ow did last year go?

It was quite challenging, which left us all very tired. We have worked on the weekends and it’s normal for us to exchange emails late at night.

Having a lot of work is a good sign. What’s all the frenzy about?

The global marketplace has changed a lot and at a very fast pace, and we have to keep up. People are beginning to realize that sustainability and recycling are not just buzzwords, but urgent needs. If the current consumption level is maintained, natural resources will be extinct by 2050.

That’s old news…

However, we are now faced with new requirements. Our Nordic customers, who already have benchmark brands established, no longer want knitwear that blends fibres, such as polyester with spandex, because that makes recycling impossible.

Does that make sense?

Yes, of course. It’s like putting a bottle with an aluminium cap in the glass recycling bin. It’s not possible to recycle a T-shirt that is made with three types of fibres. During the knitting process, we have to think about making the articles recyclable.

Is that a trend that came to stay?

I have no doubt about it. Just the other day, we were showing our collection to a very important Swedish customer and he told us that he was only interested in seeing one-fibre materials, because his brand only sales pieces that are 100% recyclable.

Are they all asking the same?

Not yet. There are customers who still send an entire order back if the colour isn’t exactly the desired one. However, there are others who no longer do so because they understand the cost that those actions represent to the planet – thousands of litres of water and diesel wasted.

Does the majority already have an ecological conscience?

It’s a growing concern. A customer from Northern Europe asked us if we could direct him to a textile factory in Portugal and we mentioned that would be a nice way to save money on transportation. However, he immediately replied that the issue was not money, but the ecological footprint.

Is LMA prepared to respond to the consumers new environmental concerns?

Sustainability has been, for a very long time now, an important part of our daily practice. We have the GOTS, Bluesign, Reach and Oeko-Tex 100 certifications, and for some customers, we only work with thread and finishing suppliers that comply with the Reach and Oekotex rules.

The more mature, the greener LMA is… 🙂

Circular economics is a must! Thinking about the future reuse of an article became mandatory whenever we are working on a new product. But our concern for sustainability is not limited to production – it has also reached the social stage.

What else is changing?

There is no longer just one collection. To get our customers’ attention, we must keep offering them novelties: more products and more colours but in smaller quantities. Last year, we created a thousand new references. We have to understand the customer’s needs.

That’s not always easy…

To stay ahead, first we have to understand the customers’ different cultures. We can’t behave the same way with a Chinese client, an Italian, or an American. They do not reason in the same way, so they want different things.

How can you succeed in this competitive world?

We are very focused on producing protective clothing and technical sporting fabrics. In these segments, we are able to do anything the customer wants. And we are very flexible. LMA was a pioneer in joining in the same building the four technologies: ketans, fabrics, circular and raschel.

Flexibility is an asset…

The Portuguese textile industry has learned to work fast and well, and also how to communicate with customers. The other day, regarding a case where a Chinese supplier replaced a requested button pocket with a zipper, one of our clients said that the ideal was to have the Portuguese quality at Asian prices :-).

Are big brands, like Adidas, coming back from Asia?

They are. However, from time to time they have relapses :-). For instance, a major brand changed CFO and decided to save some money by taking to Asia some of the projects we were in charge of. It didn’t take him six months to get back to us. They got to the conclusion that for the quality and service, it was worth paying our prices after all.

Are the Asian manufacturers only competitive in large quantities?

There are Asian suppliers who are very capable and do a very good job. However, we’re tailors. We are unbeatable in tailoring technology. The only problem is to convince our customers of the fact that they cannot have the Portuguese quality at Asian prices…

Is it being difficult?

Step by step, we are being able to do so. Not a long time ago, a customer told us that our quality was so good that he would try to save on the rest of the production process, taking, for example, the clothing manufacture to where it was cheaper, so it could keep paying for our materials.

Are they all beginning to realize that it pays off?

There are more and more customers realizing that the extra they spend here, buying at a slightly higher price, is easily compensated by what they gain in quality.

Your bet on sporting meshes was a clean shot…

In 1995, when LMA was created, my father discovered a niche market – a business segment with less competition – that needed to be filled, and he had the vision to anticipate a trend that is now known as athleisure.

After an initial period in which you lived of the domestic market, LMA started supplying Nike, Adidas and Champions … You were in heaven!

It was a very good time. We made all the football knitwear for Nike. 22 of the 32 teams that were in the Korea / Japan World Cup wore LMA’s knits. Nike was very demanding regarding quality certifications. It helped us grow and taught us to work.

However, in 2005 they left you and went to China. LMA lost half its sales. Did you fear the company could not handle the blow?

It was a big blow. The company was growing and suddenly was left without the customers who were the largest in the world in that segment. We were able to duck the blow because we had savings and a strategy to get out of the pit.

What was that strategy?

We had to diversify, to get away from everything the market already supplied, and to increase our offer. We placed a bet on technical fabrics, and extended our portfolio as much as possible to reduce risk. And we also started working for new segments, such as protective clothing and the automotive industry.

The protective clothing has become an important area…

Although it was very hard to get in. You cannot imagine what it took us to convince the Portuguese police that a shirt with synthetic fibres was much more comfortable and more durable than a cotton one.

However, you made it and now LMA is on the AuxDefense project…

It’s a fantastic project, in which we are partners of UMinho, TechMinho, Fibrenamics, Air Force, Army, Fibrauto, IDT Consulting, Latino Group and Sciencentris. We just finished developing anti-ballistic vests and lightweight, ergonomic and aerodynamic helmets and knee pads.

Why bet so much on partnerships?

They are essential for those who, like us, intend to be always innovating. So, we establish partnerships not only with knowledge centres and universities, but also with other companies. We are always learning, teaching, evolving, moving forward and building the future.

Are those partnerships a two-way street where everyone wins?

We have partnerships with dozens of spinning mills, national and foreign, but also with clothing factories. The spinning mills need us to show the potentialities of their thread, and we need the clothing factories to show, with ready-made pieces, what can be done with our fabrics.

The future looks brighter for you, but not so much for the clothing factories…

I don’t agree. Today, a German customer called us to ask if we could arrange him a clothing factory in Portugal. Manufacturing in Portugal is a segment where demand is clearly higher than the offer.

However, they suffer from a shortage of seamstresses…

They aren’t the only ones. We also suffer from the lack of qualified staff. We try to overcome this problem by providing internal training, but we are constantly being stolen of our collaborators…

How can this be solved?

By following Richard Branson’s advice: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” At LMA, there is no one earning the minimum wage, and we are always improving working conditions. One day we’ll have a pool and a gym.

Is innovation essential for success?

Let me give you an example. Concerned about a study that showed a 50% reduction in fertility from the use of a cell phone in the pants pocket, a Swedish customer asked us for a fabric that would inhibit magnetic radiations. We developed a fabric for that effect, scientifically proven by a French laboratory.

What other partnerships do you have in place?

With CITEVE and P&R we are doing a sweat suit that can monitor our limbs when in stress. In protective clothing we are developing a fabric that is flexible when you move slowly, but hard on impact, like on a fall.

Is innovation the key?

The key is to always be looking forward and learning from everyone – customers, suppliers, knowledge centres, other companies, and the consumers. In this ever-changing world, it’s crucial to be able to quickly adapt to new circumstances.

Are these LMA’s secrets for success?

The big secret is our team. The research and development department is made by all of us, LMA’s 50 employees, a dedicated and competent team. I doubt you can find another team like ours.