PRIDE WITHOUT PREJUDICE FROM PORTUGAL

Less than two months after Fado, the traditional Portuguese song, has been given the status of World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, the Portuguese companies at Heimtextil 2012 show, on its side, the “pride of being Portuguese”, through collections for bed, table and bath that reflect the quality and design of this home textile industry, considered to be one of the best of Europe, with exports to markets such as Spain, France, USA, United Kingdom and Germany that surpassed 428 million Euros from January to October 2011.

At Lameirinho, the best of Portugal is present in the four themes of its collection, which highlighted the industry, the tile’s art, the ecologic side of cork and also the wine and Fado, with the company of Guimarães – the city European Capital of Culture in 2012 – inviting the visitors to discover its new home textiles products at its “Largo da Oliveira”. 
Besides its stand, visitors can also rediscover Lameirinho’s products at the trend forum The Portuguese Home Tex’Style, organized by Associação Selectiva Moda with the support of EU funds (Qren), where 30 Portuguese companies announce the new major trends in home textiles: Urban-Chic, a contemporary, simple and minimalistic concept, with proposals of simple fabrics but with special finishing for new touches and looks; and Eco-Chic, a concept that focuses on sustainability and ecology through textures for irregular looks and materials with a vintage character. 
Innovation is a common note to all these “made in Portugal” home textiles. A. Ferreira & Filhos, for exemple, shows «blankets with qualities different from the usual, such as wool/mohair/polyamide or alpaca/merino/acrylic», enhances Noël Ferreira, company’s administrator, as well as «blankets with a polyamide yarn soft as never before». At Bordalima, specialist in embroideries, the leitmotiv is «recolour the classics, using traditional embroideries and motifs with a touch of modernity given by the colour, namely brown and grey shades», unveils Eugénio Rodrigues, company’s administrator. And at Empresa Industrial Sampedro, which exhibits a collection designed either for the most comfortable home or for the most sophisticated hotel, the «application, in bed linen, of yarns with coloured lint and yarns with lurex» are the main novelties, as well as «bed covers with stone wash effect, for a wear look», reveals Margarida Machado, company’s designer. 

Already unavoidable for those who visit Heimtextil, the trend forum The Portuguese Home Tex’Style is an initiative developed by Associação Selectiva Moda with the support of European funds (Qren), under the project From Portugal. This trade fair in Frankfurt is one of the 68 international actions in 25 different markets, directed to areas as yarns, fabrics and accessories, fashion, home textiles and decoration and technical textiles, that the Portuguese association will hold in 2012, in a total investment of 8.85 million Euros.