Atlanta ’96 was the great turning point?

Atlanta was important because there is a golden rule for success in the world of business – People and Reputation, coincidentally the initials of P&R. A company can’t survive and prosper without both. We already had the people, a team of talented and dedicated collaborators. We lacked the reputation, which we made at the Atlanta Olympics. Are you ready to embrace the growing demand for more personalized and customized products?

To manufacture sports equipment for the Olympic athletes – Adidas, but not only: we also supplied Puma at the Beijing and London Games – has endowed us with strong skills for the tailor-made and customized products. During the Tour de France two years ago, we had to make a new suit for Froome in just 24 hours because in the Alps stages he had lost five kilos.

even more competitive.

Have investments gone in that direction?

During the past three years we have invested five million euro in the facilities and machinery at the São Veríssimo factory. We were too small. We doubled the industrial area and gained space in all nuclear producing sectors, along with the social areas (canteen, etc.). With this modernization, we improved in quality and speed, becoming

sports or that specialize in one single type of sport.

What do you mean?

Companies have to create wealth and that doesn’t mean only to grow on EBITDA or in sales. The companies have to be a part of the community, redistributing a slice of the profits. A percentage of our income is shared with firefighters, volunteers, the disabled, sports organizations, etc. And not just locally. For over 20 years, we have been paying for school and snacks for 13 children in Mozambique through an NGO. Can the sustainability rhetoric be misleading?

Yes, if recycling hides the social dumping and fast fashion practises. The correct way to respect the environment and the planet’s resources is to consume and produce less, and to reuse more. This is good news for the Portuguese textile and clothing industry, which produces durable and high-quality clothing, worthwhile keeping and fixing – instead of using and throwing away...

Growing own brands is not P&R’s strategy, then?

Our main goal is to keep P&R profitable and sustainable. We want to maintain ourselves focused on the clients and supported by strong partnerships, for the joint development of products and businesses, and boosted by a continuous process of technological improvement. As an economist, I have been studying the relationship between industry and brands. There is no brand in the world that can ever succeed globally without first becoming strong in its domestic market. It just so happens that Portugal is too narrow of a market, as well as geographically marginal, to become that fundamental business pillar. Innovation is the soul of your business…

Do you know what we tell our clients? If it’s very difficult, we will do it. If it’s impossible, give us another day :-) How many people does the R&D department employ?

I’m not sceptical about the importance of sustainability – besides ISO 9001, we are SA 8000 and NP 4457 certified. I’m sceptic about the exploitation that some make of the subject.

We have a department with a dozen people, but as I usually say, R&D is a collective sport, played by every single one of our 220 employees.

Why did you launch your own brands?

We have always prioritized product development for our customers’ brands. We only created Onda because we saw a gap in the market: Portugal, a country with 700 km of coastline, didn’t have a single Portuguese surf brand. Besides, we only went for it because that intention did not collide, in any way, with our customers’ interests.

We are a highly technological company, dedicated and specialized in developing and producing extremely technical clothing for sports. Not only are we not thinking about leaving that department, we don’t even have the internal productive capacity to do that. The one we have is completely taken. What concerns you the most, right now?

We created a spin-off, CMD, which is in charge of selling our sports brands. In the surf case, the brand is undergoing an image remodel and it’s now being linked to Nazaré beach. For triathlon, we supply the Portuguese Federation.

Knowing which human resources we will have, within a few years, to work in this industry, and how the textile industry will remain attractive to young workers.

We don’t have any collection for cycling; we only supply clubs, brands and institutions. In Portugal, we sponsor the Rádio Popular/ Boavista team and the Portuguese Cycling Federation. In the last Tour de France, apart from making the yellow, green and white jerseys for Le Coq Sportif, we also supplied the Education First team. Are you planning on launching an own brand for any other sport?

Own brands represent merely 15% of P&R’s 15-million-euro turnover. Our core business is selling for global brands, who work with several

Alexandra Araújo LMA Director

Which was the most challenging: winning medals for the Quinta do Montinho wines, or developing textiles for the Olympics?

We have won several medals with that wine, made in our Vila Verde estate. Wine is a hobby that I indulge myself into developing as a business. It always reminds me of the summer holidays that, as a kid, I used to spend helping my grandparents with the harvest. Both are satisfying for me – the medals at wine competitions, but also those won by Fernanda Ribeiro, Nelson Évora or Usain Bolt, with sports equipment developed and manufactured by us.

Sportswear will be one of the highlights at PV. Fashion wants to adopt the sports’ innovative solutions. Is this an opportunity?

Meanwhile, you have expanded the scope of Onda to triathlon…

…and you made Flynx for cycling…

the questions of

Why?

Would you consider yourself a sustainability sceptic?

Is flexibility the key?

We are flexible, not only industrially, but also in the massive number of sports that we supply for. We had an El Corte Inglés manager over, who stated: “Hell! You just don’t make bullfighters’ suits!”

How do you solve that?

Providing better work conditions, in terms of comfort and salary. At P&R we pay above average. However, that’s not enough. European politicians mustn’t ignore that we compete with countries that do not respect human rights and pay miserable wages. A globalization issue…

I fully agree with the words of Karol Wojtyla – one of the 20th century men that I admire, who used to be a goalkeeper like me. I am in favour of globalization, given there is social justice. There is no social justice when a textile worker in Myanmar makes 80 dollars a month while working 60 hours a week. And I can give you other examples... t

Miguel Pacheco Heliotextil CEO

Which context costs affect P&R’s competitiveness the most?

