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2007 Laureate Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life

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Portugal

“Capuchinhas” Women’s Group
Reinventing a traditional craft

 



PORTUGAL:“Capuchinhas” Women’s Group
Reinventing a traditional craft

Twenty years ago, a few women decided to save Campo Benfeito, an isolated village threatened with extinction because there was little economic activity. In 1985, these women attended a training course in sewing, aiming to build on skills they had learned from their mothers. They intended to produce and market traditional capuchas. A capucha is a waterproof woolen coat (mantle), worn by women, that is warm in winter and protective from the sun in summer. It can last a lifetime.


Realizing that just making capuchas would not be enough to generate sufficient income, the women, now known as “Capuchinhas” trained themselves in management, budgeting and accounting and decided to innovate and modernize their production. Their models needed a contemporary touch and a wider promotion around the region. With determination and perseverance, they managed to find financial support to hire a fashion designer who, over 8 years, designed coats, skirts, blouses and sweaters that are now sold in fashion stores in Lisbon and Oporto. Keeping the traditional knowledge of the past, they are now able to produce a summer and a winter collection every two years.
For 20 years now, the impact of these women on the environment is worth mentioning:


§      They included the community in their project, relying on the knowledge of older women in terms of weaving techniques and dyes.
§      They learned how to use plants and tree leaves to dye linen and wool, ecological raw materials, which are treated with completely ecological techniques.
§      They prevented their village from being deserted. They stayed in the village as well as their husbands. Six children are now attending school, the first ones in 20 years.
§      They contribute to local development and bring customers as well as many visitors to Campo Benfeito.


It is a great example of entrepreneurship, of women who stand up for themselves and who did not wait for things to come their way.





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