While I talk a lot about food, travel and tiles here, I’m also passionate about sustainable Portuguese fashion and ethical brands producing things here in Portugal.
This small, highly educated country is one of the world’s top 10 shoemaking countries and is pushing innovation in textile technology and clothing. But of course, it takes more than simply making something in a European country for a brand to be sustainable and ethical. It’s why I’ve tried to include Portuguese fashion brands with strong ethical values or who are transparent about costs and their impact on people, the planet and animals.
A lot of big brands choose to manufacture some lines of clothing or use jersey, cotton and linen fabrics made here in Portugal, but it’s not always easy to find local brands with a great consumer-facing front. It’s taken quite some time for me to discover my favourite sustainable Portuguese fashion brands who make incredible clothing, shoes, bags and more right here in Portugal.
A note: Sustainable and ethical fashion principles vary from person to person. Pick your values, ditch fast fashion and shop what works for you. For example, I care about the human impact, the environmental impact and I want to buy things of a high quality that will last. It means I like bags and shoes made of real leather because it lasts a long time and isn’t made of plastic. It means I shop vintage and second-hand when I can. I also want to support the local community, so I try to buy from small makers and artisans. Your sustainable fashion principles might be different to mine. It’s trendy to be sustainable, so beware of greenwashing like when big brands say things like “vegan leather” when all they did was rename PVC or plastic. If animal leather isn’t for you, there are some cool Portuguese brands using new, more sustainable plant leathers like pineapple leather or apple leather.
Clothing brands made in Portugal
ISTO
My favourite T-shirt is an ISTO tee. This Portuguese brand pins itself on transparency and tells you the cost of producing each of its luxury essentials. The range of organic cotton T-shirts has expanded to timeless linen shirts, chinos, jeans, jackets, sweaters and pull-overs for both men and women. The quality is so nice and they have a few physical stores in Lisbon too.
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Naz
This Portuguese brand produces classic and cosy, basic clothing for men and women in mostly natural fibres like recycled wool, linen and cotton. Last year they released their first sustainability report which goes as far to detail CO2 emissions, local supply chains and the impact on communities around Portugal. They have big ambitions to become even more transparent.
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+351
Inspired by life here by the Atlantic Ocean, +351 is a great Portuguese-made option for casual T-shirts, sweatpants, pull-overs and more. Founded by Ana Penha e Costa in 2015, this relaxed brand produces everything in the north of Portugal.
Read next: Made in Portugal: 32 best Portuguese Menswear Brands
Sienna
Raised by two professional seamstresses called Maria, Marisa grew up impacted by her grandmothers. Her project Sienna started as a hobby and has grown into one of Lisbon’s favourite fashion brands. As far as I know she still creates all her gorgeous designs and pieces herself.
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Read next: The complete guide to sustainable shopping in Lisbon
ColieCo Lingerie
From a small studio in the sunny Algarve, ColieCo produces ethically made, sustainable lingerie, underwear and swimwear. This Portuguese slow-fashion brand has a zero-waste, made-to-order model, and plans to keep production in the Sagres studio even as they grow.
A Line
I am genuinely obsessed with the timeless and sustainable ready-to-wear women’s clothing from Portuguese label A Line. Everything is designed and made in Portugal using top-quality materials and finishings so your new pants, jacket, wool coat or crisp shirt will last a lifetime. The tailoring is stunning and A Line has circularity in mind with a longevity program to repair or recycle your garments.
Martine Love
As someone who loves all things handmade and artisanal I certainly lust after the high-quality vintage-inspired linen shirt dresses by Martine Love. Each piece in a huge range of colours is hand embroidered using traditional techniques. The result? A super personal dress unlike any other. The brand now does shirts for men and women and kaftans too.
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Read next… Made in Portugal: 20 Portuguese T-Shirt Brands
Mustique
Two childhood friends – Vera Caldeira and Pedro Ferraz – fell in love with the ancient art of block printing on the trip to India. Soon after they launched this small Lisbon-based brand making shirts from the stunning fabric. Now they’ve added sweaters and pants, but everything is still made here in Portugal.