The tax weight on the workers’ salaries. It’s a pressing matter, to reduce the abyss between the salary duties that a company holds towards its workers and the money that the worker receives at the end of the month. I have proposed to our Minister of Economy that overtime work should be fiscally exempt, 100%. Which is P&R’s recipe for success?

Throughout this life, I have had failures and successes. And to face failure, the right attitude is the humbleness of the goalkeeper who, after conceding a goal, gets the ball back, raises his head and keeps on playing.

TRADESHOWS

October 2019

JITAC 15 a 17 de outubro – Tóquio Adalberto Estampados, Albano Morgado, Burel Factory, Eurobotonia, Fitecom, Lemar, Otojal, Paulo de Oliveira, Riopele, Tessimax, Texser / Textil Serzedelo, Troficolor

BALTIC FASHION & TEXTILE VILNIUS 17 a 19 de outubro – Vilnius LMA, Realfio/Ridi, Samofil

Schedule

"Society is undergoing a brutal and unprecedented digital transformation, with a unique speed, and the industry has to keep up with it. We cannot even think about pretending that it doesn’t exist" Isabel Furtado Chairman of COTEC’s Board of Directors

S. ROQUE’S FULL DIGITAL MACHINE STANDS OUT AT ITMA World leader in the manufacture of machines for textile printing, S. Roque presented at ITMA, in Barcelona, the new RoqNow model, its first Full Digital machine, which allows printing unique patterns and designs – that do not repeat themselves – at an industrial rhythm. With a turnover of more than 50 million euros, the company employs more than 480 people and exports machines to textile factories in more than 40 countries, including China and the USA.

60 million

euros is how much the Becri group expects to earn this year, after closing 2018 with a turnover of 45 million euro

PITTI BIMBO CHOOSES YAY TO DRESS TOPO GIGIO The sustainable children’s brand YAY had an auspicious debut at Pitti Bimbo 89th edition: it was chosen from among 603 international brands to dress one of six emblematic children’s characters, a tribute made by the most important children’s fashion fair in the world! The company was chosen by Alessandro Enriquez, designer of Pitti Bimbo, and the task was to dress the charismatic Top Gigio, created in Italy in 1959, by Maria Perego.

TWINTEX PUTS 2.6 MILLION ON NEW LAYOUT Twintex has invested 2.6 million euro on a profound remake of its layout, which shall be fully operational in October and will increase the installed capacity by one third. “We felt some entropies and losses of efficiency inherent to the way our processes were organized”, explains Mico Mineiro, Twintex’s administrator and the youngest of the two children of António Mineiro, 74, founder and president of this manufacturing group based in Fundão. The first phase of this reorganization was concluded on the past 27th of March (the day Mico turned 39) with the inauguration, in Vales do Rio (Fundão), of the Twintex Logistics Centre, composed of six entry decks and an area of over four thousand m2, where all the cutting operations are now located, as well as a warehouse for fabrics and accessories, offices and a fully dynamic warehouse for hanging textiles. The investment reinforced the cutting area, which now counts five cutting tables (an addition of three), four fabric stretching carts (two more) and three cutting machines (two more).

Mico Mineiro advocates that a more efficient layout will increase productivity

“With this reorganization we have doubled the space available for production, raised the levels of comfort and efficicency. We have high hopes that this investment boosts productivity and quality in a very significant way”, states Mico Mineiro, which joined his father and brother Bruno in the management of Twintex after having graduated Auto Engineering in England. Concentrating the cutting sec-

tion in Vales do Rio has freed the space in their factory in Aldeia de Joanes (Fundão), enabling the set-up of the women’s dress and jacket line of its subsidiary MK. From October onwards the Twintex factory at Aldeia de Joanes will be running at full steam, in its six thousand m2 of covered area and five production lines: the aforementioned MK, plus two lines of jackets, one line of trousers and skirts. t

CBI INVESTS 1.5 MILLION ON BESPOKE TAILORING LINE The CBI group is awaiting the approval of Portugal 2020 to proceed with an investment of 1.5 million euro on improvements at Amma 1981, in Arganil, namely on a new line of custom-made industrial tailoring. Francisco Batista, CBI’s leader, took the helm of Amma in 2017, following an agreement with the biggest creditors, salvaging the employment of 160 workers and guaranteeing ownership of the facili-

ties, equipment and brand (Carlo Visconti) of this company, now rechristened Amma 1981. “We’re preparing a new cycle, consolidating structures and markets”, explains Francisco Batista, administrator and founder of this manufacturing group based in Mangualde, which closed 2018 with a turnover of nearly 30 million euro. The CBI group also holds the brand AfroPants, in São Vicente, Cape Ver-

de, which aside from putting out 500 trousers every day, is now producing women’s jackets as well. “We are restructuring to become multipurpose and to go up in the value chain, in order to supply to customers from higher segments, who are able to pay to produce in Portugal”, says the CEO of the CBI, which supplies to brands such as Massimo Dutti, Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein or Sacoor. t

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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

October 2019

2. THE BERGAND BY GULBENA’S COORDINATE, ON DISPLAY AT THE ‘FROM PORTUGAL’ FORUM, ATTRACTED DOZENS OF BUYERS TO THE RUI TEIXEIRA’S COMPANY STAND

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

1. THE ‘FROM PORTUGAL’ FORUM, PUT TOGETHER BY TERESA PEREIRA (CITEVE)

IN MUNICH TO SCORE MANY GOALS “This is like football. You only score if you shoot for the net”, said Sandra Macedo, Adalberto sales representative, justifying the company’s presence at Munich Fabric Start, which took place from September 3rd to the 5th in the Bavarian capital. It was this positive stance, within a context of uncertainty that drove a record-breaking 42 ‘From Portugal’ exhibitors to a trade fair that also counted 20,300 professional buyers amongst its ranks, mostly Germans, but also from Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands or Italy. Portugal was one of the highlights, as it usually happens. At the conference in the Keyhouse, Manuel Serrão explained the miracle of our Textile and clothing industry’s resurrection. And RDD won the 7th edition of the High Tex Award, given by the organization, from a pool of hundreds of samples assessed by the jury, who also chose two Italian brands to complete the podium

