Last week, we spent four days in and around Porto, Portugal, exploring manufacturing opportunities and meeting with factories as we begin planning the next stage of Shaw's Clothing Company. It's a trip we'd been looking forward to for some time, with several projects already in development for 2027 and a growing list of manufacturers we wanted to meet.
While we've spent much of the past year working on our first ready to wear collection, we've also been thinking carefully about what comes next.
Exploring Portuguese Manufacturing
Portugal has established a strong reputation within the clothing industry, particularly for its expertise in garment manufacturing and its network of specialist producers. Over four busy days, we visited factories in and around Porto, exploring different manufacturing capabilities, discussing upcoming projects and getting a better understanding of what's possible. One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip was the opportunity to meet the people behind the businesses. There's something invaluable about sitting down face to face with the individuals who own and run these factories, hearing their stories, understanding how they work and seeing their approach to manufacturing firsthand. It's a side of clothing production that we particularly enjoy, and something we believe is important when building long-term relationships with suppliers.
Finding the Hidden Gems
As with any research trip, we arrived with a plan, but some of the most interesting discoveries came from exploring beyond our original schedule. We found some real hidden gems along the way, meeting people with an incredible depth of knowledge and discovering manufacturing capabilities that have opened up new possibilities for the collection. For us, developing a product isn't simply about finding somewhere that can make it. It's about finding the right people, understanding their strengths and working together to create something we're all happy to put our names to. Those relationships are an important part of how we want to continue building Shaw's.
Four Days in Porto
Away from the factories, we also managed to enjoy a little of what Porto has to offer. It's a fantastic city, full of character, history and culture, and somewhere we thoroughly enjoyed spending time. Admittedly, it was a pretty flat out four days, with plenty of travelling between meetings and not quite enough time to explore everything we'd have liked. Still, getting a feel for the city and the people was another highlight of the trip.
Looking Ahead to 2027
We returned home with fresh ideas, some exciting new relationships and, most importantly, a much clearer plan for the year ahead. With our first ready to wear collection arriving, it's exciting to already be looking towards the next stage of development. There's plenty of work to do between now and then, but we're looking forward to sharing more of what we've been working on as these projects begin to take shape.
A big thank you to everyone who welcomed us, shared their time and showed us around.
Shaw's in Porto; Looking Ahead to 2027
Last week, we spent four days in and around Porto, Portugal, exploring manufacturing opportunities and meeting with factories as we begin planning the next stage of Shaw's Clothing Company. It's a trip we'd been looking forward to for some time, with several projects already in development for 2027 and a growing list of manufacturers we wanted to meet.
While we've spent much of the past year working on our first ready to wear collection, we've also been thinking carefully about what comes next.
Exploring Portuguese Manufacturing
Portugal has established a strong reputation within the clothing industry, particularly for its expertise in garment manufacturing and its network of specialist producers. Over four busy days, we visited factories in and around Porto, exploring different manufacturing capabilities, discussing upcoming projects and getting a better understanding of what's possible. One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip was the opportunity to meet the people behind the businesses. There's something invaluable about sitting down face to face with the individuals who own and run these factories, hearing their stories, understanding how they work and seeing their approach to manufacturing firsthand. It's a side of clothing production that we particularly enjoy, and something we believe is important when building long-term relationships with suppliers.
Finding the Hidden Gems
As with any research trip, we arrived with a plan, but some of the most interesting discoveries came from exploring beyond our original schedule. We found some real hidden gems along the way, meeting people with an incredible depth of knowledge and discovering manufacturing capabilities that have opened up new possibilities for the collection. For us, developing a product isn't simply about finding somewhere that can make it. It's about finding the right people, understanding their strengths and working together to create something we're all happy to put our names to. Those relationships are an important part of how we want to continue building Shaw's.
Four Days in Porto
Away from the factories, we also managed to enjoy a little of what Porto has to offer. It's a fantastic city, full of character, history and culture, and somewhere we thoroughly enjoyed spending time. Admittedly, it was a pretty flat out four days, with plenty of travelling between meetings and not quite enough time to explore everything we'd have liked. Still, getting a feel for the city and the people was another highlight of the trip.
Looking Ahead to 2027
We returned home with fresh ideas, some exciting new relationships and, most importantly, a much clearer plan for the year ahead. With our first ready to wear collection arriving, it's exciting to already be looking towards the next stage of development. There's plenty of work to do between now and then, but we're looking forward to sharing more of what we've been working on as these projects begin to take shape.
A big thank you to everyone who welcomed us, shared their time and showed us around.