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Fashion, internationalization and innovation are the alpha and omega of SMBM, the yarn maker from Moreira de Cónegos that after purchasing Tearfil became even more focused on small quantities and fashion – leaving large quantities and technical items to its neighbour, the former António Almeida & Filhos.
“Us and Fashion: we can’t get enough of each other”, sums up Bernardino Ferreira, SMBM’s sales manager, who at Première Vision highlighted the company’s sustainable threads – such as nettle or kapok thread, with organic cotton – and fantasy articles, with several blends (cashmere, lyocell, modal, cotton, wool, bamboo, etc.) designed by Susana Bettencourt, with whom the company holds a partnership.
“With her handmade colourful creations, Susana built a brand image that is aligned with the irreverent genes of Fifitex”, explains Belém Machado, 62, who at the beginning of the century switched medicine for textiles, to pull her father spinning company back around.
SMBM – initials of Sérgio Machado (father and founder) and Belém Machado (daughter) – is, since 2001, the social counterpart of the spinning company founded with the name Fifitex, who has become the company’s brand, in the meantime.
The partnership with Susana Bettencourt is not the only one for SMBM, which develops its collection of home textiles in close cooperation with the Unis atelier, in Guimarães. “Unis helps us find the design and the right density for the threads that we make for home textiles”, says Bernardino Ferreira.
The knits are the final use of 75% of the threads manufactured by SMBM. Monthly, these add up to 12 tons in open end and 100 tons in continuous ring, and the company is vested in diversifying markets and raising the percentage of direct exports. “2019 went off to a bad start, but it’s getting better. I’m convinced that by the end of the year sales will increase slightly, maybe 2% or 3%, in comparison to 2018”, concludes the company’s sales manager, which employs 76 workers and closed 2018 with a turnover of 2.7 million euro.