Development diary: why make in Portugal?
A year ago, disaster struck. Our go-to garment maker in the UK closed up shop and try as we might we could not find another UK supplier who could match the quality, price and quantity we needed. But with every challenge comes an opportunity, so we started exploring other options for making Vertura’s best-selling Thermal Power Leggings.
After years of working with factories in the Far East, it was a breath of fresh air to visit another part of the world and discover a thriving textile and garment industry much closer to home. Portugal is known for producing high quality and innovative clothing, with a focus on responsible production using modern technology and a locally integrated supply chain. That means instead of importing fabric and trims like labels and threads from abroad, nearly everything can be sourced within a couple of hours of where the product will be sewn together. This not only minimises the carbon impact of raw materials but also creates strong relationships and communication links between suppliers. Most problems can be solved with a quick phone call, or a 30-minute drive to see the issue in person, and being in the same time zone as the UK makes everything that bit simpler.
Meeting the people who make your products is a vital part of the process, especially when it comes to developing technical garments with specific fit requirements. It is much easier to explain some things in person to a pattern maker, such as why you need them to adjust the leg shaping to allow the knee to bend easier when high-stepping.
The ability to visit the fabric mill and explain exactly how you want a fabric to feel and perform also makes the whole process more effective. Understanding how your fabrics are made, and what the trade-offs are between softness and durability for example are discussions you can only really have with the technical staff who analyse fabrics day in, day out.
There is no substitute for visiting a factory and getting a sense of the mood among the people that work there. When everyone is on break and taking their coffee outside to sit in the sun and chat with their colleagues, you can feel it’s a good place to work. The fact everyone is on first name terms, from the management to the person driving the forklift, gives a sense of a team built on mutual respect. Spending time to get to know your suppliers isn’t just a nice-to-do; it builds trust, improves communication and ultimately helps make better products.
We're excited to be working with suppliers who take pride in their work and understand what’s important when it comes to quality and responsible manufacture. Not only were the factories (not just the offices) some of the cleanest, lightest and well organised workplaces we’ve ever seen, but the surrounding environment was a beautiful place to visit. The Portuguese section of the long distance path Camino de Santiago runs right past the door of the garment factory, so all day you see people hiking past on their way to Spain. A nice reminder of what great outdoor clothing enables people to do. Maybe next time we'll go hiking...
