Design, quality, know-how accumulated over generations, and a great passion for leather goods. These are some of the ingredients that are radically transforming the leather goods sector in Portugal. Today, nearly all the major global brands are prioritizing Portugal. But there is also growing space for Portuguese brands.
There are 123 companies established in Portugal, responsible for 4,063 jobs. In the last five years, exports grew by 57.4% to 310 million euros. The segment that stood out the most was handbags, which grew by 12.9% to 149 million euros.
Ana Maria Vasconcelos believes that “the sector is growing, and the forecasts are very promising”. The head of Belcinto, which works for major international brands, highlights versatility and quick response as some of the success factors of the sector in international markets.
Recently, the historic company founded in 1961 launched the Leather Goods brand. “At LeatherGoods, we set ourselves a serious, difficult, and achievable goal: to produce only from the leftover raw materials of other collections, reusing them and using them entirely, without generating new ‘waste’ in the process”, revealed Ana Maria Vasconcelos. “This required us — she continued — to think about design with rigour, invent new compositions and combinations that would still appeal to consumers, to take risks, and to challenge the creativity of the team, starting from an idea we hold dear: to look at a piece in all its potential, fully satisfying functionality without failing to please and even surprise consumers, staying current, but without compromising on sustainability”.
Orlando Soares, CEO of the Marta Ponti brand, believes that “proximity (in the case of Europe), quality, flexibility, and trust” are the main competitive advantages of the leather goods sector in Portugal.
Every day, new faces enter the sector. They bring new ideas, cutting-edge designs, and fresh concepts. And they promise to be the future of this industry. This is the case of Ownever, which was born from Eliana Barros’s dream to create a wallet that would never go out of fashion. “I wanted to make a difference in a world where consumerism is rampant, without contributing to the fast fashion industry. We are at a turning point in history that will mark future generations”.
Photo: Pedro Ferreira
Concept: Ana Caracol
Bag: Marta Ponti
