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It’s a Portuguese menswear brand that now has also launched a women’s line. In addition to using only sustainable raw materials, ISTO promises to take production transparency to the next level.
It reached the market in 2017 by the hand of three young entrepreneurs from Lisbon who felt that a Portuguese brand devoted to basic shirts and t-shirts for men was something the market was in need for, but quickly evolved into collections that run through the entire male wardrobe, and now it even has a line devoted to women’s fashion.
In addition to using natural raw materials, such as organic cotton and flax, ISTO’s production is 100% Portuguese – the shirts and other pieces are mainly produced in the Northern Portugal.
However, the trait that makes this brand so different it the discrimination of the cost of each piece, in order to not only win the customers trust, but also to prove that its average price is lower than that of most international competitors.
Let’s see the example of a basic white t-shirt available on the ISTO website: the label says it is made in Barcelos with organic cotton. Manufacturing cost €3.20, labor €3, labels €0.14, shipping €0.01 and packaging €1.74. In other words, the real cost of the piece is €8.09, which in traditional trade would easily reach €80, but at ISTO it’s only €28.