Blog

Articles and notes

Long-form notes on sourcing, vetting factories, and running production with Portuguese clothing manufacturers.

How Much It Actually Costs to Start a Clothing Brand in Europe in 2026
Matias Santos, Founder
Search this question and you'll get answers from 500 dollars to 50,000 dollars, mostly from US-based print-on-demand and LA cut-and-sew shops. Almost none of it is priced for a European founder actually manufacturing in Europe. This is the honest breakdown, built from real Portuguese production numbers, not a generic estimate.
Aug 17, 2026
NovaSupplier vs Wonnda: Which European Sourcing Platform Fits Your Brand
Matias Santos, Founder
Wonnda keeps coming up in the same searches as NovaSupplier, both promise verified European manufacturers, both talk about direct relationships. But Wonnda is a 600-plus-category consumer goods marketplace where fashion is one vertical among many, and NovaSupplier is built exclusively around Portuguese garment manufacturing. The difference in what each platform is actually optimised for matters more than the surface-level similarity.
Aug 17, 2026

What Is a Tech Pack (and What a Portuguese Factory Actually Needs in It)

Matias Santos, Founder

A brief tells a factory what you want to make. A tech pack tells them exactly how to make it. Confusing the two is the single most common reason a first sample comes back wrong, not because the factory got it wrong, but because the document they were working from never actually specified the thing you're now unhappy about.

Aug 17, 2026

Is NovaSupplier Legit? How It Works and How We Make Money

Matias Santos

You found NovaSupplier through a Reddit thread, a factory referral, or a Google search, and the obvious next question is whether it's real. Here's exactly how NovaSupplier works, how it makes money, what it vets and what it doesn't, and what to check yourself before trusting any sourcing platform.

Aug 17, 2026

What You Can No Longer Say About Your Product After 27 September 2026

Matias Santos

Check your own product page right now. If it says eco-friendly, sustainably made, or responsibly sourced, or if there's a green leaf icon you designed yourself, none of that copy survives 27 September 2026 in its current form. That's the actual mechanism of ECGT, a new EU directive with no size exemption. It doesn't matter if you're a two-person brand or a listed retailer, the same rules apply on the same date. This guide covers exactly what's banned, what's still allowed, and why a brand sourcing directly from certified manufacturers is already closer to compliant than one relying on an agent.

Aug 3, 2026

Denim Manufacturing in Portugal: The Complete Guide for Brands

Matias Santos, Founder

Almost anyone can sew a straight seam through 14oz cotton twill. What separates a denim factory that can produce a jean a brand can actually sell from one that can't has almost nothing to do with the sewing line. It's the wash. Every vintage fade, every soft hand-feel, every whisker line, comes from what happens after the garment is sewn. This guide covers where Portugal's real denim capability sits, why the wash needs to be specified with the same precision as the fabric, real MOQ and price ranges, and what a denim brief needs that a standard cut-and-sew brief doesn't.

Jul 4, 2026

How Much It Actually Costs to Start a Clothing Brand in Europe in 2026

NovaSupplier vs Wonnda: Which European Sourcing Platform Fits Your Brand

What Is a Tech Pack (and What a Portuguese Factory Actually Needs in It)

Is NovaSupplier Legit? How It Works and How We Make Money

What You Can No Longer Say About Your Product After 27 September 2026

Denim Manufacturing in Portugal: The Complete Guide for Brands