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The air of Japan seems to blow in favor of Portuguese textiles, much sought after during the three days of Jitac – European Textile Fair, which closed its doors in Tokyo on October 6th. The quality offer presented by the Portuguese manufacturers and the competitive conditions, especially concerning the Italian offer, make us foresee the reinforcement of orders coming from the country of the rising sun.
Even with relevant restrictions arising from the pandemic – Portuguese companies were represented by agents – the demand for Portuguese manufacturers was notorious, especially after the opening day. And search is the exact term since the Forum ‘From Portugal’ is usually at the event entrance, and the forum wasn’t. So the Japanese buyers had to go looking for national manufacturers.
In addition to complaints about the lack of a forum, AICEP representatives at Jitac also report a specific demand by manufacturers From Portugal, which they explain with three different factors. First of all, because they have collections for next year’s winter, a season in which Portuguese wool is highly competitive.
In addition to the quality that Japanese buyers have long recognized in Made in Portugal, the situation also seems to be in favor, especially given the Italian offer. On the one hand, Portuguese companies seem to gain ground in lead time, that is, they can respond to orders more quickly, at the same time that the increase in prices is also happening more slowly on the part of national manufacturers.
The balance of these three days is very positive. Of course, possible orders are not immediate, but how buyers were specifically and purposefully looking for Portuguese manufacturers is an excellent indicator.
In all, there were nine Portuguese brands present at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center. A From Portugal committee made up of Albano Morgado, Burel Factory, Fitecom, Lemar, Otojal, and Troficolor, joined by Adalberto, Paulo de Oliveira, and Riopele.
The participation of Portuguese SME companies in JITAC is another initiative by Selectiva Moda within the project scope that aims to promote the internationalization of Portuguese companies in the textile and fashion area. The “From Portugal” project is co-financed by Portugal 2020, within the scope of Compete 2020 and Lisbon 2020, through the European Regional Development Fund.