The sixth episode of the Negócios com Impacto videocast, a partnership between CATÓLICA-LISBON and Rádio Renascença, brings us the story of a Portuguese brand that has successfully reinvented itself: Torres Novas. The guest is Nuno Vasconcellos e Sá, CATÓLICA-LISBON alumnus and one of the founders behind the revival of this historic textile company.

Torres Novas was reborn in 2020, but its roots go back to the 19th century, when the Companhia Nacional de Fiação e Tecidos de Torres Novas was founded. For decades, the brand was synonymous with quality in the Portuguese textile industry, until operations came to a halt in 2011.

The idea to revive the company began with a conversation between Nuno’s father and his great-uncle, Adolfo Lima Mayer, a former administrator and central figure in the brand’s history. When Nuno Vasconcelos returned to Portugal after completing his MBA, he felt the timing was right to launch his own business. “I was looking for an opportunity to start something of my own, and this was a project that resonated deeply, both because of the family legacy and the strength of the brand”.

The official relaunch of Torres Novas took place at the end of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Despite natural concerns surrounding the revival of a brand with a history of closure, the three founders — Nuno, Inês and Miguel — took a different approach. While the original company was mostly industrial and produced for other labels, the new venture focuses exclusively on the Torres Novas brand, with a business model built on differentiation through quality, 100% national production, and sustainable product management.

With production based entirely in Portugal, reinforcing its commitment to ethical and sustainable manufacturing practices, the brand embraced a slow and steady growth model, with a portfolio designed to last and made from high-quality raw materials. “We care deeply about sustainability, but also about longevity. A good towel, one that stays in great condition for years, may be the most authentic form of responsible consumption”, says Nuno. He believes the success of Torres Novas is largely due to this alignment between values, product and narrative.

After nearly five years in operation, the brand is now sold in more than 150 stores worldwide, from various European countries to Venezuela, Lebanon and Kazakhstan, as well as through its online channel.

Torres Novas was reborn as a true business with impact, not only by rescuing a historic brand from Portuguese collective memory, but by embodying a new approach to the textile industry: more conscious, more responsible, and more faithful to the country’s deep-rooted textile expertise.

The sixth episode of the Negócios com Impacto videocast is available to watch and listen to on Spotify and CATÓLICA-LISBON’s YouTube channel.