Contemporary shirting label founded in Porto in 2012 by brothers Antonio and Manuel Magalhaes, whose family has worked in Portuguese textiles since the 1930s; shirts are cut and sewn in mills around Guimaraes.
Best for Five generations of Porto flannel-weaving supplying the world's best shops
Portuguese Flannel was founded in 2012 by brothers Antonio and Manuel Magalhaes in northern Portugal. The family's textile connection goes back further: their great-grandfather, Joao Pereira de Magalhaes, eventually opened his own mill, Textil Vizela, in 1935, and the family has been involved in fabric manufacturing since roughly the mid-19th century. Before launching their own label, the mills the brothers now work with in and around Guimaraes - the traditional center of Portuguese textile production - operated as contract manufacturers for other brands. Every Portuguese Flannel garment is still made in Guimaraes, using mills the family has long-standing relationships with. The company sells through a wide network of specialty menswear retailers internationally as well as direct online.
Soap and perfumery house founded in Porto in 1887 by Georges Schweder and Ferdinand Claus; soaps are milled seven times and air-dried on wooden racks for two weeks, a process the brand still uses today under fourth-generation family ownership.
Best for Art-deco wrapped milled soaps from Porto's 1887 soap house
Claus Porto traces to 1887, when German entrepreneurs Georges Schweder and Ferdinand Claus opened a soap and perfume workshop in Porto, Portugal, drawing on local scents and materials. The soaps won gold medals at the Paris and Saint Louis Universal Exhibitions in the years that followed, building an early export reputation. When Schweder and Claus were forced to leave Portugal at the outbreak of World War I, their business partner Achilles de Brito took control of the company and renamed it Claus Porto, the name it carries today. Under de Brito's family, the company has been run across four generations while keeping its original manufacturing method: bars are milled seven times to compress and refine the soap, then set on wooden bread racks to air-dry naturally for two weeks before wrapping. The brand's art-deco-influenced packaging, developed in the early twentieth century, remains part of its identity. Claus Porto operates three retail boutiques today, all in Portugal — its original shop on Rua das Flores in Porto, and two locations in Lisbon on Rua da Misericórdia and Rua do Carmo — alongside international distribution through department stores and specialty retailers. The company continues to produce its soaps, colognes, candles and diffusers using the milling and drying process established in the nineteenth century.
Ecolã is a third-generation Portuguese wool house founded in 1925, making blankets, burel clothing and accessories from local sheep's wool. Its Manteigas production follows the full cycle from shearing and washing to weaving and traditional fulling.
Best for Portuguese wool blankets, burel clothing and accessories
Bazar Paris has sold toys, models and games from its Rua Sa da Bandeira storefront in Porto for over 100 years, carrying brands like Lego, Playmobil and Jellycat. The family-run shop also operates a full online store with delivery.
Best for Lego, Playmobil, Jellycat and classic family toys
Casa Januario has traded as a fine grocer, confectioner and wine merchant in the heart of Porto since 1926, now run by the third generation of the founding family. Its Rua do Bonjardim shop and online store sell traditional Portuguese sweets, groceries and wines.
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