More than 10 000 companies, responsible for 150 thousand jobs, headquartered in the North, within a radius of 50 square kilometres from Porto, make the Portuguese fashion cluster an example in Europe.
Every year, more than 7 billion euros of exports in textiles, clothing, footwear and jewellery leave Portugal to the world. The country wants now to be a major international reference in the development of sustainable solutions. To that end, it will invest more than 200 million euros in the next three years.
Introducing the Portuguese offer in an integrated way, and its latest innovations, is the goal of the "Showcase Portugal” action, promoted by APICCAPS and AICEP Portugal Global, in partnership with ANIVEC, AORP, ATP, CENIT and PortugalFoods, that will take place on the 28th of April, in Stockholm, Sweden, at 16h00, in Ibeyostudio*, with the support of the Compete 2020 Programme.
The event, which brings together the sector’s organizations, will consist of a roundtable with the contributions of Ana Tavares (CITEVE), Fátima Santos (AORP), and Maria José Ferreira (Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre), and of a showcase with the latest innovations of the sector in the domains of sustainability and circular economy will be exhibited.
According to Carlos Moura, "sustainability is part of the Swedish daily life, across all fields, at all times”. "Today – continued the responsible for AICEP in Stockholm – in Sweden, sustainability is assumed as a natural factor integrated into any activity”. In this sense, "as Portugal is a major sustainable producer, the Swedish doors are even wider open”. In some sectors, "like fashion (our home), food products and wine, as well as services, Portugal presents itself as a natural partner for Swedish companies and consumers”. "Portugal is well-positioned in this field”, concluded Carlos Moura.
The head of AICEP in Stockholm believes that "the Portuguese fashion has to offer to Sweden a sustainable, local, and talent-based production”. In fact, "over the past years, the production centre has begun to shift from the Orient (back) to Europe. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have accentuated this trend, and Portugal became a natural market in this sector”.
Comprised of 1 500 companies, which are responsible for 40 thousand jobs, the footwear sector is an example of competitiveness in Portugal. "Currently, we export more than 95% of our production to 170 countries across five continents”, assumes Luís Onofre. For the President of APICCAPS, the association’s sector, "the know-how accumulated by generations, associated with large investments in the technological area, make Portugal a reference player at an international level. We produce excellent footwear, at a fair price” he admits.
In the next three years, the footwear sector will invest 140 million euros. "We want Portugal to be a great reference internationally in the development of sustainable solutions”, highlights Luís Onofre.
"Portugal has the largest textile cluster in Europe”, defends Mário Jorge Machado, president of ATP (Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal). "We are talking about a sector that is one of the great national exporters, and about 80% of the companies are ‘neighbours’, within a radius of 50 kilometres around Famalicão”, explained the leader of ATP, "in a cluster that covers municipalities such as Fafe, Guimarães, Barcelos, Santo Tirso, Trofa and Porto”.
Every year, more than 7 billion euros of exports in textiles, clothing, footwear and jewellery leave Portugal to the world. The country wants now to be a major international reference in the development of sustainable solutions. To that end, it will invest more than 200 million euros in the next three years.
Introducing the Portuguese offer in an integrated way, and its latest innovations, is the goal of the "Showcase Portugal” action, promoted by APICCAPS and AICEP Portugal Global, in partnership with ANIVEC, AORP, ATP, CENIT and PortugalFoods, that will take place on the 28th of April, in Stockholm, Sweden, at 16h00, in Ibeyostudio*, with the support of the Compete 2020 Programme.
The event, which brings together the sector’s organizations, will consist of a roundtable with the contributions of Ana Tavares (CITEVE), Fátima Santos (AORP), and Maria José Ferreira (Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre), and of a showcase with the latest innovations of the sector in the domains of sustainability and circular economy will be exhibited.
According to Carlos Moura, "sustainability is part of the Swedish daily life, across all fields, at all times”. "Today – continued the responsible for AICEP in Stockholm – in Sweden, sustainability is assumed as a natural factor integrated into any activity”. In this sense, "as Portugal is a major sustainable producer, the Swedish doors are even wider open”. In some sectors, "like fashion (our home), food products and wine, as well as services, Portugal presents itself as a natural partner for Swedish companies and consumers”. "Portugal is well-positioned in this field”, concluded Carlos Moura.
The head of AICEP in Stockholm believes that "the Portuguese fashion has to offer to Sweden a sustainable, local, and talent-based production”. In fact, "over the past years, the production centre has begun to shift from the Orient (back) to Europe. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have accentuated this trend, and Portugal became a natural market in this sector”.
