BEST PORTUGAL BRANDS
Article by Isabel Maria
Luxury Brands Summit: Portugal on the global radar of Luxury and Excellence
Event organized by the Laurel Association brings together industry leaders to discuss the future of luxury brands in Portugal at the Royal Treasury Museum, European Museum of the Year 2024
Last day 15 October of 2024, the Royal Treasury Museum in Lisbon, known for housing a unique collection of Portuguese crown jewels and recently named European Museum of the Year 2024, hosted the Luxury Brands Summit.
Organized by Portuguese Association of Brands of Excellence (Laurel), the event brought together national and international experts from the luxury sector, in branding and communication, brand management and creation, as well as representatives of renowned brands such as Aston Martin , IDEO. The objective was to discuss the future of luxury brands in Portugal and, once again, promote national know-how, with the high sponsorship of Good views, integrated into the celebration of their 200 years of 1824-2024.
Laurel Association, which has already been operating for three years and represents around 40 Portuguese brands of excellence, has been working to place Portugal on the global luxury industry radar. Second Francisco Carvalheira, Secretary General of the association, “Portugal produces for the best brands in the world, but we still need to create national businesses with a high positioning“. This summit had a significant impact on 180 invitations made, and thus positioned itself as another event held in national territory, focusing on creating value and promoting brands that aim to give tradition, innovation and creativity in the country.
With the graphic image produced by the Ivity agency, the conference was structured into four main panels: Brand, Communication, Retail and Art, each led by a renowned keynote speaker, as Rob Colmer da Aston Martin , Heather Boesch da IDEO.
These panels brought to discussion the importance of telling authentic stories in building a strong identity also through luxury brands., in addition to highlighting best practices in the management of these brands. Despite not directly including product designers on the panels, Francisco Carvalheira emphasizes the importance of training and design for the evolution of the luxury sector. For him, “training is essential. We must create a brand and design culture, how did Italy, and develop medium and long-term plans to strengthen this ecosystem”.
An exclusive networking environment, and in the presence of government agencies, universities, banks and other associations, there was a valuable moment for Portuguese brands to exchange experiences, build partnerships and be inspired by the examples of international and some national brands. With some of the Portuguese brands already positioned in cities such as New York and Chicago, with some design pieces already awarded by Moma in NY, Francisco emphasizes that, to have global expression, “more strong brands are needed, that can position Portugal on the world luxury map”, fact defended by other experts.
During the event, the importance of greater collaboration between universities and companies was highlighted as one of the pillars to foster a new generation of designers and managers focused on the luxury market. Portugal, with its vast cultural heritage, has all the conditions to develop its own luxury segment, but to achieve this it is necessary to invest in solid training and create national policies that encourage innovation and design.
Portugal Faz Bem has been actively working in this direction, celebrating potential, the tradition, the creativity and innovation of Portuguese Industry, through the creation of new dialogues and bridges, based on a rigorous and extensive survey, which have already resulted in new pieces, They have also already been presented to the world and integrated into several luxury circuits, sustainability and circularity. Its focus on promoting Portuguese brands through digital marketing and relationship services shows its commitment to strengthening local brands, promoting them to a wider audience, both nationally and internationally. As discussed at the May Mini Summit 2025, which featured the participation of Francisco Carvalheira, initiatives such as Lisbon Design Week , Luxury Brands Summit are crucial to placing Portugal at the forefront of design and luxury.
O Luxury Brands Summit organized by the Association Laurel, it was another event and an important step towards the construction and promotion of Portuguese luxury brands, which, although they are already being recognized internationally, still need more visibility and support to consolidate their position, in the competitive global market.