7. AT TRIMALHAS’ STAND, CAROLINA PINTO RARELY HAD TIME TO SIT DOWN

6. FERNANDO ABREU (JOSÉ ABREU) ONLY REGRETS NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCEPT A LININGS CONTAINER ORDER EVERY WEEK

10. THE STEADY RISE IN VALUE AND THE BET ON TECHNICAL TEXTILES ARE, ACCORDING TO ASSOCIAÇÃO SELECTIVA MODA’S CEO, THE MAIN REASONS FOR THE TEN-YEAR-CONSECUTIVE GROWTH OF THE “BEST AND MOST COMPLETE TEXTILE CLUSTER IN EUROPE”

11. NINE OF THE TEN SAMPLES SENT TO THE ORGANIZATION BY FASHION DETAILS WERE SELECTED FOR THE FAIR’S ACCESSORIES FORUM

October 2019

4. ELSA RECEIVES THE AWARD FROM THE HANDS OF SEBASTIAN KLINGER, MUNICH FRABRIC START’S GENERAL MANAGER

3. AFTER T TOLD HER SHE HAD WON THE HIGH TEX AWARD, ELSA PEREIRA, RDD CEO, BOASTED THE WINNING FABRIC

5. A MANNEQUIN DRESSED IN A LACED TRACHTEN (THE TRADITIONAL BAVARIAN OUTFIT) EMBELLISHED THE ENTRANCE TO SANMARTIN’S STAND

9. THE ‘FROM PORTUGAL’ SOURCING SPACE OF MUNICH FABRIC START

8. ONLY IN MID-AFTERNOON THE FIRST DAY DID PATRÍCIA DIAS AND ISABEL CARDOSO (6DIAS) HAD THE TIME TO REGISTER THE CONTACTS ESTABLISHED

13. MIGUEL MENDES HOSTS A CLIENT AT A. SAMPAIO’S STAND

12. VILARINHO’S STAND WAS EXTREMELY BUSY

14. CRAFIL’S TEAM HAD AN AUSPICIOUS DEBUT AT MUNICH FABRIC START, AND THEY WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR

October 2019

X MY PRODUCT By: António Moreira Gonçalves

iTechCoat

Developed by Coltec, in partnership with CITEVE and CeNTI

What is it? A highly functional and intelligent coating that integrates a network of conducting polymers What is it for? Multiple uses. When used on a mattress cover it emits an alarm (through the sensors) when a bedridden patient needs to switch positions Status of the project? First prototype available for presentation

ROSACEL RISES IN VALUE CHAIN AND BETS ON NATURAL FIBRES To produce more with better quality was the big decision undertaken by Rosacel. After years of working with basic products, especially for the Spanish market, the home textile from Pevidém, Guimarães, has enlarged its facilities, directed towards value chain and are now selling for the whole of Europe, Japan, US and Russia. “We’ve risen in the value chain and we’ve focused on natural fibres like cashmere, bamboo, hemp or nettle”, states Helena Machado, Rosacel’s commercial representative.

"There are two ways to create a brand: with persistence or with a lot of money" Mário Jorge Machado Adalberto Estampados CEO

LIPACO AVOIDS LATE ARRIVAL TO AMERICAN MARKET The United States are the next objective of Lipaco, where the company is hoping to rapidly increase from 40% to 50% the proportion of direct exports in its turnover, which in 2018 registered 2,6 million euro. With a weakening internal market, the company had to turn to exports and invest on broadening its product range, where yarn joined the sewing threads.

HR GROUP COMBINES DESIGN WITH PROFESSIONAL CLOTHING

A window for the future Itisanewgenerationoftextilecoatings,anditmightwell hold the key to solving many our day-to-day problems. Coltec, a company that specializes in lamination and coating, has just developed a technology capable of incorporating conducting polymers on textiles. The first prototype has been unveiled this year and has attracted the market’s attention. The team that developed it prefers to be cautious regarding projections, but it is certain that this opens a window to a series of new developments. “Our goal was to use our technologies to create functional products”, explains Francisco Fernandes, head technician at Coltec. The project started in 2016, when the company from Polvoreira, Guimarães, acquired new machines from Hot Melt Printing. Determined to understand the potential of their “new toy”, Coltec’s team began pondering several research angles. “We spoke with CITEVE, with whom we have undertaken many projects, and we understood that smart textiles were an area with a lot to discover”, recalls Francisco. During the development of iTechCoat, CeNTI also joined the project, being in charge of the electronic components. Since the beginning, the project had home textiles as a top priority. “They are our main market, weighing 60% of our activity, and we also work a lot in the health field”, explains the head technician. Therefore, the team set the goal of creating a mattress protector for bedridden patients. As they remain several hours in the same position, these patients suffer from bedsores – skin ulcers that result from constant pressure. The system created by Coltec helps to prevent this problem, evaluating which areas of the body are under the most pressure – on a digital dial, as seen in the picture – and emitting a warning sound when the patient needs to switch position. “We went to nursing homes to understand the

