PORTUGUESE FABRICS DEFY THE COLD

There are 28 Portuguese companies in this edition of Première Vision Pluriel in Paris under the umbrella brand From Portugal, promoted by Associação Selectiva Moda. Divided by the salons Première Vision (fabrics), Expofil (yarns) and Zoom (apparel), these companies are ready to conquered, with their new collections, the preferences of the French clients, with France being nowadays the second destination, behind Spain, of the Portuguese textile and apparel industry’s exports, with purchases amounting to approximately 400 million euros between January and July 2014 (+12.9% in comparison with 2013).

At Première Vision, 19 companies unveil the materials and designs that will, undoubtedly weave autumn-winter 2015/2016. An offer that can be seen in the Trend Forum From Portugal, where the season’s colours are on the spotlight: blue, brown and sprinkles of orange, «a tone that, although not being at Première Vision’s palette, will be important, including for the next season», says Teresa Pereira, from Citeve, the person responsible for the idea of this forum. The shades of the Portuguese knits and fabrics are dark but have colour, with some dashes of vivid tones. The tri-dimensional aspects, jacquard and micro-motifs are some of the highlights of the collections that can be seen and touched in this Trend Forum already unavoidable in the Parisian salon of fabrics.

Wool, imperative to fight the low temperatures, is presented alone or in blends with noble fibres, with tri-dimensional structures and geometric patterns such as the ones proposed by Albano Morgado and Living Colours, micro-structures like in Penteadora and in dark tones, such as shown by Tessimax and Paulo de Oliveira, the latter also suggesting wool fabrics for suits with fantasy yarns. «We have good expectations, since our collections in the last two years have received enormous compliments for its quality and product portfolio», states António Teixeira, Penteadora’s sales director, which also presents as novelty «pure wool fabrics for sportswear jackets». While at Fitecom, fabrics in superfine wool and new finishing in traditional materials are on the spotlight. «There is a general diminishing on weight, keeping the rustic look of traditional Shetland/lamswool, but with a more pleasant touch», adds the company’s administrator, João Carvalho. «We are going to try to get the market back with all our strengths and to captivate the clients in order to obtain the same performances of previous years, trying to overcome the economic crisis that France is living», he says. Between January and July 2014, the exports of wool fabrics “made in Portugal” to the French market amounted to 2.7 million euros.

On its side, shirting fabrics bet on simplicity, with window squares, jacquard looks and flannel, such as the ones signed by Somelos Tecidos and TMG Textiles, and regular stripes and tartans, like as the ones presented by Arco Têxteis. Also in the spotlight are the winter linen of Riopele, fabrics with knit look of Lemar and indigo with flannel look developed by Teviz by Polopique. Between January and July 2014, the exports of cotton fabrics to France amounted to 7.45 million euros.

Printed fabrics are another strong trend of the season, visually simple but with rich backgrounds, like the ones suggested by the specialist in digital printing Adalberto Estampados, and often applied on textured surfaces like crepes or even furs, like in the offer of Gierlings Velpor, which exhibits in Paris a collection of velvet jacquards and digital printings on synthetic furs and velvets. «Being a multidisciplinary and cosmopolitan trade fair, we use this opportunity to receive clients from all over the world who take advantage of Première Vision to confirm trends and make their last selections», explains Gierlings Velpor’s administrator, João Teixeira Duarte.

Denim is also part of the Portuguese offer in the most prestigious fabric’s trade fair of the world. In the collection developed by Troficolor, knits with denim look and coloured metals are on the spotlight. «We are enhancing the concept Glimmer Denim – denim fabric and indigo knits with functional shining coating», says Flávio Dias, export’s director at Troficolor, which also bets in Portuguese flannel with new finishing, such as thermo-bonding with gold and diamond film. «This is a very important trade fair in the company’ strategy, we see it as an open door to an increasingly global market», states Flávio Dias.

Regarding knits, whose exports to France amounted to 12.5 million euros in the first seven months of the year, double constructions are a reality, «both in lighter and heavier weights», unveil Teresa Pereira, as well as tri-dimensionality aspects and controlled shine or matte. To the textures of Lurdes Sampaio and NGS Malhas’ knits, are joined jacquard and functional propositions by A. Sampaio & Filhos and high tech double knits by LMA.  

Still at Première Vision, Portugal is also represented at Knitwear Solutions, the area dedicated to flatbed knits, with A. Ferreira & Filhos, Inarbel and Orfama. «It’s the first time that we participate at Knitwear Solutions», declares José Armindo Ferraz, Inarbel’s CEO. «We are presenting what Inarbel does best and our offer, not only to our clients but also to potential clients, highlighting tricot techniques of high level», he adds.

Already anticipating spring-summer 2016, Tearfil, which exhibits at Expofil, bets on a collection under the theme Green Marketing and promises to surprise «with proposals of ecological, organic and recycled materials, transformed in tri-dimensional fabrics with fresh colours that celebrate summer», says commercial director Marla Gonçalves, who considers that this trade fair «is the right moment to establish or renew alliances with partners and to increase our network of contacts, allowing us to directly interact with designers, decision makers and users».

On their turn, Portuguese companies A. J. Gonçalves, Dielmar, Miguesana/JVP, Raith Têxteis and Squarcione are at Zoom, the trade fair dedicated to garment, home textiles and fashion accessories subcontracting. «It’s already the 10th time that we exhibit in this commercial platform which is of the upmost importance for the internationalization of our company. I almost dare to say that if it wasn’t for this trade fair, we wouldn’t exist», unveils Mónica Ribeiro, commercial director of Squarcione, specialist in blazers. Apparel is, in fact, the most demanded category by French clients in Portugal, with exports amounting to 259.9 million euros in the first seven months of this year.  

The participation of these companies at Premiére Vision Pluriel, which takes place September 16th-18th, is an initiative promoted by Associação Selectiva Moda with the support of European funds (Qren), under the project From Portugal. In 2014, this project includes over 65 international actions, which cover the entire textile and fashion chain, divided by four continents – Europe, Asia, Africa and America – with a total investment of EUR 9 million.