Sustainability is the objective: Portugal is the place | Green Circle

 
 

 

Care for our environment is indisputably the most important and urgent concern of our time. Portugal is providing solutions. Its commitment to sustainability and passion for technological innovation that are composing a story that is positioning the country on the podium of sustainable fashion. iTechStyle Green Circle - Sustainability Showcase, the sustainable exhibition held during the last edition of Modtissimo, caught all eyes of international fashion buyers and media who approached the event. The main textile companies and the most important fashion designers in the country shook hands to make a dream come true, leading the shift towards sustainable fashion.

 
 
 
 
 

Welcomed with boxes of apples, a leafy olive tree and with birds chirping, thousands of visitors came to Modtissimo, the largest and most iconic Portuguese textile trade show, which took place at Alfândega do Porto, on October 2nd and 3rd. Luxiders Magazine covered the event. With a green and sustainable design hanging over the whole building, the textile and fashion show reaffirmed Portugal as a beacon of innovation and sustainability. Under the theme “A new community is coming”, hundreds of companies answered the call for a new green and sustainable community, and presented hundreds of new products and collections, reaffirming the Portuguese industry as internationally avant-garde.

 
 

 

iTechStyle Green Circle: the WOW Showcase!

 

The mantra of environmental responsibility was the alpha and omega of the entire trade show. This fact was made very clear to the many visitors right at the entrance, not only for the green image of the event, but especially with the iTechStyle Green Circle - Sustainability Showcase, a sustainable textile innovation project that premiered last year. Dozens of Portuguese companies submitted sustainable fabrics to be part of this unique showcase, which combines green raw materials with the talent of young designers. 

Pe de Chumbo, for instance, presented a garment made of waste from garment production, such as scraps from the cutting process, yarns and fabric leftovers and other resources not used in the industrial textile process, using unique handmade processes. The company also presented a garment created with yarn produced with polyester  Repreve mixed with organic cotton and naturally biodegradable Kapok fibre, made by the company Inovafil. The Repreve polyester is obtained from recycled plastic bottles, having associated a marker system – FiberPrint technology that allows fibre traceability from raw material to finished product. 

Designer Gonçalo Peixoto presented a garment created with knitted fabric in 100% organic linen, made by the Portuguese company Joaps, that is calming and can regulate the heat and cold. 

Designer Miguel Vieira presented a garment created with a fabric by Somelos Tecidos, which combines Polyester Seaqual with a long fibre cotton, creating a compact and breathable fabric. It is made by recycling the plastic collected from the bottom of the sea. 

Designer Joao Rolo designed a garment created with knitted fabric from A. Sampaio & Filhos, which combines a yarn in Polyester Seaqual in the inner side with an organic Merino Wool for moisture Management optimization. 

The company Riopele Texteis presented a garment made with fabrics from the second generation of Tenowa – The rebirth of textiles. This piece incorporates the concept of circular economy, using a continuous filament in cellulosic fibre, to produce a fluid and luxurious satin made from a rustic recycled raw material (waste generated in the textile industry and fabric leftovers), dyed in a sustainable process with low water consumption.

Scorecode Texteis company surprised with the Galla Collection, developed using materials stored for years in the company (dead stock) to give rise to a new garment. With the Galla Collection garments the useful life of existing textile resources are extended and therefore reduce the use of virgin resources.

 
 
 
 

Be prepared: Green Circle is unstoppable

 

After meeting all these incredible creations, we wanted to ask Manuel Serrão, CEO of Selectiva Moda, the association that promotes the event, about their new plan on the way. “We started Green Circle in 2018, but I have to say since a long time Portugal already had companies that worked on sustainable fashion. In 2018 we thought it was the right time to test the market by showing this type of sustainable offer we have. It was a bet in the dark because we didn't know what we would get in commercial terms. During the year, after our presentation at Neonyt Berlin and Momad in Madrid, we discovered that international fashion buyers were very interested in these types of products following this macro-trend of sustainability. So we started working with Citeve and with Portuguese sustainable companies on it. Citeve made a call in the sector and more than 30 companies signed up for the adventure. We decided that we had to represent not only fashion, but also home textiles and sports. And that is what we are presenting now. We will bring Green Circle to ISPO for the sports sector, Heimtextil for home textiles, and fashion to other fashion events such as Neonyt, Momad and Who’s Next in Paris.

 
 
 

Embracing sustainability is the new business

“Why all businesses should embrace sustainability?” – we asked him. “All companies that sell abroad –not only textile companies–, are facing a new environmental consciousness. Consumers start to be very concern about what they are buying. Three years ago, few consumers used to ask this kind of questions – is it made of polyester, is it recycled, where was it produced?...– today, not everyone, but lots of consumers are starting to ask about it”. Yes, it is true: Sustainability is becoming more important for all companies, across all industries. 62% of executives consider a sustainability strategy necessary to be competitive today, and another 22% think it will be in the future.

“Sustainability is very trendy but also very expensive, will it change?” – we want to know. “If we get more consumers buying sustainably, the prices of the products will be not so high, and so we will attract new buyers. The industry is already convinced about sustainability, now the ball of the game is on the side of the consumers. We are prepared to work and fullfill the sustainable demand”-  underlined Serrão.

 

“Sustainability is not a trend for image, it is a trend for Business” – Manuel Serrao declared to Luxiders Magazine. 

 

The innovative side of the textile industry was also highlighted in Modtissimo by an extensive demonstration of innovative products, fabrics and accessories – the iTechStyle Showcase – put together in the partnership with CITEVE research centre. Performance, Know-How, technological ability, and environmental concerns were some of the highlights of this showcase.

 

+ info: Modtissimo | CITEVE