ISPO Munich Online is the stage where the Portuguese companies will present their novelties

ISPO Munich, the most important trade show in the sportswear sector, will take place this year in a completely digital format, but that doesn’t mean that the Portuguese companies are reducing their efforts to conquer this market and reach new customers. Between February 1st and 5th, in the fair's digital hall, several Portuguese companies, ready to present new products, will be represented, many of them already regulars of the German fair.

A.Sampaio & Filhos, Bloomati/Carvema, Brandbias/Tapa Costuras, Ditchil, Dune Bleue, Easy Walk Experience/Ropar, Golfinho, Gulbena, Heliotextil, Impetus, J.Caetano, P&R Têxteis and Sustainable Masks by Heliotextil are the Portuguese companies that make up the From Portugal entourage, to which is added two virtual showcases of sustainable and innovative products, called Responsible Athleisure From Portugal - Itechstyle Green Circle and Sport Textile Village From Portugal. As in face-to-face trade shows, the Portuguese textile industry will present a united front, focused on innovation, environmental responsibility, and product quality.

Despite the new format, the companies maintain their confidence in the fair, which is one of the most prestigious in the sector. “We are confident that it will be a good experience, we believe in the organization and the power of this fair. The lack of physical contact with the products is evident, but, on the other hand, the digital world gives us the possibility to reach more specific customers with less time loss and greater focus”, explains Afonso Duarte, J.Caetano’s commercial director, which at the fair it will present new tapped seams and laminated products.

Golfinho, a company specialized in articles for swimming and other water activities, has the same opinion. “Physical presence is undoubtedly a form of closer interaction with those who visit us. However, the online version will allow welcoming a greater number of visitors because anyone connected can be present”, recalls Nuno Arcanjo, CEO of the Portuguese brand.

Easy Walk Experience shows the same confidence. “ISPO is a known name, and a great international storefront, characteristics that we believe will remain in the digital format,” says Elio Parodi, the company's executive director. Specialized in footwear, Easy Walk Experience will present the Lolita, a sporty female ballerina shoe, is the brand’s star at ISPO, where it will also debut four new collections: Basic Collection, Hive Collection, Constellations and Artist Edition.

At Dithill’s virtual stand, the main highlights are the samples of sportswear produced from recycled fibers and sustainable materials. “Our goal is to combine an appealing design with high quality raw materials and finishings”, explains Carla Macedo, manager director of the brand.

Bloomati, from the Carvema group, is also preparing some novelties to present at the online edition of ISPO. “We have several finishes related to sport, such as water repellent, antibacterial, UV protection and temperature regulator, among others”, explains Alice Sampaio, marketing responsible in the company, which specializes in knitwear and textile finishes. In addition to the novelties, Alice hopes to attract customers through the Oeko-Tex environmental certifications: “We work a lot with environmentally friendly materials, like bamboo or organic cotton, for example”, she explains.

The same bet on sustainability is carried out by Brandbias, a sports clothing manufacturer that already has many articles with GOTS and STeP certification. “We try to work mainly with certified fabrics, which offer guarantees to our customers. GOTS and STeP certifications are highly requested by customers in Northern Europe”, says Pedro Machado, the company's creative. Brandbias has been producing clothing for many sportswear brands, in countries such as Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

With the same focus on sustainability, at ISPO Munich online A.Sampaio will present a selection of fabrics that combine performance and environmental concerns. The company will be present at the event after having seen many of its articles selected for the Textrends trend forum. “We realized that the sports market is very sensitive to environmental issues. One of the matters that was appreciated by the Textrends jury was biodegradability. And right now we have articles that are made from recycled raw materials, and at the end of their life cycle are biodegradable”, explains Miguel Mendes, the company’s commercial manager.

Being the pandemic one of today’s main issues, Heliotextil will present at ISPO Munich online a new brand of masks – Sustainable Masks by Heliotextil – together with an online trading platform with 3D customization tools. “For Heliotextil, ISPO has been a stimulus for product development, and gives us the opportunity to keep in touch with our customers, who are known for searching for novelty and innovation”, recalls Alberto Pacheco, the company’s marketing responsible.

To crown the Portuguese presence, two virtual innovation showcases will be on display, under the responsibility of CITEVE and Associação Selectiva Moda. A 3D VR Scanning technology will create highly realistic and easy to navigate immersive 3D environments, which can be visited virtually.

The first one is dedicated to sustainability, under the Green Circle project. “The showcase will be set up at CITEVE, where it will be filmed, and then it will be uploaded into ISPO’s digital platform. Visitors will be able to enter it as if they were in the room: they can walk in between pieces, look closer and read the information about each one”, explains Paulo Gomes, responsible for the Manifesto Moda platform, and curator of the Green Circle showcase. In this showcase, 11 Portuguese companies will be represented: Adalberto, A. Sampaio, Polopiqué, NGS, Sustainable Masks by Heliotextil, Bergand by Gulbena, Ditchil, LMA, Impetus, Tapa Costuras and Bloomati by Carvema.

In the showcase entitled Sport Textile Village From Portugal, innovative products will be presented, oriented to the various sport areas, from high competition to lifestyle, some of them resulting from the Texboost project, presented at the end of last year. This virtual Showcase will feature articles developed by CeNTI, Damel, Dune Bleue, J. Caetano, P&R Têxteis, Pafil, Polisport, Riopele, Ropar, Texteis J.F Almeida, TMG and Tintex.

The participation of Portuguese SME companies in ISPO Munich Online is framed by the From Portugal project, an initiative of Selectiva Moda and ATP - Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal, which aims to promote the internationalization of Portuguese companies in the fashion area. The “From Portugal” project is co-financed by Portugal 2020, within the scope of Compete 2020 - Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization, with an eligible support amount of € 11,042,311.82, of which € 6,065,501.91 comes from the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund.

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