The Portuguese Textile and Apparel Association (ATP) is promoting the national textile industry at Expo 2025 Osaka with the installation TEXTILE LIVE – Draping with Sustainable Materials, made in Portugal, featured in the Portugal Pavilion under the theme Ocean, The Blue Dialogue.
This international initiative celebrates innovation, environmental responsibility, and the heritage of the Portuguese textile and clothing industry, highlighting materials and processes developed in Portugal that respect ecosystems and place sustainability at the heart of creative practice.
From 12 to 15 June, the thousands of visitors of the Portuguese Pavilion everyday, namely the Multiuse Room (with doors opening directly onto the Expo grounds), will be able to watch and witness an unprecedented live work action by 15 young Japanese designers and one Portuguese designer, on textile materials made in Portugal based on the pillars of sustainability and environmental responsibility.
In collaboration with three Japanese fashion schools – Osaka Institute of Fashion, Marronnier College of Fashion Design and Kobe Bunka Fashion College – art, tradition and innovation, in the form of draping work on busts also made from sustainable materials, will show the world the creative potential of our most eco-friendly materials.
This live draping performance will take place twice a day, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. In addition, visitors will also be able to see a photo exhibition in which Portuguese textiles materials are “interpreted” through the beauty and talent of top Portuguese models from past generations. The experience is further enriched by a miniature doll’s installation, the Marias Paperdolls by Cláudia Oliveira and an informative video that explains the sustainable processes behind the materials on
display.
Altogether, these elements offer more than enough reason for high anticipation around the event, which aims to reaffirm the active role that Portugal’s textile and clothing industry is playing in positioning itself at the forefront of the Circular Economy.
Curated by Paulo Gomes, the installation highlights textile solutions made in Portugal with:
- Natural wool and linen, responsibly sourced and rooted in traditional craftsmanship.
- Bio-based artificial fibers, derived from food industry by-products.
- Recycled synthetic fibers, including polyester from PET bottle waste.
- Seaweed-based finishes, which reduce water consumption and create unique effects.
- Natural and eco-friendly dyes, with environmentally conscious processes.
The result is a living dialogue between tradition and innovation, Portugal and Japan — where textiles become a medium of artistic expression and a symbol of an industry in transformation.
ATP extends its gratitude to all those who made this installation possible, especially the Portuguese companies Albano Morgado, Burel Factory, Lemar, Positive Materials e Trimalhas; the curator Paulo Gomes; the designer Renato Luiz; and the 15 Japanese fashion students from the Osaka Institute of Fashion, Marronnier College of Fashion Design, and Kobe Bunka Fashion College and AICEP.
We further acknowledge the valuable contributions of Cláudia Oliveira (Marias Paperdolls); the volunteer interpreters Kazuha Toriyama and Ayu Adachi; photographer Sorin Opait; models Elsa Correia, Isabel Sousa, Milene Veiga, and Telma Santos; Rui Guimarães (graphic materials); Liliana Alves (video production); and the team from Saiunion Co., Ltd (mannequins), as well as the support of our sponsors, Aquitex and Mind.pt.
With this action, ATP reinforces the positioning of the Portuguese Textile and Apparel Industry as a global benchmark in sustainable innovation, presenting itself to the world through art, design, and the matter that defines us: textiles made in Portugal – FOR A BETTER WOLRD.
