"MADE IN PORTUGAL" CALLS THE SHOTS IN ITALY
The fabrics of Arco Têxteis, Lemar, Paulo de Oliveira, Penteadora, Riopele, Somelos Tecidos and Tessimax cross the warp and weft of innovation and sophistication in their collections for autumn/winter 2013-2014 displayed at Milano Unica.
Country of textile and fashion, Italy, however, has also surrendered to design and quality of the fabrics “made in Portugal”. There are many and diverse Italian names that supply themselves in Portuguese companies: Giorgio Armani does not loose Riopele’s “Çeramica” fabrics and United Colors of Benetton always goes to the sea with the multicoloured stripes of Lemar, for example. Italy’s is even the first market for some of the companies that are part of the Portuguese delegation at Milano Unica, namely for Somelos Tecidos and Lemar itself. And the new proposals announced for Autumn/Winter 2013-2014 promise to forge closer ties with old clients and conquer many more in the textile golden “Boot”.
A more casual fashion but not less technologically revolutionary is what prescribe the Portuguese companies against the low temperatures of next year’s cold season. Arco Têxteis, for instance, worked on soft and warm materials for its new shirting fabrics, also guided by innovative finishing and patterns. Special finishing, moreover, were in the sightline of the Portuguese fabrics displayed in this edition of Milano Unica: Paulo de Oliveira has developed new finishing for its wool fabrics and blends, while Lemar has privileged the functionality of the finishing, without forget the fashion aspect. «We have developed a multifunction concept, with products that are easy to use and care», says Manuela Araújo, Lemar’s CEO, that also exhibits «a beach pre-collection for Summer 2014» in the Italian fabric’s show. Penteadora, on its side, proposes a large selection in terms fabrics for jackets and trousers, since the request of the market is for «a less formal way of dressing», states Paolo Zantonelli, sales manager of the company that belongs to Paulo de Oliveira Group, like Tessimax. In the offer of this specialist in wool are highlighted new woolen flannels and carded fabrics in different wool blends which can be made up in jackets and overcoats without lining. «Milano Unica allows confirming Penteadora’s position on the European market», sustains Penteadora’s sales manager. «In general 2012 has been difficult until now but we were able to keep the volumes and the market share of 2011 – this for us is a very positive result. Therefore we would like to maintain also for the future this condition, trying to increase in particular the efforts in the corporate business to compensate the instability of the fashion area», explains.
Portuguese Textile and Apparel Industry’s exportations to Italy increased 97.5% in the first six months of 2012, overcoming 587 million Euros (ATP data). Though Portugal supplies Italy mainly with knitted and woven apparel (that, together, represent almost 65% of the exportations), Portuguese fabrics and knits’ producers have a strong reputation with major Italian brands. Evidence of that is a 112.2% increase in special fabrics exportations seen between January and July 2012, as well as cotton fabrics’ exportations, that exceeded 5.6 million Euros in the first six months of the year.
These seven Portuguese companies are at Milano Unica with the support of Associação Selectiva Moda, under the project From Portugal financed by EU funds (QREN). This fabrics trade fair is one of the 68 international actions in 25 different markets predicted for this year, that also include in the second semester Première Vision, in France, Textillegprom, in Russia, Jitac, in Japan, and Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, in China, in a total investment of 8.85 million Euros.
