PORTUGAL MANUAL: PROMOTING CONTEMPORARY ARTISANSHIP
“There is still a strong reaction when people realise that these are handmade, author-driven pieces”
De La Espada is privileged to be part of the creative industry in our home country of Portugal, where art and design converge and heritage craft gives shape to modern objects. Here, creatives and entrepreneurs collaborate and raise one another up, growing thoughtful innovation. Through myriad initiatives, Portugal Manual has been instrumental in fostering this community and increasing the international visibility of Portuguese creativity. De La Espada is proud to support them at this year’s Lisbon Design Week for the recording of 10 episodes of their eponymous podcast focusing on the stories behind the handmade. Our partnership stems from a shared way of thinking about design and production, and the networks that sustain them.
Portugal Manual was founded by Filipa Belo in 2018, and today supports over 120 projects, from facilitating creative collaboration and business opportunities, to amplifying messaging, to encouraging public engagement with artisans. A small sample of their initiatives include:
DEPOZITO
In partnership with A Vida Portuguesa, they co-founded Depozito, a 400m2 shop in Lisbon that sells artisanal craft objects, representing over 40 of the brands they support, and engages the public through craft classes, conversations, and workshops.
CURATED CULTURAL EXPERIENCES PROGRAMME
They created the Curated Cultural Experiences programme, together with Visitportugal, offering members of the public tuition with artisans across a broad range of art, design, and craft disciplines including plasterwork, palm weaving, and jewellery making.
VOLUNTEERING PROGRAMME
In collaboration with Passa Ao Futuro, they offer a volunteering programme connecting artisans with professionals who can strengthen their businesses with expertise in fields such as digital marketing and photography.
WOMEN IN ART FELLOWSHIP
They joined forces with VIA Outlets and SOTA to create the Women in Art Fellowship, nurturing emerging female artists in Portugal with a grant, gallery representation, and business guidance.
PORTUGAL MANUAL PODCAST
They author the Portugal Manual podcast featuring industry news and the stories behind handcraft, with past guests including Joana Astolfi, João Gameiro, João Rodrigues, Teresa Branco, Henrique Ralheta, Felipa Almeida, and De La Espada co-founder Luis De Oliveira.
Below, Portugal Manual founder Filipa Belo shares insights on what the organisation has achieved so far, what to expect from the Lisbon Design Week podcast episodes, and what is coming up next.
What are you most proud of when it comes to Portugal Manual?
Over the past seven years, we have carved out a clear space within the sector. We became part of a broader shift that was already happening in Portugal, a renewed attention to craft and making, but what we did differently was how we communicated it, how we curated it, and which stories we chose to tell. Portugal Manual helped reframe these practices, giving visibility to a new generation of makers and positioning their work within a more contemporary cultural context. That made a real difference. It’s also rewarding to see how the ecosystem has grown alongside us. Many initiatives have emerged over the years, sometimes working with the same makers or territories, which is natural in a relatively small context, but also building on similar concerns. That, for me, is a positive sign. It means there was a shared momentum, and that what we were doing resonated beyond our own platform.
Can you share stories about the impact you have made, perhaps feedback from participants of your initiatives?
Over the years, the most consistent feedback we receive from our community is very tangible.
Many makers tell us that once they join Portugal Manual, new opportunities start to emerge: invitations for interviews, features in magazines, collaborations with interior designers, or approaches from new retail spaces. It functions as an active portfolio that is constantly being consulted.
There are also direct outcomes from our initiatives. Exhibitions, fairs, and pop-ups often lead to new clients, international contacts, and ongoing partnerships. And internally, we’ve seen people meet through Portugal Manual and go on to open stores together, develop collaborative pieces, or build long-term creative relationships.
From the audience side, the shift has also been visible. Seven years ago, people were often surprised to discover this new generation of makers, the idea that craftsmanship was not disappearing, but evolving. Today, that surprise is less pronounced, but it hasn’t disappeared. There is still a strong reaction when people realise that these are handmade, author-driven pieces, and that many are the result of a conscious life choice to work with one’s own hands. That tension between tradition and contemporaneity continues to resonate.
What excites you most about Portuguese creativity at the present moment?
There’s a growing confidence. For a long time, Portuguese creators were either looking back or looking outward. Now, there’s a generation that is doing both, but on their own terms. They are less concerned with fitting into predefined categories and more interested in building their own language, often somewhere between art, design, and craft. That ambiguity is actually where things get interesting.
What are your thoughts on Lisbon Design Week and what it has achieved for Portuguese design to date?
Lisbon Design Week has managed to create something that Portugal has long needed, a moment of alignment. It brings together studios, galleries, brands, and independent creators into a shared narrative, even if temporarily. More than visibility, it creates context. And that’s essential if we want Portuguese design to be understood beyond isolated projects.
Can you share some of your plans for the Lisbon Design Week podcast recordings this year?
We’re bringing together a mix of profiles, from gallerists and collectors to designers and makers, precisely to reflect the ecosystem as a whole. The idea is not just to highlight individual work, but to create conversations around collecting, authorship, and the future of making.
What other plans are coming up for Portugal Manual?
This year is an important one for us. We’re working on expanding the way we tell these stories, not just through exhibitions or digital content, but through a new format that allows us to reach a wider audience while staying true to the depth of the work. It’s something we’ve been developing for a while, and it will mark a new phase for Portugal Manual.
Learn More about Portugal Manual
Listen to Portugal Manual podcast
Learn More about Lisbon Design Week
Photography courtesy of Portugal Manual