people’s real needs. There are cases, for instance, of completely paralyzed patients who fall down during the night, and the caretakers are left with no clue as to how it happened”, exposes Célia Silva, production manager at Coltec. With this new mattress cover, it is also possible to record every position change that occurs during the night. The prototype (a version of the mattress cover in miniaturesize),waspresentedforthefirsttimeatlastyear’s MODtissimo, and has passed by Techtextil, in Frankfurt, as well as for several innovation showcases, in Portugal and in international trade fairs. “It has been well-received. It’s interesting to see people’s reactions in the fairs. Being a radically new concept, it raises a myriad of questions and suggestions”, relays the head technician. However, and despite the success of this first prototype, Coltec’s team prefers to be cautious when making projections. “It is a very recent technology. At this moment we still don’t have the equipment that enables its continuous production”, states Francisco Fernandes. “Raw materials are still very expensive and hard to work with, but whoever masters this technology will be very successful”, adds Célia silva. At any rate, the whole team is certain that the mattress cover is just the first of many possibilities. “Here we use pressure sensors, but we could do it with temperature sensors, for example. And it might be used not only for home textiles, but also on shoes and clothing, be it health, top-level sports or even fashion”, challenges Francisco Fernandes. The possibilities are endless, but for now the company is focused on showing this first product. “We are studying different scenarios, to understand what the market wants, and then we’ll think about our next move”, concludes the head technician. t

Crossing fashion with professional clothing is one of the bets of HR, a group that specialises in protective and security clothing, based in Mangualde, and a registered turnover of 7,6 million euro in 2018. “We plan on promoting a contest within fashion schools, with the purpose of incorporating design and fashion in technical protection and safety clothing”, reveals Fernando Mateus, CEO of the HR Group.

6,5 million

euro was Lameirinho's turnover in 2018, a 6% growth over the previous year

DUTCH TMO VISITS MORETEXTILE

A numerous group of teachers and students of the TMO Business School visited MoreTextile, whose production and business model became a case study in the prestigious Dutch school. The industrial conglomerate led by Artur Soutinho is the biggest home-textile group in Portugal, with a thousand workers and a business volume of 78 million euro (a 7% growth), of which over 90% was exported.

October 2019

M BREAKING THROUGH Caroline Loss Researcher at UBI Family Lives with her boyfriend Pedro, also a researcher at UBI. The rest of the family “is in Brazil” Training A PhD in Textile Engineering and Masters in Fashion Design (both at UBI with a grade of 19 out of 20), after the Bachelor degree in Fashion and Style from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (Brazil) Home A flat in Covilhã Car Nissan Leaf (she also owns a 94 Suzuki Swift for larger trips) Laptop MacBook Cellphone Xiaomi A2 Hobbies Binge-watching TV shows (Grey’s Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory and Suits are her favourites) Holidays When she’s not going to Brazil, she does road trips around Europe (she has gone from Portugal to Bosnia on her Suzuki) Golden Rule “Absorb and pass on the most amount of knowledge with everybody I cross paths with”

PHOTO: ANTÓNIO MOREIRA GONÇALVES

A Designer-Scientist with a sharp instinct When she went up on stage to receive the Innovation Award at the last edition of Techtextil, Caroline Loss saw the acknowledgment for her E-Caption, a technological jacket to which she dedicated the last years of her work and research. However, that prize was also proof that one of her goals had been accomplished: she had found “her way” of helping people, even when she had changed plans so many times. Native of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Caroline went through her school years with the idea of studying Medicine. However, by the time of “vestibular”– the exam that determines the access to Universities in Brazil – she decided to follow her gut. “I wanted to get to know the world, and if I was stuck in a hospital for the rest of my life, I would never be able to do that”, she justifies. And that was how fashion came into her life, with a decision so sudden that took everyone around her by surprise. “As fashion (in Portuguese, ‘moda’) and Medicine start with the same letter, my mother even asked me if I hadn’t filled out the form wrong, if I hadn’t made a mistake”, she tells. Back then, the degree of her native Caxias do Sul University still had the name “Fashion and Style”. The will to open new horizons led her to a semester in Buenos Aires, to Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, where she rediscovered her calling. “I had the most passionate first contact with textile design. My degree was directed towards fashion and not so much to the materials that are the basis of everything”, she recalls. Back in Brazil, she completes an internship at a home wear company – “I designed pyjamas with a sporty concept, which could be used on the street, to go to the market, for example” – where she remained for a while, accruing experience. “I felt like I designed things, but I didn’t quite know which materials to choose, so I wanted to study that side, and I wanted to do it abroad”. She looked for the best degree and her instinct brought her to Universidade da Beira Interior: “That’s where I want to go! The textile component was very strong and all the results in Google either mentioned Covilhã or Manchester”. She registered for the Fashion Design masters on August 2010, at the age of 21. The classes started in September and Caroline had never been to Portugal, nor Europe as a matter of fact. “I came on a late flight and took the last train of the night, which arrived in Covilhã at 11pm. The train station was under renovations, I had two hefty bags and taxis were nowhere to be seen. There was nobody there, it was a little frightening”, she evokes. Perceptions changed and rapidly she embraced the status of a Covilhã expat. In the first year of her Masters, during a class of tecnofashion, she saw the light. “I saw conductor textiles, textiles that switched lights on, textiles with channels for perspiration, and I was impressed with all this potential. I didn’t quite know how yet, but I knew that this was the field I would be working on”, and two years onward, she found herself completing her PhD in Textile Engineering. In 2012, she takes part in a research project centred on electromagnetic antennas made from textile materials that would become E-Caption, a protective jacket designed for telecom tower maintenance technicians. “In the beginning, it was very challenging for me because the team was made solely by engineers, and I was the only designer. I had a few notions of electromagnetism and optics, but I had to go back and study”, she says. Following a first version – “that still held a rigid plate” – the team developed the 2.0 version, totally made from textiles. At Techtextil the project left the jury in awe, and besides the award, there are companies interested on the technology, though the business model is still to be defined. Whatever the future might be, Caroline is certain of one thing. “When I didn’t go to Medicine, I reckoned I had to find another way of helping people”. The protective jacket is the proof that textile design went down the right course, but Caroline is still holding many cards up her sleeve. t

