World Footwear

Companies

Portuguese Footwear Cluster: meet the components industry

Jun 9, 2020 Portugal

Portuguese Footwear Cluster: Components Companies

They live ahead of their time, anticipating market trends, studying market behaviours, and searching to learn the consumers’ latest interests. This is the rhythm of the entrepreneurs within the components and tannery industries in Portugal

With the world demanding environmental solutions focused in stopping climate changes, the Portuguese components industry is responding to the global demands and taking its creativity to the limit by continuously reinventing itself. A new generation of products is on the way. Have you ever imagined a sole made from sugar cane or products based on vegetal origins? Get to know some examples of an industry which lives in a different compass, in order to provide the raw materials needed by all companies from the fashion sector

Décio Pereira, Vapesol
We created our brand VP Sustainable Eva Green. It is 70% developed from sugar cane. A unique model in our country. To produce it we do not use any oil sourced materials, all the sources are based on sugar cane. The market is raising a lot of questions. We have no way of knowing when we will have significant productions. But we have to be prepared for this challenge, which will eventually happen, we just do not know when

Paulo Ribeiro, Atlanta
Everything related to our environmental footprint is a concern for us. In fact, this year we are focused on recycling, making full usage of raw materials and managing waste recovery. In fact, we are presenting a new product with 84% of vegetable origins, that is being a success at the trade show (Lineapelle). The market is very receptive to new products from vegetal origins and our Research and Development Department is very focused in finding ways for our products to be developed from natural sources, as much as possible.

Vitor Mendes, ISI Soles
Our idea is to incorporate raw materials, preferably from national sources, which do not excessively increase the price of the product. In fact, such new solutions are usually associated with high price products, and we do not want to follow that trend. We want to incorporate raw materials that allow us to be inside our target while at the same time we are able to produce with the least possible waste.

Rodolfo Andrade, Multicouro
When we leave an exhibition as soon as we hop on the bus to go to the airport we start thinking about the new collection. We work with relatively short periods of time, especially between the winter and summer collection. Since the last exhibition it has passed only 4 months and in between there is a demanding work of research, to get more knowledge, network, study fashion magazines and trends from several fields We meet our clients, our agents, and present our collections and trends here (at Lineapelle) and this is a time-consuming process which demands dedication. We have to be patient; we cannot expect to attend one trade show and have immediate results. This is a continuous investment.


Image credits: ERIC ZHU on Unsplash


Related Organizations

  • Shoe Museum (Portugal)

    Shoe Museum (Portugal)

    Portugal
  • APIC - Portuguese Leather Industry Association

    APIC - Portuguese Leather Industry Association

    Portugal
  • CTCP - Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre

    CTCP - Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre

    Portugal
  • CTIC – Portuguese Leather Technology Centre

    CTIC – Portuguese Leather Technology Centre

    Portugal