Orfama at MODTISSIMO with sustainable production
Back at MODTISSIMO and “with high expectations, as in previous editions,” Orfama will leverage the increasingly international stage of the Iberian fair to present a range of organic products that demonstrate “to customers our responsibility towards the various global challenges we face,” explains António Cunha, Sales Manager and Market Director of the company, to T Jornal, referring to the sustainability of the industry. The knitwear company from Braga will showcase a collection of 100% organic cotton, 100% organic wool, and recycled cashmere blends, “demonstrating respect for the environment and the circularity of the materials we use in the development of our products to keep sustainability as a priority,” he emphasizes. A regular presence at the only fashion event in Portugal, António Cunha highlights that being present at MODTISSIMO “has the advantage of bringing together in one space the various companies in the sector, always presenting great innovations to the market each season, making it a privileged place to discuss problems, find solutions, and seize business opportunities with all stakeholders.” Moreover, the 61st edition (or 60+1), held at Pavilion 5 of Exponor, is an opportunity “to understand the main desires of customers so we can respond with exclusive and differentiated products,” clarifies António Cunha. In addition to Portuguese customers, Orfama expects to connect primarily with the European market, particularly Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, aiming “to focus on quality markets where we can sell our products with added value,” he reveals. Given the growing internationalization of “the stage where everyone wants to be,” the Sales Manager acknowledges that “a perfect symbiosis has allowed for excellent results.” This recognition stems from “the quality of the products presented by the companies, combined with a strong commitment to innovation, design, and the creation of new materials, alongside good organization, strong export capacity, and the high competence of the industry in general.” Source: https://jornal-t.pt/noticia/orfama-no-modtissimo-para-apresentar-producao-sustentavel/
Orfama wants to strengthen relationships with customers
It is with high expectations that Orfama returns to MODTISSIMO 60+2 “to strengthen the relationship with customers and also understand their main desires so that we can respond with other exclusive and differentiated products”, reveals António Cunha, Sales Manager at Orfama, to T Jornal. Aware of the growing internationalization of the event, António Cunha says he hopes to contact European clients to whom he intends to present his products – “quality markets where we can sell with added value” –, such as “Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands”. Following on from what was presented in the February edition, Orfama is focusing on organic products – 100% organic cotton, 100% organic wool, recycled cashmere blends – “to show customers responsibility towards the various problems we face globally”. Being the only fair in the sector in Portugal, MODTISSIMO – in the opinion of the Sales Manager – “has the advantage of bringing together in the same space the various companies in the sector, always presenting great new products to the market”, he explained, adding that it is a privileged place for discussing problems, finding solutions and business opportunities with all stakeholders. In this sense, “a perfect symbiosis is created”, that is, on the part of companies “there is always a great commitment to innovation, design and the creation of new materials” which is combined “with good organization creating excellent results”, concluded António Cunha. Source: https://jornal-t.pt/noticia/modtissimo-ii-orfama-quer-estreitar-relacoes-com-os-clientes/
Orfama in consolidation
The company specializing in fully fashioned knitwear is in a phase of stability, achieved thanks to close proximity to customers and strong technological investments, which allows it to have good prospects for the future. For Orfama, which has 50% of its production allocated to the Montagut group’s own brands, and the other half to the private label, this is a time of consolidation. “We have had very stable production, due to the connection with customers, especially new customers, which has allowed for a longer-lasting stability in the company”, believes António Cunha, sales area manager. This consolidation process is only possible, he reveals, thanks to “a lot of work in terms of market research”, including during the difficult period of the pandemic. “We continued to visit customers, to have close contact, and this allowed us to create a different dynamic to the one we had before”, explains António Cunha. This proximity has even allowed Orfama to withdraw from trade fairs as an exhibitor – the only exception being Modtissimo. “Fortunately, we are in a relatively stable situation in terms of production and there is little point in going to trade fairs if we are not able to respond to our customers afterwards”, says the sales area manager. Even so, professional events, such as Première Vision, are important “because we have customers there and also to gather market information – it is important to be in the right place to know what is happening and to be able to make better decisions for the future”, says António Cunha. With productions scheduled for the entirety of this year, Orfama is “already working towards 2024”, reveals António Cunha, who stresses that “we live in a very volatile world, anything can shake everything and we have to take precautions”. The company therefore continues to “make investments and adopt new, more optimised ways of working. We have new machinery so that, through this, we can increase the level of quality and, by increasing quality, we will increase our margin, because we will reach customers that would not be possible if we did not have the technology and optimised layouts that we have”, he stresses. Technological reinforcement Among the most recent investments is the acquisition of technology from Shima Seiki, worth 1.2 million euros, «which allowed us to create a product with added value», and the implementation of production with «wholegarment machinery is also underway – we have already purchased the machines, now we are taking the first steps», reveals the sales area manager of Orfama, adding that the articles produced in this way will reach customers in the winter of 2024. In addition to opening up new product possibilities, technology is responding to the shortage of skilled labor that has been felt in the clothing industry. “Our type of product is labor-intensive [the company employs 230 people] and we are finding it increasingly difficult to find people specialized in remeshing, which means we have to think about the future. With machinery, we will be able to make the same product with less labor,” explains António Cunha. For 2023, the sales area manager at Orfama , which produces private label products for Europe, but also for markets such as the USA, South Korea and Japan, anticipates a turnover similar to that of 2022, which was around 7 million euros. “We now have a product with added value and that is how we have grown,” he says. As for the future, “the company has new, more optimized ways of working and new machinery so that, through this, we can increase the level of quality and, by increasing quality, increase our margin because we will reach different customers”, stresses António Cunha. “We do not want to grow in volume, we want to grow in margins”, he concludes. Source: https://portugaltextil.com/orfama-em-consolidacao/
Orfama responds to the market with differentiated raw materials
With the aim of “presenting the new products we have developed for the season and showing the market what we are doing at each fair”, Orfama returns to MODTISSIMO to respond “to market demands, presenting its differentiated raw materials”, said António Cunha, sales manager at Orfama. Focusing on recycled fibers, namely “recycled cotton, organic cotton, recycled wool with recycled cashmere”, it highlights that its GOTS certifications for cotton and RWS for wool “allow us to have differentiated products and we can offer added value to our customers and this has been the differentiation we have in our collections”. Noting that the fair is very busy and much bigger than in recent editions – both in terms of exhibitors and customers – the sales manager says that “the corridors are full and we are still starting” and reveals that expectations were good and that they are, for now, being met as expected, adding that in the early hours of the morning, “we met with several customers: Swiss, Spanish and English”. António Cunha has high expectations of the clients he has contacted, in the sense that “they seem to be clients who are focused on what they want and are looking for added value here in Portugal to complement their collections”, he concludes. Source: https://jornal-t.pt/noticia/orfama-responde-ao-mercado-com-materias-primas-diferenciadas/