October 2019

X MY COMPANY Ballet Rosa

Rua da Peça, 1 Ronfe 4809-017 Guimarães

What do they make? Design and manufacturing of ballet leotards Export 95% of the production to 23 countries Main market United States of America (they own a commercial base in Chicago) Strategic investment China and other eastern markets (Japan, South Korea, etc.) Project To create a dance school in Guimarães Employees 70 collaborators

ONE STEP AT A TIME, FOOT BY FOOT PREPARES NEW BIG LEAP Foot by Foot is preparing a new leap forward, investing on new products to enter new market segments, with the goal of raising its turnover three million to 4,5 million, in two years’ time. “We’re looking for new equipment and new technologies. We would like to broaden our product range, perhaps some differentiated products in coating”, explains António Oliveira Pereira, 47, financial admnistrator of Foot by Foot.

"As talented as a designer may be, he’s not getting anywhere by himself" Ana Roncha Director of the London College of Fashion’s Master of Strategic Fashion Marketing

CRISPIM ABREU IS A HIT FOR SPANISH BRANDS With names such as Agatha Ruiz de La Prada, El Corte Inglès or Inditex amongst its clients, Crispim Abreu was highlighted by Pinker Moda magazine as a reference to the main Spanish brands. This is yet another report of the magazine’s visit to eight Portuguese textile companies, “a sector made of SMEs with a strong industrial mentality and good health, due to its specialization, technical products and immense added value”.

SALSA TARGETS SALES OF 220 MILLION, 15% ONLINE

The pas de deux of Luís and Adão When back in the year of ’98 he decided to learn how to dance, Luís Guimarães had no idea of how that small decision would forever change the course of his life. He was 30 years old and the love for salsa, merengue and cha-cha-cha came at first sight. “Dance is a discipline that exercises body and mind, besides stimulating movement coordination”, explains the entrepreneur, who at the moment of the coup de foudre owned a textile agency (Vence), which worked with several foreign brands, purchasing raw material and controlling the production. Luís – who entered the textile world at age 18, working for a weaving and finishing company owned by the Magalhães group – didn’t take long to sense the business potential of dance, and he set off to sniff out opportunities and ways to combine his new passion with his profession. By the turn of the millennium, an Internet search connected him with a Frenchman based in London who had a brand of ballet leotards – Wear Moi – that needed help upstream. They got together and established, right there and then, a partnership to relaunch the brand. For about eight years, they got along like God and the angels. Luís oversaw the manufacturing of the collection. The Frenchman was in charge of sales. Sadly, this marriage did not withstand the storm that took over following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. “The Frenchman grabbed the moulds and took the production to Tunisia”, relays Luís, who then went, for a couple of years, on a long

journey through the desert, working as a consultant for AEP and investing in his training. After having mourned this ugly divorce, he decided to go back, earlier this decade, to ballet leotards, this time with his own brand (Ballet Rosa) and production – and a far more reliable partner, Adão Coelho, with whom he had worked at Wear Moi (the production of the leotards was made at Adão’s uncle company, which closed in the meantime). “We bought the machines from Adão’s uncle and began operations with eight people”, recalls Luís. The first steps were the hardest. The sky was teeming with clouds. 2011 was the year the infamous Troika landed, but Ballet Rosa was lying in the sun soon enough. In 2012, two events, one in Florence and another one in Paris, comforted the two partners. In Florence, Ballet Rosa’s presence at Danza in Fiera went very well. And in the French capital, Luís was introduced to Isabelle Ciavarola, star of the Paris Ballet Opera, an encounter that marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship. “Isabelle had the dream of creating a collection that was more Parisian, very bold, with a type of product inexistent on the market at the time, and we helped her fulfil that dream, with invaluable gains in terms of image for us”, describes the founder of the Portuguese brand of ballet leotards and accessories – who after having established a solid basis in the US and Europe, is gearing up to broaden its presence in the gigantic Chinese market. t

José António Ramos, the new CEO of Salsa, has established the goal for the short and medium term, which aims to reach 15% of its sales via its online channels – for an estimated business volume of 220 million euro, by the end of 2019. Ramos emphasizes that “the online business is very profitable and gives us a guarantee of future. Many brands are still struggling to find a model that leads to a lucrative online. In that field, Salsa is clearly ahead of other same size brands”.

2 million

euro is how much Sorema is investing in a new warehouse

ATP WINS EUROPEAN PROMOTION AWARD ONCE MORE The cork-a-tex aATP was awarded European Enterprise Promotion Award a second time, now under the Entrepreneurship category, with the project Regeneração ITV. In last year’s edition, it had been awarded in the Internationalization category, with the Fashion From Portugal programme. The award was given by the president of IAPMEI, Nuno Mangas, and by the president of COSEC, Celeste Hagatong. Running side-by-side with ATP were dozens of projects from several countries.

