In London, APICCAPS marks the second year of its collaboration with the London College of Fashion

In London, APICCAPS marked the second year of its collaboration with LCF – London College of Fashion, part of University of the Arts London, consolidating a partnership that seeks to bring young international talent closer to Portugal’s footwear industry. The initiative, attended by Alexandra Ferreira Leite, director of AICEP’s UK delegation, aims to strengthen the links between education, creativity, innovation and national manufacturing capacity.

More than a campaign to promote Portuguese footwear, the collaboration is founded on direct contact between design students and Portuguese companies, enabling young designers to gain first-hand insight into development and production processes, available materials, technologies, and the innovative and sustainable solutions used across the sector, AICEP explains.

The partnership includes masterclasses, workshops, incentive awards for design, and the development of collections in collaboration with Portuguese manufacturers. The aim is to bridge the gap between academia and industry, creating the conditions for ideas or concepts developed by students to evolve into tangible products.

The first edition of the collaboration, launched in 2025, included a masterclass on Portuguese footwear for LCF students, featuring industry experts and designer Bianca Saunders. The initiative introduced students to the skills and resources available within the Portuguese sector, while fostering contact with different dimensions of product development.

The practical component took shape through the Portuguese Footwear Graduate Award, created to recognise projects developed by LCF footwear students and to offer them the opportunity to work directly with Portuguese industry. 

One of the most concrete examples of this process was the work carried out by designer Annie Purdy. After being recognised through the award, Purdy developed a capsule collection with the support of APICCAPS and in collaboration with LCF and Portuguese company JJ Heitor. Throughout the process, the designer had access to mentoring, materials, and technical support, enabling her to test and adapt her proposals to the demands of industrial production.

The project resulted in a collection of six styles, presented during London Fashion Week at the Portuguese Embassy in London. Development also drew on deadstock materials, demonstrating how sustainability considerations can be integrated into the very process of product creation and development.

The partnership likewise envisages the reverse exchange: trips for students to Portugal to experience the national footwear ecosystem first-hand. These visits enable them to observe factories, liaise with companies specialising in components and leather goods, and explore technology centres, production processes and innovative solutions. The aim is to provide hands-on experience of the value chain and to show how a design proposal is transformed into a finished product.

In the second year of the collaboration, APICCAPS is therefore returning to LCF with a new masterclass dedicated to Portuguese footwear and to innovation and sustainability, under the BioShoes4All project. Featuring experts from the Portuguese industry and designer Saul Nash, it will deepen students’ understanding of the challenges and opportunities currently shaping footwear development.

A second edition of the Portuguese Footwear and Accessories Design Award has also been launched, continuing the model of bringing new talent together with Portuguese manufacturers. The selected projects are developed in collaboration with industry, enabling designers to engage directly with the national production ecosystem and adapt their proposals to the practical realities of manufacturing.

AICEP’s involvement in the initiative further reinforces the partnership’s international dimension. Closer ties between one of the UK’s leading fashion schools and Portuguese industry help raise the profile of the national sector among a new generation of designers, creators, and future fashion professionals, adds the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade.

Ultimately, the strategy seeks to position Portugal not only as a country capable of manufacturing footwear, but also as a partner in product development, innovation, and sustainability, the agency concludes.