Manuel Serrão, CEO of the trade fair organiser Selectiva Moda, is delighted

“The additional 10 percent of exhibition space was an indication straight away of the appeal of Modtissimo – and the waiting list of companies who would still like to exhibit is considerable. But then in addition, we had 20 percent more bookings from international buyers. We couldn’t be happier.”

Thomas Merkel, Director of Innotex Merkel & Rau in the German town of Frankenberg, Saxony

“Great location, great organisation – I love it.”

Innotex was exhibiting at Modtissimo for the first time and has good business connections with Portugal. The location was the departure hall at Sá Carneiro airport in Porto. This may at first have seemed an unusual choice but it was well thought through. “Buyers can arrive on an early flight, they don’t even need to leave the airport, and if need be they can find a hotel,” explains Manuel Serrão. A one-stop affair, then, and one of which many availed themselves.

The fair took a twin-track approach: on one side, countless weaving, printing and yarn-producing businesses; on the other, producers of womenswear, menswear, children’s clothing and sportswear. In a ‘single operational step’ as it were, buyers were able to select both the fabrics and the ready-to-wear manufacturers.

Attractive even to smaller businesses

Its European location and the flexibility of the Portuguese textile and clothing industry were persuasive arguments for many businesses, including German ones: a large number of German buyers made the journey, some of them for the first time. And it is not only the giants of the sector who recognise the benefits of collaborating with Portugal: “We are a small business,” explains one young visitor to the fair, “and we’re looking for companies that also produce in small volumes. That’s why we’re here. Also, we absolutely want to produce in Europe – the Far East isn’t something we’d consider.” These are arguments that we encounter again and again. “We’re a start-up business,” another visitor explains. “We used to be in Egypt, but we weren’t happy there.”

The ability to order smaller volumes is another aspect referred to by producers, time and again. Somelos, for example, suppliers of high-quality shirt fabrics: “We offer small production runs for high fashion, with fast delivery and an efficient sampling service.”

Read more in our print edition textile network 5-6/2019.