Born from an investigation into old Portuguese products, of the then journalist and founder of the store Catarina Portas, A Vida Portuguesa was essential for the revitalization of many brands that were almost asleep. A must visit place for Portuguese and tourists, A Vida Portuguesa shops in Lisbon and Porto capture the essence of what Portugal is through a careful selection of products that have always been part of our daily life, such as Claus Porto soaps, Bordallo Pinheiro swallows, Viarco pencils or Emílio Braga notebooks. However, the store is not only dedicated to Portuguese historical products, believing in the future of national creativity and manufacturing. The example of this is the bet on brands like Ideal & Co, which is sold in some of its points of sale. With great pride in being associated with this project started in 2004, we leave here the text that A Vida Portuguesa elaborated on the history of Ideal & Co:

“António Vieira was only 14 when he started tanning leather, in 1935, using the superb raw material from the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park (in central Portugal). He probably wouldn’t expect his granddaughter Rute Vieira, who studied design and worked in fashion, to follow in his footsteps. But that’s what happened when, in 2012, she founded Ideal & Co with José Lima, updating one of the oldest practices of mankind to the 21st century; producing bags and rucksacks, bicycle and gadget accessories, tablet and mobile phone covers or office stationery. Using the best and chemical free Portuguese leather, each item is individually cut, sewn and assembled by a single craftsman, carrying his signature. And a whole heritage gets a new lease of life.”