Design, quality, accumulated know-how over generations and a great passion for leather goods. These seem to be some ingredients for the success of the Portuguese leather goods sector. Fast-growing, this is a sector ready to face the future, that welcomes every day new faces and brands.
New talents arrive in the sector
It ran the year 2018 when Ana Matos Oliveira launched Cluoh, a brand that blends in fashion, illustration and design. The founder, with an academic background in graphic design and marketing, realized, alongside a group of friends, that there were no handbags with patterns they could identify with.
New campaign: the Journey
Concerning exports, 2021 shows good indicators. In the first half of the year, the sector reported growth of 21.4%, reaching 84 million euros. Spain (up by 6.1% to 21 million euros), France (up by 14.9% to 16 million euros), Turkey (up by 31.8% to 11 million euros) and EUA (up by 370% to 7 million euros) support the affirmation of the sector in foreign markets.
Ana Maria Vasconcelos believes that the "sector is growing and forecasts that the coming months will be very encouraging”. The responsible for Belcinto points out the versatility and quick response as some success factors of the sector in foreign markets. Recently, the historic company has launched the brand Leather Goods.
"At Leather Goods, we have set ourselves a serious, difficult, but achievable goal: to produce only from the remains of raw materials from other collections, reusing them and using them in full, without generating new "leftovers” in the process”, revealed Ana Maria Vasconcelos. "This forced us – she continued – to think the design rigorously, to invent new compositions and combinations that keep appealing consumers, to risk and challenge the team’s creativity, beginning from an idea that is dear to us – regard one item in all its potential, satisfying completely functionality issues while pleasing and even surprising the consumers, keeping us up to date without compromising on sustainability”. To the launch of the brand, Belcinto looked "at raw materials and accessories that had been standing still for a long time, as one looks lengthy to a treasure, knowing its value. We have experienced, recombined and came up with new hypotheses”.
António – a handmade story has just celebrated four years of activity. It was born from the heart of the António Mateus family, with sustainability and design as its mainstays. "There is something very interesting about our industry that deserves to be valued: the handcraft know-how”, says Ana Mateus. The responsible for António believes that one of the reasons for the brand’s success was "the timelessness of the forms. We realized that they do not go out of style and that customers continue to choose this kind of product”.
Every day, new faces arrive in the sector. In their luggage, they bring new ideas, cutting-edge designs and new concepts. And they promise to be the future of this sector.
It is the case of Ownever, which was born from Eliana Barros’s dream of creating a handbag that did not go out of style. "I wanted to make a difference in a world where consumerism is rampant, and in no way contribute to the fast fashion industry. We are at a turning point in history that will mark future generations. We must have the ability to choose better – and less is truly more”, it can be read on the brand’s website.
So, in March 2021, Ownever was born, with a singularity: lifetime warranty, or better, 136 years of warranty. Inspired by the French lifestyle and by icons such as Françoise Hardy or Emmanuelle Alt, the brand wants to differentiate itself through a fair price, which reflects not only the raw materials used, but also the artisans that create the piece. "In addition to the use of sustainable materials, I believe that it must be ensured that workers, the planet, and the people that inhabit it are truly taken into account when creating a product”.
Architecture and sustainability are the foundations of Carui Atelier, the brand created by Elena e Maria João. Carui is an accessories and handbags brand with an architectural feature, functional design and, above all, responsible and (each day more) sustainable. "By adding responsibility, truth and tradition, Carui was born”, it can be read on the brand’s website.
"Carui is the starting point of this path. It is a brand that sees fashion as an eternal interpretation of art, that inspires and creates a legacy of timeless pieces that should be passed on from generation to generation. Pieces whose soul will incorporate memories and stories that will make them ever more iconic and special”.
It was born, then, Cluoh, a name that combines the words ‘classic’ and ‘clutches’, with the interjection ‘oh’. This project arose from the eagerness of CLUOH’s founders to create a brand representing their values and passions. It is the result of a group of creative minds and the fusion of their characters and personalities”.
The Journey sets the tone for the new campaign of the leather goods and leather goods sector. With Oporto as a backdrop, the sector ‘boards’ in a new journey around the world.