Mirakaya
This environmentally conscious brand creates feminine, timeless and versatile dresses, tops and pants for women. They primarily use natural fibres like linen, wool, cotton and silk to produce a limited number of garments.
Guaja
Created by two sisters and their mother, Guaja keeps the focus on high quality, timeless pieces. Launching an atelier in 2019, they’ve grown quite fast and have recently moved from producing everything themselves to working with local Portuguese seamstresses. They aim to create pieces that are made to last using natural fibres and no plastic packaging. Guaja garments are known for being detail oriented and well tailored – their pants are amazing.
Siz
Behind Siz is two sisters with a mission. From their atelier in Sesimbra, a seaside town 40 minutes south of Lisbon, they produce seasonal collections using deadstock and leftover fabrics from local factories. Every collection comes with a message, the latest is about marine noise pollution, and all pieces are made-to-order.
Read next: Where to find the best vintage and second-hand shops in Lisbon (2024)
Light Years Away
This Portuguese activewear brand owned by two young sisters has a focus on sustainable production and creates classic tights, shorts, tops and swimwear with fabrics made from ocean plastics. Light Years Away uses Econyl, a regenerated nylon fabric made from industrial plastic waste, fishing nets, fabric scraps and more, for its basic activewear range. Everything is made in a small, local studio.
Related Blog: Made in Portugal: Where to shop for Portuguese ceramics
Shoes & Socks made in Portugal
Shoevenir
Mixing art, travel, and fashion – these sneakers have such a great story. As the name suggests, Shoevenir creates sneakers with designs linked to Portuguese destinations. You can pick the ‘Lisboa’ pair to celebrate memories made in the capital, or the ‘Azores’ one to remember wild times on the islands. Each pair starts with an illustration from a local artist that represents the destination, then that piece of art inspires the shoes. These sneakers are made 100% in Portugal using vegan leather, cotton laces, and a recycled cork insole.
Shop Shoevenir – use code ‘oladaniela’ for 15% off
Ships worldwide (free)
Zouri Shoes
If you’re looking for sneakers, look to Zouri. This vegan footwear brand rescues plastic trash from the Portuguese coast and uses it along with natural rubber in the soles of its shoes, which are made in Guimarães. Beyond using canvas, they’re playing around with special vegan leathers like apple, pineapple and pine leather. When you receive your shoes you’ll also get a letter telling you where exactly the ocean plastic was collected from (by volunteers, schools and NGOs) and the person that made your shoes.
Nae Vegan Shoes
Nae stands for No Animal Exploitation, so as you’d expect this Portuguese footwear label is entirely vegan. Founded back in 2008, the well-established brand produces men’s shoes and accessories in certified and ethical factories in Portugal. With the environment and durability in mind, Nae explores materials such as piñatex, cork, organic cotton, recycled PET, and vegan leather.
Shop Nae footwear – 15% off with code NAE15
Lemon Jelly
This Portuguese shoe brand makes gumboots here in Portugal using 100% renewable energy. Of course, gumboots are made of plastic but they do have a number of lines that close the loop on production waste and use recycled plastic waste. Lemon Jelly’s goal is to do even more environmental good, getting down to zero percent waste. The brand is PETA-certified vegan and you can send your old Lemons back and they’ll recycle them into new ones.
Zilian
This renowned Portuguese footwear brand is known for its elegant and sophisticated designs, with a strong emphasis on craftsmanship and detail. You’ll find two chic boutiques in Lisbon where women can shop everything from classic pumps to trendy sandals. The majority is produced in Portugal, with some shoes made in Brazil. The price point is around €100.
Read next: 24 Best Portuguese Sneaker Brands
Socks
There are so many amazing sock brands produced in Portugal, so I won’t list them out brand by brand. For both men and women, look to VOLTA who work with local artists and support charities with every sale. Sir Tile is another favourite – they make azulejo inspired socks locally.
For fun souvenir socks try Chule, for fun and plain business socks made in Portugal look to Captain Socks and My Travelling Socks, and for classy business socks try WestMister.