October 2019

OPINION GAIN THE FUTURE Mário Jorge Machado ATP President

A COMPLEX CYCLE FRAUGHT WITH OPPORTUNITIES Paulo Vaz ATP General Director and T's Editor

Following 10 years of continuous growth, the Portuguese textile and clothing industry seems to be coming to a full cycle. Internal and externally, the change is happening, and a new paradigm for the textile and fashion business is forming at a great speed, demanding our full attention, so that the threats may be turned into opportunities – and that these may be fully availed by most of the sector’s companies. The globalization phenomenon, which seemed to be halting due to the United States’ protectionist policies, is still running at full speed, and free trade agreements of European initiative are bountiful – Canada, Japan and Mercosur, among many others –, a political and commercial space that we are a part of, thus promoting a growing openness to commercial trade, and the exponential increase of international competition, unfolding the possibilities, unlike in any other period in the history of our sector, for us to find new markets and new clients. On the other hand, new and powerful trends are shaping what the textile and fashion industry will become in the following years. Innovation – technology and creativity, essentially in the design – is joined by digitization, imposing new communication channels and exchange processes; and sustainability, in a broad sense that encompasses economic, environmental and social responsibility. The modern consumer is well-informed and car-

In an ever-changing world, those who stay in the same place are left behind. The Portuguese textile and clothing industry understood this pungent truth in the great competitive shock that stemmed from the global textile commerce liberalization in 2005, and went through the same trial when the economic and financial crisis hit the globe in 2008, started by the North-America subprime, and leading to a generalized downfall in consumption that affected the business ranks, eliminating the companies that were less prepared for this sort of extreme challenges. We are on the verge of something new that is still hard to pinpoint, which will certainly generate similar consequences to those felt during the first decade of this century. We only know that the fast fashion business model is going through a crisis, and that these companies are struggling to reinvent it and to give it continuity. We know that the online commerce is gaining traction to traditional offline commerce every day, but we also know that one will not survive without the other, in

ries a great awareness, refusing the old paradigms that allowed for the success of fast fashion, at an enormous cost for less developed geographies. These paradigms are increasingly less accepted and far less tolerated. If we combine values, technology and circular economy, we certainly face a diverse world, radically different and much more demanding than what we were used to. That is also the challenge that our textile and clothing industry is facing, where today’s solutions can no longer be relied upon to approach the problems that the future is already bringing. It is important to underline, however, that the Portuguese textile and clothing industry is still showing an extraordinary resilience and ability to adapt to the most extreme challenges, remaining a structured, integrated and dynamic cluster, rising in the value chain, and presenting a constant growth of its productivity. We are facing a particularly hard and challenging economic environment. We should not delude ourselves about the difficulties that the sector and the country might still face, in a logic of transformation and uncertainty. However, more than ever, it is vital to join efforts, look for consensus and convergence in the collective strategy that we must follow, and never go without the indispensable common sense to guarantee survival, consolidate the regeneration and gain the future. t

an omnichannel type of logic. We know that sustainability (and circular economy) is no longer just activism – it is now mainstream and has been adopted by every brand as a structural demand built into their concept and business model, creating opportunities in the entire value chain, from product conception to production, logistics and communication. We know, furthermore, that on the account of the aforementioned, to which one might add the anticipation of a generalized economic crisis that could come in a few years, a decrease in consumption of fashion articles is already being felt, especially in developed countries, which will forcefully dictate the new logic for an entire business and, perhaps, its very reinvention. We know that the Portuguese textile and clothing industry underwent a deep purge of its entire productive capacity about a decade ago. The companies that survived are stronger and more prepared for the global challenges, especially after undertaking massive investments on several domains, from equipment to training, and

also because of it are under further pressure to satisfy the financial commitments that enabled their modernization. We are dealing with a complex scenario, which is ahead of us and will define the new cycle – and whether the growth from recent years continues or is interrupted with consequences hard to measure right now. This is what we will be witnessing over the next few years, in an international context marked by uncertainty, by volatility and geo-economic conflicts, of which the “trade war” between the U.S. and China is but an example. An unstable juncture is not necessarily negative, for it opens unexpected business opportunities, to which economic deciders have to keep an eye out for and should be able to act upon. The Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry has faced, in the recent past, more serious threats, seemingly impossible to overcome, and surpassed them. We have all the conditions for history to repeat itself successfully once again, as long as there is will, audacity, tenacity and resilience. That is what I am counting on! t

October 2019

Maria José Carvalho CITEVE´s Head of the Agenda for Sustainability and Circular Economy

Francisco Mesquita Professor and co-author, with Madeleine Müller, of the book “Brave Sustainable Fashion – Dressing a New World”, 2018)

ITECHSTYLE GREEN CIRCLE IS MY PRIDE AND JOY

SUSTAINABILITY: TCI’S TREND AND ESSENCE

Portugal’s textile and clothing industry (TCI) is internationally acknowledged for its excellence in terms of sustainability. Products with sustainable or circular credentials are the most visible aspect of this excellence, which is reinforced by the sustainable production practises present in our companies. It’s putting the icing on the cake, as they say: since we have a TCI prepared for the worldwide challenge of transitioning into a sustainable and circular development model, we need a space that enables us to show the world the best of what is done in our sector. Thus comes iTechStyle Green Circle – sustainable showcase. Therefore, a dynamic partnership between Associação Selectiva Moda, CITEVE and Paulo Gomes, launched in September 2018, during the ongoing MODtissimo, the iTechStyle Green Circle. The main goal of this showcase was to promote the excellence of the Portuguese textile products in terms of sustainability and circular economy. One of the primary purposes of this initiative, since its very inception, was to present the sustainable textile products in an attractive way, as opposed to a certain trend that typically associates sustainability with flavourless products. This launch was an astounding success. Besides becoming much visited and commented during MODtissimo, the products were presented in several international trade fairs, including a strong presence at January’s edition of Neonyt, in Berlin. Having tested the concept, in 2019 we evolved to the 1st edition of iTechStyle Green circle. For this edition, we started taking in applications and defined the selection criteria, opening the possibility for any type of material/product associated with textiles, and we broadened it to the various sectors beyond fashion, such as home textiles, sports, auto, and many others. I have no doubt that the second edition of iTechStyle Green Circle will outshine the success of its debut edition. No doubt about it because I know what will be showcased, whether in terms of materials (threads, fabrics, knits, non-fabrics and buttons) as well as final products (clothing and home textiles), as I also know who are the creators involved. In this year’s edition we will find new materials made from natural sources, recycled fibres, biodegradable fibres, incorporation of residue into textile structures, marked fibres, attainment of colour with minimal environmental impact and even a new concept for easily dismantling a clothing garment. The people who know me know I’m proudly Portuguese and that I defend our textile and clothing industry with all I’ve got. And the people who know iTechStyle Green Circle – sustainable showcase, understand my pride! t

