The Piódão Group is a sustainable brand, how you exercise this sustainability in production?
LN: Our rugs are all 100 % recyclable, the wool being a natural product.
PP: First we are working in Europe and restrictions on environmentally is not as small as that. In terms of products, they are fully degradable. If the latex is involved in moisture breaks down and after a time disappears. The tape is made of cotton and polyester is there and there punctually at the edges. In terms of sustainability has to do with something else, has to do with the reuse of services, we have mandatorily fixed portions of wool, because the dye does not produce exact quantities, if any error, we however always order more. What happens? Imagine, a loom backrest only occupies a part and what we do in the empty part? Nothing we do the carpet, cut it and is left a small area. These leftovers go to waste in a normal situation when they cannot be exploited for carpets, the secret is to invest in two areas, first in the Collection pre - to-wear with small parts, small rugs in the free space that is adjacent to the finished carpets, we use thus color remnants to make such carpets. The only new element here is that using the latex, because it allows us to improvise an empty space that was going to waste, the scraps left over from other carpets, is the total reuse of elements. Therefore, a third aspect that I have to mention is that our products last, are not disposable, one of our rugs can last over 15 years, having a good material and visual quality, there is a difference between buying a rug every five years and another from 10 years or more who contribute to the rationalization of resources in its entirety. Sustainability is done so through the use of waste, a demand to rationalize production based on this idea, the products themselves have no heavy metals and the question of working within a European context that require certified products that pass the scrutiny of certain institutions where all waste from dyes undergo a treatment in a plant wastewater.
Wool is 100 % national?
LN: It is imported; there is some of New Zealand and the national market. We d not have ability to do all that.
PP : Each type o wool has its own type sheep, for example, Shetland , cashmere and angora , these wool are most suitable for clothes or fashion accessories , if used on carpets not guarantee that last for 15 days, the length and the elasticity behavior of the fiber itself is completely different . The most appropriate sheep wool is from New Zealand and there is a possibility of using some variants of Australia. What happens in Portugal is that animals are different , only part of the wool can be harnessed , we have to make a selection , then pick the lock and take away the waste , then you have to make a combing in order to separate the finer filaments , the longer can be blended with wool in New Zealand. The Portuguese fibers are more elastic and smooth, the New Zealander is rougher and the two mixed allow elasticity, softness and shine. What I can say is that this fiber is fully imported; however, she is spun entirely in Portugal.
What are the best markets for rugs of Piódão Group?
LN: The Nordic and Central European markets. The more traditional rug is going to France, England, is markets where thermal comfort is important and design. By the way the wool reacts to moisture balances the home environment, contrary to what is stated that contribute to allergies, which is not true. A new market is the U.S., where there was initially great resistance of the wool and warm fibers, but in terms of this product is a great success.
What is the next goal in the short - term future of the brand?
LN: In the short term the Piódão Group is to be implemented in some markets considered new, emerging, as is the case in Eastern Europe. And consolidate some more traditional markets.
And the long - term in addition to carpets you are trying other products with wool?
LN: We have interesting ideas to make the most fashionable rugs; we brew a partnership with a national stylist, renowned and test some new materials for carpets with wood base.
PP : If we are very trendy disappear from the market, if we are just salable is a problem , we have to invest in collections that follow the trends , but also in stable products which allow a great visibility that eventually can go to the market , because fashion is cyclical. The long - term actions with designers are important, the tests also with new materials, the fiber mixture can be brought into this universe. There is another relevant aspect to reinvent the mat, i.e., the material may be used in furniture, on chairs, in the beds, the walls, the ceiling can be used in home insulation.
LN: The tufted technology from rug is a weaving technique.
PP: The difficulty here is to find the proper materials, in this case, a carpet on the wall, there is the issue of micro - organisms that be cannot clean as easily and at ease than if you were on the ground. On the other hand, we are at a time when there is an absolutely horrendous dictatorship brands if a new brand start running well, apart from the specific range, short - term and long - term there is always an open door in an organic way to go adding materials and products that are complementary. Production of carpets is not a component of home textiles, sell home furnishings and complement of carpets is a range of home textiles of a completely different nature, then some accessories, apply pieces and some more things. It is necessary for a brand to have a coherent language, this process is evolutionary, if not result earns a name not as a carpet company, but as one with solutions for decoration. The costs of advertising and marketing will be much smaller as we will adding new products , because people realize that the brand is not only carpets, is decorating . Ultimately, if I can dream, I would say we were there for us.
LN: We are currently producing for some reputable brands of furniture carpets naturally white label. Ideally, is us as a brand with its own line creating this furniture , as we have a much wider range than they , that have a specific offer. Raising the tip of the veil of the products we are interested is coffee tables , as it is a product that is not connected to another decorative piece is easily added to a brand that has carpets, because it underlines the line , then it would be the couch which is a very natural connection and it is done very quickly . It is only a question of space for a decision and soon begins to make a collection.
