Articles and notes

What Is NovaSupplier? How Independent Clothing Brands Source Directly from Portuguese Manufacturers

Matias Santos, Founder

NovaSupplier connects independent clothing brands directly with vetted Portuguese manufacturers. No agents, no directories, no middlemen taking a cut of every order. This post covers exactly what NovaSupplier is, how a brand goes from brief to factory match, what happens once a project is live, and what the platform replaces for founders who are tired of paying someone else to manage a relationship they could manage themselves.

Jun 24, 2026

I'm 20, and I Left University to Build the Direct Route Between Fashion Brands and Portuguese Factories

Matias Santos, Founder

Ovar is a small city on the Portuguese coast, halfway between Porto and Aveiro. If you've heard of it, you're probably in the industry. I grew up here with a family embedded in Portuguese textiles and footwear for generations, on the manufacturing side, the side that makes things and that most people in fashion never see. What I saw growing up was a gap so obvious it was almost embarrassing: Portuguese factories producing garments for recognized European brands, and nobody outside the industry knowing those factories existed. No web presence, no direct access, no way for an independent brand to find them without an agent staying in the middle forever. That gap is why I built NovaSupplier.