The Textile and Clothing Industry (TCI) is dynamic, competitive and plural, having been since always one of humankind’s main activities. In addition to the vital function of dressing, garnishing and building meanings, it is transversal to several fields, in the sense that ideas, dreams, trends, materials, skills and technologies are tested and put to use. It is, as a matter of fact, an industry permanently looking for the best solutions to satisfy the consumer, always eager for functional, aesthetic and symbolic novelties. The dynamism of our TCI, the use of increasingly advanced technologies in our production, the new materials, namely the synthetic fibres introduced halfway through the last century, and the rise of consumption and globalization in the last decade of the 20th century, have led us to a society of abundance, where the notion of social well-being became equated with the accumulation of material goods. Astronomical sums were invested, generating profound changes related to production and mass consumption. Between 2000 and 2015, the production of clothing and its respective sale doubled, while the using factor during that same period plummeted [Ellen MacArthur Foundation]. Coincidentally, the TCI has become the second most polluting industry, consequence of the excessive consumption and of the chemicals used in the fibres treatment and improvement, notwithstanding dyeing, washing and all the processes throughout its complex chain. Greenhouse gas emissions come from several sources, such as transportation, animal farming (in the cases of wool and leather), the type of fibre used (for polyester, the origin is petroleum), the water and energy consumption, the using phase where the consumers’ responsibility kicks in and, especially, the clothes’ disposal for the sake of aesthetic reasons, typical of fashion’s ephemeral nature, as Lipovetsky has pointed out. Almost arriving at a point of no return, as some advocate, the reinvention of this industry has been undergoing for the past few years. That is, the market’s inclination towards a more sustainable fashion and, with it, the need to fulfil methodologies that protect the environment and that are socially just and culturally accepted, since this new pillar of sustainable development also brings a change to society’s values, when handling issues that involve ethics or aesthetics. Both are (or they should be) deeply intertwined. There is no alternative path, other than through adequate practises and consumption. Or, put it another way, the option made by the brands and consumers should seed this path. The brand, as a responsible entity environmentally committed to its production dynamics; and the consumer, watchful, demanding and conscious that his purchasing options contribute to a more balanced world. What is asked from everybody involved, brands and consumers – to all of us, after all – is that in the production-purchase axis, the environment, the people, and the associated cost, in a fair proportion, be the determining variables. If we do it, and the signs seem to point that way, the legacy for future generations will be far more promising. t

October 2019

MY RESTAURANTS

LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT

by: Manuel Serrão

O Valentim Terrace R. Gago Coutinho 11 4450-142 Matosinhos

A ROOFTOP NAMED AFTER A TERRACE

Why are terraces, which are growing in numbers all over Matosinhos, all covered? During the day they is clearly meant to provide protection from the unforgiving sun, but for lunch and dinner the real reason is none other than the fear of the seagull scourge! I hope that no fundamentalist from the People and Animal Party is reading this article, otherwise they might sue me for having no respect for that bird that respects nothing and no one! This reasoning comes in order to understand why Valentim identifies itself as a terrace, in spite of being more of a rooftop. Names aside, what really matters is that they serve the best grilled fish one can find in Matosinhos, which may and should be preceded by the sautéed squid, always precisely cooked. My friend Rui Sousa Dias (whose ancestors came from the textile world) “forged” this Terrace from the Valentim Hotel, set-up in between the traditional Valentim restaurant and this new space on the top floor of the same building. Together with Dom Peixe (which, in the meantime, took over the space of the old Sempr’Assar) he created a gallery of great meals, of which Matosinhos can only be proud. The rest of us need only to enjoy. Despite the fish market, this terrace might just have the best view out of the restaurants in the area because of its elevation, and you are not kept waiting for the fish, since a grill has been installed on the balcony. The smoke from the grilled is then joined by the others made by patrons, killing two birds with one stone... Nevertheless the avoidable habit, for the sake of everyone’s health! t

Zé Armindo Ferraz, 44, Inarbel CEO, a company that brings in six million euro – over 90% exported, and 20% through its own brand (Dr. Kid). He was born and raised in Vila Boa de Quires, Marco de Canaveses, and became a professional footballer. The debut happened in the Recreational Association of Tulhas, and the retirement in Bolton, at the age of 28, having played for Marco, Boavista and Penafiel. He is married to Élia, with whom he has two children: Rafael, 16, and Gabriel, 12, both perfectly at ease playing ball (they play for Penafiel). He produces the Green wine Pecado Capital

Likes

Dislikes

Persistence Simplicity Smoking moderately Oranges and apples Chocolate mousse Roasted lamb Porto style tripe Brill Cabidela rice Pop music Listening to RFM and TSF Porto To travel (I’m happy when I leave, but happier when I come back) Waking-up early Sweating in the gym The heat The Beach iPhone Boxers Shorts Jeans Slim fit shirts Sunglasses Mercedes To drive Green wine Trainers Playing Sueca Dogs – I have two: Fee (a German Shepherd) and Vox (a Belgian Shepherd) Classical shoes FCPorto

