FROM PORTUGAL COMMITTEE BRINGS SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION TO MILANO UNICA

Benefiting from its location in Milan, considered the fashion capital par excellence, the renowned Milano Unica is returning for what will be the 38th edition of the event. As usual, the reference fair for the global textile sector will feature the participation of the most important European producers, mostly Italian, with the Korea Observatory and the Japan Observatory participation, which celebrates 20 presences in this edition and will feature 37 Japanese companies.

Testing participation in Milano Unica for the second time, Magma Têxtil is looking forward to traveling to Italy where “Milan being an iconic city in the field of fashion, there are several renowned luxury fashion houses” the company hopes “to receive some mid-range and high-end brands from the Italian fashion circuit and other international brands positioned at the same level of quality”, says Joana Guimarães.

Admitting a growth in digital platforms, Joana Guimarães considers that “this is not enough for customers to choose a product” and that “contact with suppliers is essential”, thus justifying participation in Milano Unica. As for the collection, Magma Têxtil will present “knits with pastel tones, elegant gradients, silky and comfortable touches, knit-like structures, and robust knits with a vintage look. We continue to promote recycled fibers and natural finishes use: already a constant in the collection and something that has great notoriety among our customers”.

Recognizing the “innovation in sustainable fabrics” proposed in all editions of MILANO UNICA, Lemar returns to the event in which it has participated for over ten years. “With the Italian market being one of our main business areas, we selected for Milan the proposals with the most innovative fibers on the market, which put us at the forefront of this context”, explains Flávio Dias.

The debutant in this edition of Milano Unica is LS Malhas which, explains Maria Sá, managing director of the company, is present taking into account “the differentiated projection [of Milano Unica] by the customers who visit it”. Interested in growing business with markets such as the United States, Italy, Germany, and some Nordic countries, LS Malhas brings to Milan “blends with sustainable fibers such as food waste (mushrooms, mint, pineapple, coffee), regenerative cotton, recycled cotton (RFIVEPROJECT), natural vegetable fibers such as nettle, hemp and within animal fibers, YAK, which has been very receptive”, says Maria Sá, without forgetting the options available in circulosis and biodegradable products.

Troficolor Denim Makers also has no history of previous editions, and this represents its first participation in the Italian fair. “It’s the first time we’re participating, but we know it’s fair that welcomes visitors from all over the world… That’s why we hope, in addition to solidifying relationships with customers we’ve been following for a few years, to establish new contacts with a wide range of value-added customers”, explains Teresa Reis. Focusing on the Italian market, Troficolor Denim Makers presents a collection dedicated to the principles of Responsibility and Transparency in the SS 25 season. “Based on these assumptions, for the new SS25 collection, we present a diversity of fabric proposals produced with sustainable fibers, such as BCI cotton, organic cotton with GOTS / OCS certification, recycled cotton, and polyester with GRS / RCS certification, Tencel TM, regenerated cellulose, linen, and Hemp, as well as natural dyeing processes such as vegetable indigo and mineral dyeing”, reveals Teresa Reis, who also highlights the concepts of ECRU (variety of fabrics ready to use their natural color) and Upcycling (creative reuse of existing fabrics) developed by Troficolor.

More experienced at Milano Unica, with half a dozen participations, is Fitecom, which returns to what João Carvalho, CEO of the company, describes as “one of the most important fairs in our sector of activity”. And he justifies this statement: “a fair with high prestige for the Italian market and Italy being an inspiration for world fashion, we hope to receive visits from several countries, especially Asian ones”. With several meetings already scheduled, the result of work developed over several years and participation in the relevant Milanese event, Fitecom will present a collection that stands out for “ecological products, fabrics dyed with natural dyes, made with natural fibers and polyester recycled”, concludes João Carvalho.

The participation of Portuguese SME companies in MILANO UNICA is an initiative of Selectiva Moda and ATP – Associação Têxtil e Vestuário de Portugal, which aims to promote the internationalization of Portuguese companies in the Fashion area. The “From Portugal” project is co-financed by the European Union, within the scope of Portugal 2030, through the Compete 2030 – Innovation and Digital Transition thematic program.