Torres Novas

The Revival of Portugal’s Most Beloved Towel Maker

Along the Almonda River, Torres Novas towels were once a constant in nearly every Portuguese home. Founded in 1845, the company grew into one of the country’s most respected textile manufacturers until cheap imports and the financial crisis forced its closure in 2011. The looms fell silent after 166 years, and an icon of Portuguese craft seemed lost.

A decade later, three young Portuguese: Nuno Vasconcellos e Sá, his wife Inês Vaz-Pinto, and their longtime friend Miguel Castel-Branco decided to bring it back. None of them were textile makers; Nuno and Miguel were former BCG consultants, and Inês worked in fashion and communications. But the brand had lived in their families for generations.

“In my house, and in all my family’s homes, the towels were always Torres Novas, which was my uncle’s large factory.”

The turning point came when Nuno spoke to his great-uncle, Adolfo de Lima Mayer, now 85, the last director of the original factory and the guardian of the brand’s know-how. He had safeguarded the technical recipes, color formulas, and weave constructions for decades, hoping that one day someone would revive them.

The team relaunched Torres Novas in late 2020 right in the middle of the pandemic. Their original plan had been to focus on hotels, but as tourism shut down overnight, they pivoted to selling directly to homes. They even had to learn embroidery themselves to fulfill personalised orders.

“We had to buy an embroidery machine, learn to embroider, and we worked in shifts embroidering to guarantee deliveries.”

Against all odds, the revival worked. Customers remembered the quality; younger generations discovered the history; and the brand began winning shelf space across Portugal and beyond. Today, Torres Novas continues to be made entirely in Portugal through long-standing factory partners who once wove for the original company.

Textiles Made the Way They Used to Be: Thick, Soft, and Meant to Last

Torres Novas works with one principle: only natural fibres. Their products are woven from 100% long-staple cotton and European linen, chosen for softness, absorbency, and suitability for sensitive skin including atopic dermatitis and asthma. Cotton is sourced from trusted suppliers in Turkey, India or Pakistan, while linen comes from Western Europe.

Quality starts with the yarn. Torres Novas uses ring-spun, long-staple cotton in 550–600 GSM terry, far denser and more durable than mass-market towels. Low-twist yarns give each towel its soft, highly absorbent hand-feel. Their linen collections on the other hand celebrates the fibre’s natural firmness, durability, and quiet elegance.

All weaving, dyeing, and finishing take place in Guimarães, Portugal’s textile capital. Their three partner factories, some of which worked with the family’s former mill, still follow the original technical “recipes”: how dense the loops must be, how the fabric should behave after washing, and how to finish a towel so it stays soft rather than flattening.

“Our embroidery is machine-made but under strict quality control, and all designs are created in-house. This allows us to stay current with themes and ensure that each piece adds a personal, special touch to a home.”

Every product is OEKO-TEX® certified, ensuring no harmful chemicals are used at any stage. Rather than letting textiles go to waste, Torres Novas keeps them in circulation through their Takeback Recycling Program: returned towels still in good condition are donated to Comunidade Vida e Paz while heavily worn towels are sent to União Zoófila for animal care.

From the Archives to Your Home Again

Torres Novas builds its collections around a simple idea: good design should feel familiar, comforting, and lasting. Many of their patterns come straight from the original archives, the same towels found in Portuguese homes for decades, treasured by grandmothers and remembered as “the ones you could never find again.” Today, those designs return with the same quality and feel, now available in a wider range of colours, sizes, and uses to fit our homes.

“We focus on simplicity, natural colours and textures that endure. Timeless design is about comfort, quality and elegance rather than trends.”

Personalisation plays a key role in their approach. Embroidered initials, dates, or symbols turn everyday towels into gifts with meaning — pieces that carry stories, mark milestones, or travel with families from home to home. It’s also one of the brand’s strongest drivers of connection: a reminder that textiles can be both functional and deeply personal.

Across collections, Torres Novas blends heritage with contemporary design. The Almonda line revives a 1950s pattern from the old factory; Mafra celebrates the natural texture and elegance of linen; Collaborations with other Portuguese makers, such as hand-embroidery house Bordal from Madeira, further root their textiles in local craft, adding stitched details that feel special without feeling loud.

Proof That True Quality Always Finds Its Way Back

Torres Novas is proof that true quality can outlast even the harshest eras of competition. After nearly disappearing under the wave of cheap imports, the brand’s revival shows how strongly people still value European-made textiles, authenticity, and long-lasting craft. Today, “made in Portugal” is once again a mark of trust and Torres Novas stands at the centre of that return.

“We feel that ‘made in Portugal’ is increasingly valued and there is a growing demand for brands with authenticity and history.”