Two-faced people Lies Stubborn people (despite being one) Tattoos Piercings Rings (wedding ring being the exception) Shaving machines Blowing fans Facebook (might be a good work tool, but on a personal level is a trap and a place for hookups) Coconut cakes Turnip soup Eel Cheese Indian food River fish Holly Sunday Tanning rooms The smell of sweat Cold feet Dampness Wind at the beach Snow Mosquitoes Slippers Lace less shoes Mice SLBenfica

October 2019

SONIX’S ANTI-INSECT TECHNOLOGY PATENTED IN EUROPE A new European patent has just been approved for an insect-repellent technology applied to textiles. Composed of silica nanoparticles, the Sil2U® Anti-Insect was created in Portugal by Success Gadget (Sonix group). Used in the making of hunting and fishing clothes, it stands out for its unique repellent solution that doesn’t hurt the environment.

202

million euro was the consolidated business volume of the Cordex group in 2018, which represents a 12% growth over the previous year

MÁRIO JORGE MACHADO IS ATP’S NEW PRESIDENT

SCABAL BUYS 60% OF CBI2, IN MANGUALDE Mário Jorge Machado, 57, administrator of the Adalberto Estampados, was elected the new chairman of the ATP’s board for the 2019-21 triennium, ahead of a single list, which keeps the previous presidents of the other two governing bodies. Isabel Furtado (TMG) and Miguel Pedrosa Rodrigues (Pedrosa & Rodrigues) are the new vice presidents of the ATP board. Also noteworthy is the presence of the two previous presidents (Paulo Melo and João Costa) in the new direction. t

FLOR DA MODA REVAMPS ANA SOUSA Flor da Moda is repositioning its retail presence by revamping the brand Ana Sousa. In addition, the company it’s also launching a new brand (Temperatura), as well as rebranding its 58-store network, both in Portugal and abroad (Spain, Luxembourg, Angola and South Africa). “We are aiming for high end customers, and changes will not only come to the image, quality and style. Everything will change, including the service”, explains Rute Sousa (in the photo), 35, who has been working at Flor da Moda’s financial management department since she graduated in Economy from FEP. The rebranding (designed in cooperation with Ivity, by Carlos Coelho) of the group’s stores network should be complete by 2021, and is estimated to cost three million euro. “Launching Temperatura was an idea that aro-

se from an internal effort to reposition the Ana Sousa brand. At a given moment, we felt that we would gain by launching a new brand, destined to a younger audience, in addition to refreshing our traditional brand”, describes Rute Sousa, Flor da Moda’s new manager for Distribution. Aimed at younger women, from 25 to 35 years old, with overall prices averaging 30% less than those of its older sister (Ana Sousa), the new brand will debut together with the Fall/Winter collection in Ana Sousa corner stores. “We needed to take a big leap, something that would give us a new energy. We were very excited about this disruptive move”, concludes Rute, one of three elements of the Executive Commission (the remaining are Nuno Sousa and Carlos Pires da Silva) that runs Flor da Moda. t

The Belgian group Scabal acquired from CBI a 60% stake in CBI 2, the first custom-made industrial factory in Portugal, operating since 2018. With 100 workers transferred from the mother company, CBI 2 produces 60 tailor-made suits per day, and is investing to double its production capacity by the end of 2020. The Belgian shareholder gets 70% of the company’s production.

"We have 16 thousand solar panels that produce clean energy and make-up 1/3 of our energy needs" Paulo Augusto de Oliveira Paulo de Oliveira CEO

RDD DOUBLES SALES UP TO 4 MILLION IN 2019 RDD – Research, Design & Development – has matched, during 2019 first semester, the two-million-euro sales record set in 2018 (the first full year of their activity), thereby estimating a four-million-euro turnover for this year. For 2020, the R&D company of the Valerius group hasn’t quantified objectives yet, but has a very specific medium term goal – reaching 10 million euro in sales by 2024.

TROFICOLOR TEACHES OLD FABRIC NEW TRICKS

6DIAS OWNS NEW INDUSTRIAL BASE BY PURCHASING TIMING TÊXTIL 6Dias has just accrued an industrial base by purchasing the bankrupt Timing Têxtil, in Trofa, a former factory dedicated to warping, weaving and dyeing. Specialists in fabrics, the company founded in a garage a dozen years ago by Carlos (father) and Patrícia Dias (daughter) takes its great leap. Overall, 6Dias estimates a total investment of five million, from buying the insolvent company to recovering it and acqui-

ring new machinery. “We will be able to do most of the production in the new factory, which will also do outside work. The dyeing section, for example, had already reached a capacity of 1.6 million metres every month”, states Patrícia Dias. The second life of the former Timing Têxtil (neighbouring the headquarters of 6Dias) is set to begin in October, but the

new complex will only reach full steam within two or three years. By then it should employ around 200 people. Specialized in fabrics – with printed jacquard lining as its strongest product, along with some denims, cottons, viscose and polyesters, coloured and custom printed – 6Dias registered a turnover of 5.8 million euro in 2018, in line with the previous year. t

Upcycling is the keyword of Troficolor’s the project, which consists of using creativity to give a new life to overproduction pieces that were stuck in stocks. “The true sustainability is here since reusing fabric avoids all the environmental costs of a brand-new production, which means 0% water consumption, energy or chemicals”, explain Carlos Serra, Troficolor CEO.