Comprised of 1 500 companies, which are responsible for 40 thousand jobs, the footwear sector is an example of competitiveness in Portugal. "Currently, we export more than 95% of our production to 170 countries across five continents”, assumes Luís Onofre. For the President of APICCAPS, the association’s sector, "the know-how accumulated by generations, associated with large investments in the technological area, make Portugal a reference player at an international level. We produce excellent footwear, at a fair price” he admits.
In the next three years, the footwear sector will invest 140 million euros. "We want Portugal to be a great reference internationally in the development of sustainable solutions”, highlights Luís Onofre.
"Portugal has the largest textile cluster in Europe”, defends Mário Jorge Machado, president of ATP (Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal). "We are talking about a sector that is one of the great national exporters, and about 80% of the companies are ‘neighbours’, within a radius of 50 kilometres around Famalicão”, explained the leader of ATP, "in a cluster that covers municipalities such as Fafe, Guimarães, Barcelos, Santo Tirso, Trofa and Porto”.
César Araújo, president of ANIVEC, adds that "the textile and clothing
ecosystem is unique: we bring together all aspects of the supply chain.
We are the example of proximity, from the wiring to the distribution of
the finished parts”. César Araújo defends that Portugal can also be a
model at the sustainability level. "Sustainability is much more than a
choice for organic or recycled raw materials. It also includes
transparency at every stage of the supply chain, durability and
timelessness”, he highlighted.
In the same line of thought, Mario Jorge argues that "sustainability is also efficiency in the use of resources, optimization of processes, reduction of waste, commitment to renewable and clean energies, but also responsibility and social ethics, practices strongly implemented in the Portuguese companies in the textiles and clothing sectors”. The ATP President emphasizes "the importance of the circular economy, from design to recycling, for which it is essential to know well the components of textile waste that will be generated in the community market so that they return to the production process safely”.
Portuguese jewellery also crosses oceans. "The centuries-old heritage of generations dedicated to the art of goldsmithing, manufacturing, attention and detail set Portuguese jewellery apart”, reveals Fátima Santos. The Secretary-General of the Jewellery Association (AORP) recalls that "national brands are combining their know-how with contemporary design concepts, closer to the new patterns of consumption and fashion. It is this ability and knowledge that make the Portuguese jewellery sector so unique”.
According to Fátima Santos, the sector, on one hand, is based on an "industry dedicated to the production for third parties, that stands out for the quality, quick response and flexibility in adapting to smaller-scale productions, more exclusive, which are currently being sought by international brands”, combining for this "technique with innovation, manufacturing with technology, incorporating good sustainable practices – some intrinsic to the activity, such as waste reduction, the recycling of raw materials and the commitment to the quality and the long cycle life of products, in a eulogy for the principles of slow fashion” and, on the other hand, "a new generation of designers and entrepreneurs who are inspired by our legacy and bring a contemporary vision of the product, business, communication, opening new paths for new audiences, at a global scale”.
At the end, guests will be treated with a cocktail of Portuguese products, with the seal PortugueseFoods, which includes companies like Água Monchique, Amendouro, Compal, Nuts Original, Sumol, Vieira and Yoçor.
*Ibeyostudio, Kammakargatan, 11
Portuguese jewellery also crosses oceans. "The centuries-old heritage of generations dedicated to the art of goldsmithing, manufacturing, attention and detail set Portuguese jewellery apart”, reveals Fátima Santos. The Secretary-General of the Jewellery Association (AORP) recalls that "national brands are combining their know-how with contemporary design concepts, closer to the new patterns of consumption and fashion. It is this ability and knowledge that make the Portuguese jewellery sector so unique”.
According to Fátima Santos, the sector, on one hand, is based on an "industry dedicated to the production for third parties, that stands out for the quality, quick response and flexibility in adapting to smaller-scale productions, more exclusive, which are currently being sought by international brands”, combining for this "technique with innovation, manufacturing with technology, incorporating good sustainable practices – some intrinsic to the activity, such as waste reduction, the recycling of raw materials and the commitment to the quality and the long cycle life of products, in a eulogy for the principles of slow fashion” and, on the other hand, "a new generation of designers and entrepreneurs who are inspired by our legacy and bring a contemporary vision of the product, business, communication, opening new paths for new audiences, at a global scale”.
At the end, guests will be treated with a cocktail of Portuguese products, with the seal PortugueseFoods, which includes companies like Água Monchique, Amendouro, Compal, Nuts Original, Sumol, Vieira and Yoçor.
*Ibeyostudio, Kammakargatan, 11