Capable of producing items ranging from high-level sports – as it has happened with the technical knit used in the shirt that Usain Bolt wore when he beat the Olympic record of 100 meters at the Olympic Games in London 2012 – to more fashionable items that major retailers and international brands cannot resist, LMA has built a portfolio of varied products, where innovation is the figurehead.
«We have several products that we consider to be an asset for the urban wear area», said Manuel Barros, executive director of the company, in an article published in the Jornal Têxtil’s March’s issue. «Today what people want is an item that you wear and it is easy to maintain», he stated.
This is the case of a product developed by the company with special yarns with characteristics such as permeability to air, moisture management and greater comfort that doesn’t need to be ironed. «This kind of concept is applied thanks to several years of know-how we have in this area and about what the fashion urban wear is», explained Manuel Barros, adding that this kind of item «has had some success with the brands».
Innovation is always the company’s differentiating argument to gain, or regain, as happened with Adidas in 2014, customers. Earlier this year, LMA has introduced a new knit with a windbreaker membrane, resistant to liquids but permeable to air, combined with cork, directed to the area of “techno-fashion”. «It is a reinvention of a raw material in which Portugal is strong: cork», declared Manuel Barros. «This is a product with a good water column, with antibacterial properties, breathability and temperature regulation», he enumerated.
This development earned the distinction of “Best Product” at Ispo Textrends Forum at the Ispo Munich, held in January, and was selected for the InovaTêxtil 2016 prize, under the participation in Technical and Innovative Textile Forum in ITechStyle Innovation Business Forum, organized by Citeve in the latest edition of Modtissimo, back in February. «There are many customers interested – people consider it to be an out-of-the-box item», summed up the executive director.