Pedemeia is a historic brand from Braga that produces a huge range of everyday and special socks, and has physical stores in big cities around Portugal and Spain.
Read next: Where to shop for vintage and second-hand clothing in Lisbon
Bags
Toino Abel
If you love straw bags and artisans, look to Toino Abel. Nuno has been breathing new life into the old Portuguese tradition of basket weaving, fighting for fairer wages and respect along the way. Each bag starts as wild reeds collected by a river. They’re cut, dried, dyed and then woven into mats that become these box-shaped bags, completed with leather finishes.
António – Handmade Story
Two sisters from a Portuguese leather-making family joined forces to craft António, a brand making high-quality leather goods. Their bags are made in Portugal using vegetable tanned leather and nickel free accessories.
Victoria
This historic family business produces stunning Portuguese basket bags. The style is quite different to Toino Abel as Victoria lacquers the outside, which further protects the bag and gives them a shiny look. They also have designs that incorporate leather and sustainable vegan leathers.
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Related Blog: 10 best souvenirs to buy in Portugal
This list of sustainable and ethical Portuguese fashion brands is really just the beginning. If you know and love a brand that makes things in Portugal, let me know in the comments below. I’ll be updating this article and creating more guides.
If you found this post useful, consider buying me a coffee to support my work.
Discover more sustainable Portuguese brands
- 24 Best Portuguese Sneaker Brands
- Where to shop for Portuguese ceramics
- 32 Best Portuguese Menswear Brands
- Where to find the best vintage and second-hand shops in Lisbon
- Lisbon Shopping: The Best Sustainable Stores & Boutiques
12 Responses
I just loooved this post! Thank you!
Hey Daniela ,
Big thanks dear for sharing your knowledge with us. You saved my precious time. It’s a good summary of Portuguese market.
Glad it was helpful!
Great post! We’ve been getting to know Portugal a littke bit more over recent years.
I used to buy coats and gilets from a UK brand that prided itself in kit made within the EU, but then they started making most stuff in China.
I know my last Gilet was made in Portugal and it woukd be great to replace it – in time for winter – with another made in Portugal. Do you or your followers have any ideas? I tried looking around when last in Tavira, but no luck.
I’ve had a quick search myself after seeing your comment and I can’t find anything. I know there is some great sportswear produced here, but I’ll have to dive deeper in. I’ll keep looking and let you know if I find anything! The quality here is always better
Martin, I’ve finally come across a Portuguese-made gilet – https://www.la5emehomme.com/vestes.html Let me know if you’ve found one!
I can confirm Impetus sports range of underwear are very good quality – I use them when out walking (hiking)
https://www.impetusunderwear.com/en/impetus-group/about-us_641.html
In the UK they can be found here
https://www.deadgoodundies.com/mens-underwear/shop-by-type/sports-underwear
Sorry, forgot – Impetus is of course Portuguese produced!
Hi Daniela, a big thankyou for all the great brands you researched for us afficionados of Portugal. Would you know of a menswear brand with a goose logo embroidered in black, on the sea green linnen shirt. A couple just back from their holidays, him wearing the nailed-it pop-over in linnen, reported they bought it in Portugal, with the goose logo on it.
Eager to know if you’d extend your knowledge in vegan organic restaurant in Lisbon and share?
Hey Joe, Thanks for your comment! I think that might be this Spanish brand, El Ganso – https://www.elganso.pt/pt_pt/men/camisas/camisa-de-linho.html I’d need to do deeper research.Not sur ethey are totally sustainable, but it seems they produce some pieces in Spain/Portugal at least.
For vegan, organic, I’ve heard amazing things about Arkhe if you want a slightly fancier meal. Senhor Uva is also great
I would like to know about cork. I have heard they make shoes but I don’t know where. I have a cork handbag.
HI Elke, yes, they use for so many things. I think anywhere that sells cork bags will sell cork shoes. I’m not sure where you’re based, but I know Nae uses cork in footwear. I’d try google-ing “sapatos de cortiça” (cork shoes) and see where will ship to you. Hope that helps!