BRAND SPOTLIGHT: PORTUGUESE FLANNEL
Made by master craftsmen in the old towns of northern Portugal, Portuguese Flannel has a rich heritage that can be seen and felt in every item of clothing they produce. They are passionate about textiles, their workers and the brand that all began with their great-grandfather.
There is an undeniable richness to Portuguese Flannel. Their products are expertly made with knowledge that has been handed down over four generations. The brand Portuguese Flannel was founded 10 years ago by brothers Manuel and Antonio Magalha ̃es, but their affinity with the textile industry goes back much further. They proudly stand on the foundations built by their great-grandfather Joa ̃o Pereira de Magalha ̃es. Joa ̃o was the son of a factory worker who had a surprising aptitude and determination to go through school. He wanted to go to college but the family couldn’t afford it, sending him to a seminary instead where he could continue his education. Eventually, against all odds, he built up enough technical and financial resources to open up his own factory in 1935 which he called Te ̂xtil Vizela.
Since the very beginning, Te ̂xtil Vizela was a place that had a strong emphasis on community. It cherished its workers and had facilities such as nurseries and kindergartens, a rarity in that time. The brothers’ father took over the business during the third generation hand-over, but sadly he passed away when Manuel and Anto ́nio were still children. They can however remember their father speaking about the value of the work force, and were always touched and astonished by the amount of workers that were there.
The history that runs through this family-run business is evident in the authenticity of their clothing. There is a shared knowledge and care that has been passed down through the generations which means they know how to produce exclusive fabrics using traditional methods, and then to select the finest ones.
They don’t follow trends or fashion vibes of the moment. The inspiration for the brand comes from genuine people from both the coast and the mountains, who live lives that are brave and challenging. They blend their traditional expertise with a contemporary aesthetic which results in their timeless signature style. For them it’s important they produce clothing that both looks and feels great but also tells the story of their Portuguese heritage.
The brothers see how Portugal in many ways was a rural and undeveloped country longer than others, and they attribute this “delay” to the preservation of its originality as a country, allowing it to retain its identity for longer. This is something they wanted to bring to the creation of Portuguese Flannel. It is both the influence of their homeland along with their family history that have played central roles in their brand identity.
Their business remains in the northern regions of Portugal in which it was born and raised. It is an area renowned as one of the biggest in the textile industry and known for its quality mills. Their grandfather came from Moreira de Co ́negos, in the Ave valley region, and the brand’s mills are currently in the close-by city of Guimara ̃es. For the richness and heritage of this region, the Magalha ̃es family believe Portugal is without a doubt one of the best countries in the world to make clothing brand.
The brothers feel a special connection with fabrics and clothing in general. The smells of the fabric have been around since their childhood. For them, textiles is in their blood, they have worked closely with the people from the land where the textiles are made and are part of a family line who are embedded in that culture. They have access to an array of fabrics, probably one of the biggest in Europe, an archive going all the way back to the 1930s. That is something very rare and unique to this brand and they feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to continue such a legacy.
Their brand Portuguese Flannel is one that embraces its rich Portuguese culture whilst also facing out into the world. It is a brand that reflects the values and characters of this family and the people who live and work in the surrounding areas. Manuel and Anto ́nio don’t claim to be business men, but simply people with a very concrete idea of what they want to do with a brand that means so much to them. They are always eager to create the next collection, which always centres around the fabrics, for that is such a big part of them. They believe the success of any brand lies in putting aside the economical business part and by bringing the flavour of their personality through to the brand instead, for this is exactly what they have done with Portuguese Flannel.