30 January 2022.

Meet Francisco, our Chief Knitter.

We spoke with Franscisco, owner of Fatextil, about how he started his manufacturing business and what keeps him excited about his work.

"All my life I felt compelled to this kind of business.
I always loved studying the materials that we wear, exploring new textures and colours."

Sheep Inc. x PjT.
A collaboration for a brighter future.

Grace Mahary, Founder and Creative Director of Project Tsehigh talked with us about giving clean energy to communities that need it most.

30 January 2022.

Meet Francisco, our Chief Knitter.

We spoke with Franscisco, owner of Fatextil, about how he started his manufacturing business and what keeps him excited about his work.

"All my life I felt compelled to this kind of business. I always loved studying the materials that we wear, exploring new textures and colours."

Francisco, can you introduce yourself? When did you start Fatextil and why? 

All my life I felt compelled to this kind of business. I always loved studying the materials that we wear, exploring new textures and colours. I started to work in this industry from a very young age, just like my brothers, in order to help our family financially. As time went by, I started to really love and appreciate my job. But I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to deliver quality and care in every single garment that exited my facility. That is why I started Fatextil back in 2001. 


You were one of the first manufacturers in Portugal to install a solar panel array on your factory roof, your facility now operates entirely on Solar energy, when did you make this shift and why was it important?

I made this shift in 2018 for environmental reasons mainly. Because I believe this is the way to go and this is the future. I think if we all can do something to help make the fashion industry cleaner, our children will be proud of us.

Francisco, can you introduce yourself? When did you start Fatextil and why? 
All my life I felt compelled to this kind of business. I always loved studying the materials that we wear, exploring new textures and colours. I started to work in this industry from a very young age, just like my brothers, in order to help our family financially. As time went by, I started to really love and appreciate my job. But I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to deliver quality and care in every single garment that exited my facility. That is why I started Fatextil back in 2001. 


You were one of the first manufacturers in Portugal to install a solar panel array on your factory roof, your facility now operates entirely on Solar energy, when did you make this shift and why was it important?
I made this shift in 2018 for environmental reasons mainly. Because I believe this is the way to go and this is the future. I think if we all can do something to help make the fashion industry cleaner, our children will be proud of us.

Alexander, Sheep Inc.'s Designer, and Francisco on Alex's most recent visit.

There is a worker bonus scheme system that Sheep Inc. and Fatextil have implemented, can you tell us how this works? 

For any knitters working on Sheep Inc. products, we have introduced a bonus scheme that increases salary by 20+%.


What do you enjoy the most about working with Sheep Inc.? And what do you find the most challenging?

I enjoy working with Sheep Inc. because I feel like it is what I was meant to do. It does not feel like “working" when you love what you do. I enjoy everything, even the most challenging parts of it, like dealing with suppliers and maintaining the machines. The biggest challenge I am facing nowadays is dealing with the lack of manpower due to Covid.

Francisco, can you introduce yourself? When did you start Fartextil and why? 
All my life I felt compelled to this kind of business. I always loved studying the materials that we wear, exploring new textures and colours. I started to work in this industry from a very young age, just like my brothers, in order to help our family financially. As time went by, I started to really love and appreciate my job. But I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to deliver quality and care in every single garment that exited my facility. That is why I started Fartextil back in 2001. 


You were one of the first manufacturers in Portugal to install a solar panel array on your factory roof, your facility now operates entirely on Solar energy, when did you make this shift and why was it important?
I made this shift in 2018 for environmental reasons mainly. Because I believe this is the way to go and this is the future. I think if we all can do something to help make the fashion industry cleaner, our children will be proud of us.

Finishing touches being applied to a
sweater at Fatextil.

Beyond being one of the first manufacturers to operate on renewable energy you are also the first to use 3D knitting machines. Can you tell us what the advantages of using this technology are and how it changed the way your factory operates?

Sure, this technology helps us to be more efficient and more precise. It gives us a lot of creative freedom and enables new dynamics in terms of production. It helped us to reach new markets and take on more work. 

 

Finally, how did you name your Sheep? 

I named my sheep Polar for two reasons. First, Polar is the star that guides us north. My North Star guides me towards a better, more environmentally conscious future. Secondly, Polar is also what in Portugal we call a sweater that protects us from the cold. So in a certain way, it means to protect. Polar: Protecting our planet and guiding us towards a better future. That is what Sheep Inc. does in a nutshell. 

Francisco, can you introduce yourself? When did you start Fartextil and why? 
All my life I felt compelled to this kind of business. I always loved studying the materials that we wear, exploring new textures and colours. I started to work in this industry from a very young age, just like my brothers, in order to help our family financially. As time went by, I started to really love and appreciate my job. But I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to deliver quality and care in every single garment that exited my facility. That is why I started Fartextil back in 2001. 


You were one of the first manufacturers in Portugal to install a solar panel array on your factory roof, your facility now operates entirely on Solar energy, when did you make this shift and why was it important?
I made this shift in 2018 for environmental reasons mainly. Because I believe this is the way to go and this is the future. I think if we all can do something to help make the fashion industry cleaner, our children will be proud of us.

Our hand-finished smit mark made from factory offshoot yarn.

"I named my sheep Polar, protecting our planet and guiding us towards a better future. That is what Sheep Inc. does in a nutshell."


There is a worker bonus scheme system that Sheep Inc. and Fatextil have implemented, can you tell us how this works? 
For any knitters working on Sheep Inc. products, we have introduced a bonus scheme that increases salary by 20+%.


What do you enjoy the most about working with Sheep Inc.? And what do you find the most challenging?
I enjoy working with Sheep Inc. because I feel like it is what I was meant to do. It does not feel like “working" when you love what you do. I enjoy everything, even the most challenging parts of it, like dealing with suppliers and maintaining the machines. The biggest challenge I am facing nowadays is dealing with the lack of manpower due to Covid.

Our hand-finished smit mark made from factory offshoot yarn.

Alexander, Sheep Inc.'s Designer, and Francisco on Alex's most recent visit.

Finishing touches being applied to a
sweater at Fatextil.

"I named my sheep Polar, protecting our planet and guiding us towards a better future. That is what Sheep Inc. does in a nutshell."

Beyond being one of the first manufacturers to operate on renewable energy you are also the first to use 3D knitting machines. Can you tell us what the advantages of using this technology are and how it changed the way your factory operates?
Sure, this technology helps us to be more efficient and more precise. It gives us a lot of creative freedom and enables new dynamics in terms of production. It helped us to reach new markets and take on more work. 

 

Finally how did you name your Sheep? 
I named my sheep Polar for two reasons. First, Polar is the star that guides us north. My North Star guides me towards a better, more environmentally conscious future. Secondly, Polar is also what in Portugal we call a sweater that protects us from the cold. So in a certain way, it means to protect. Polar: Protecting our planet and guiding us towards a better future. That is what Sheep Inc. does in a nutshell. 

"I named my sheep Polar, protecting our planet and guiding us towards a better future. That is what Sheep Inc. does in a nutshell."

Sheep Inc. x PjT.
A collaboration for a brighter future.

Grace Mahary, Founder and Creative Director of Project Tsehigh talked with us about giving clean energy to communities that need it most.

The Supply Chain of the Future.

Building the Supply Chain of the Future is hard work. But someone had to do it.