Filipa Belo is an enthusiast of entrepreneurship, sustainable consumption and a sharing economy. In 2018 she created the first network to promote contemporary Portuguese craftsmanship – Portugal Manual. Currently, Filipa provides consulting to brands in her network, new brands that are initiating projects (related to crafts and art) as well as companies looking for solutions made by new Portuguese artisans.

Portugal Manual

Portugal Manual is a network for the promotion of new Portuguese artisans. It acts in several areas to support the projects that make up the network, focusing the three pillars: cultural, commercial and creative tourism. They are the authors of the first Portuguese podcast completely focused on showcasing new artisans, artists and news from the sector.

Bénédicte Epinay took the reins of Comité Colbert in March 2020. Previously, Bénédicte Épinay spent 30 years working in the media sector, in particular the Les Échos-Le Parisien Group. There she held the position of Deputy Editorial Director, in charge of weekend supplements. She created the group’s first monthly luxury and lifestyle magazine, Série Limitée, in 1999 and was involved in the launch of the Les Echos Week-end weekly publication in 2015.
(Photo credits: ©David Atlan)

Comité Colbert
Founded in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain, Comité Colbert is an association bringing together 92 French luxury Maisons, 17 cultural institutions, and 6 European luxury Maisons. Its motto is: to passionately promote, patiently transmit, and sustainably develop French savoir-faire and creation to inject a new sense of wonder.

Paulo Sellmayer (b. 1987, Oberhausen, Germany) is a creative director and product designer based in Caldas da Rainha.
He holds a graduate degree in Industrial Design (2010) and a MA in Product Design (2020), both from ESAD.CR – IPLeiria. Founder of VICARA and Tasco, his work focuses on materials and fabrication processes, upbringing cultural innovation through manufactured objects. Since 2010 his projects have been selected to be exhibited in São Paulo, London, Milan, Rhode Island, Paris and Lisbon. As creative director of VICARA he has worked with clients such as MAAT – Museum For Art Architecture and Technology in Lisbon, Sumol + Compal, Sovina and Amorim Cork Flooring.

VICARA
VICARA Studio is a creative agency that develops original initiatives and socially conscious solutions in product design. Bringing together designers, artisans and industry, VICARA takes a hands-on approach to creating a sustainable and interconnected design ecosystem. The agency is also the owner of two product design brands: the homonymous brand, which presents a catalogue of exclusive pieces produced in ceramics, glass, wood, or weaving techniques, and which has national design and production as its common thread; and Tasco, a red clay tableware brand, inspired by the vernacular of Portuguese handmade ceramics and its gastronomic culture.

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance is a French designer working across a wide range of disciplines and materials to create a unified body of work with a narrative deeply rooted in nature. Born in the south of France in 1974, he followed his father’s footsteps. With academic training in sculpture from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art, followed by a degree in furniture design from the renowned Les Arts Décoratifs.
(Photo credits: ©SandaVuckovic)

Made In Situ
Made in Situ is the manifestation of a creative dynamic of apperception, rooted in the treasures of a territory, its craftspeople and its systemic connections to nature. Resulting in a cycle of seasons, each with its own story.

Alina Șerban is a community engagement specialist with institutional knowledge of strategic partnership and social financing. She has a background in philanthropy, having worked at ERSTE Foundation for 8 years focusing on community development and social entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe. Her love for the aesthetic was the connector to the world of crafts and the motivation behind setting up co/rizom with Nadja Zerunian and Andrei Georgescu in 2018.

co/rizom
co/rizom is committed to a responsible and sustainable model of production that protects the essential craft skills and artisan knowledge of small-scale makers around the world; connecting artisans with the support they need to turn their heritage craft skills into viable livelihoods, integrating their unique products into the global supply chain.

Born in Lisbon in 1969, Catarina Portas has always worked in media in the areas of society and culture, she is the author of two books and a documentary. Combining the pleasure of researching ancient Portuguese products, craftsmanship and entrepreneurial initiative, Catarina has launched, since 2004, several shops, including A Vida Portuguesa in 2007, and Depozito in 2021.

Vida Portuguesa & Depozito
The first shop opened in Chiado, but the one in Intendente is definitely worth a visit. With a careful range of Portuguese products, both are a faithful depository of the national spirit. To promote the best of Portugal’s craftsmanship the brand added Depozito to its selection in 2021

Alice Bernardo is the founder and the Coordinator of Saber Fazer, specialising in education and transmission of technical knowledge in the area of handmade and semi-industrial production in Portugal. She works as a trainer, consultant and researcher in this area, specialising in producing raw materials and creating sustainable production chains from the environmental, social and economic points of view.

Saber Fazer
Saber Fazer was founded in 2011, developing since then work in the area of knowledge transmission related to small-scale manufacturing. Among the most relevant initiatives are the creation of educational programs, training, documentation of techniques, research-action initiatives and the edition of technical manuals.

Graça Ramos,holds a degree in Historical Sciences from Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique (Porto) and is the President of the Board of Directors of Associação Portugal à Mão – Center for the Study and Promotion of Portuguese Arts and Crafts. She is a member of the Board of Between Parallels – Association for Design and Sustainable Development, member of the Sector Council for Qualification “Handicrafts and Goldsmithery” at ANQEP, and Vice-President of CENA – AIP’s National Strategic Council for Craftsmanship.

Portugal à Mão
Portugal à Mão – Center for the Study and Promotion of Portuguese Arts and Crafts is an institution that promotes the study of and reflection on Portuguese traditional arts and crafts and culture.

Celine Vogt is Head of Education at the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship in Geneva. In this capacity, she leads the development of education programmes and the expansion of the network of partners of the Foundation. Today, it consists of over 130 organisations throughout Europe and beyond. A firm believer in the importance of collaboration, Celine works hand-in-hand with partners to co-create projects and onboard them in the Foundation’s initiatives.
(Photo credits: ©AlexPittet)

Michelangelo Foundation
The Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship is a non-profit institution based in Geneva which champions contemporary craftspeople worldwide to promote a more human, inclusive and sustainable future. It celebrates and preserves craftsmanship and its diversity by increasing craft recognition and viability as a professional path for the next generations.

Executive director of the Campus des métiers d’art et du design since 2019. Vice dean of Duperré art school from 2021 to 2019. She leads several creations of master’s projects such as the Master «Creation/project/transdisciplinarity» merging Boulle, Ensaama, Estienne et Duperré or the master Fashion et Creative Industry with Sorbonne Nouvelle University and LVMH. She graduated in contemporary history.

Campus Métiers d’Art & Design
The Campus unites 34 establishments issuing French diplomas from Level 3 to Level 8 in Design and Craftsmanship. The Campus Program develops valorisation, innovation, support for professional integration and international outreach in liaison with the economic players in the sector.