"The first thing that brought me to Portugal was actually the surf. I'd been traveling for a number of years surfing the Atlantic coast. However, when I started Torsa, I soon came to find Portugal also had a rich history in textile manufacturing. As a small brand, it felt important to be somewhere nearby that I could jump on a plane and visit so easily, build a relationship, and have that ease of communication."
Seb Beasant, Torsa Studios
Client Feature
Founded in England and made in Portugal, Torsa’s focus on materiality and form sets them apart within the active apparel industry.
In the coming years, Torsa plans to expand its presence by partnering with retail locations across Europe and Asia, prioritizing quality and innovation in their upcoming collections, exploring sustainable materials, particularly Merino wool, and continuing to push the form and function of modern activewear.
Torsa approached Landscape to help bring a global perspective to their story. Shot in the streets of Oakland, California, we created a campaign that captures the space between performance and play.
See the full case study here
Where does Torsa envision its brand in the next few years, in terms of growth, innovation, and impact in the apparel industry?
In the next few years, our focus will be to get Torsa into the hands of more people. Our aim is to bring on like-minded retail partners in both Europe and Asia to fuel this growth. I've always said, growth can never come at the expense of quality, and therefore new products and innovations will take time to get right. Partnering with boutique running shops across the world will help grow that Torsa community. Innovation wise, we are expanding our network of manufacturers and brought on a new partner in Asia for AW24 who specializes in technical woven garments. It's important to build a close relationship with your supply chain, so I'll be flying out to China to meet them in the coming months, and I am really excited to work with them. We've also brought on a new designer - formerly a senior designer at Arc'teryx for 7 years. She's brought with her an incredible skillset and knowledge of technical garments, and it's been incredible to work alongside her building this AW24 collection.
This year, I'd be really keen to set up some sort of physical space. Whether it's an activation or pop-up, getting people to come and feel the product is a huge part of its value. In this digital age, it's very difficult to express the quality of the garment without seeing it in person, so that's on the agenda for later this year.
In the next few years, our focus will be to get Torsa into the hands of more people. Our aim is to bring on like-minded retail partners in both Europe and Asia to fuel this growth. I've always said, growth can never come at the expense of quality, and therefore new products and innovations will take time to get right. Partnering with boutique running shops across the world will help grow that Torsa community. Innovation wise, we are expanding our network of manufacturers and brought on a new partner in Asia for AW24 who specializes in technical woven garments. It's important to build a close relationship with your supply chain, so I'll be flying out to China to meet them in the coming months, and I am really excited to work with them. We've also brought on a new designer - formerly a senior designer at Arc'teryx for 7 years. She's brought with her an incredible skillset and knowledge of technical garments, and it's been incredible to work alongside her building this AW24 collection.
This year, I'd be really keen to set up some sort of physical space. Whether it's an activation or pop-up, getting people to come and feel the product is a huge part of its value. In this digital age, it's very difficult to express the quality of the garment without seeing it in person, so that's on the agenda for later this year.
Are there any upcoming technologies, alternative materials, or methodologies that Torsa is considering exploring or implementing?
Materials in general are really complex, even more so in sportswear. It's something that we take a lot of time to get right, but due to the size of business, we're somewhat limited when it comes to innovating ourselves. With so much innovation and progress in sustainable materials, we're always keeping an eye on this side of things, but it's important not to fall into the trap of using a new sustainable innovation at the expense of quality.
I know Mylo (who produce mycelium based leather) halted production last year due to its inability to raise funds. This is a high-profile example of why it's important to really evaluate materials and understand what the customer values and wants. That said, Merino wool will continue to be a big part of our focus moving forward. It's a material that you won't see many big sportswear brands used due to its price, but it's truly a fiber that can revolutionize running and training apparel. For AW24, we're reintroducing our New Zealand sourced Merino wool which uses a construction called Rapt™ - a process which encases a durable nylon yarn within superfine Merino fibers, giving the fabric the durability of a synthetic but the properties of 100% Merino wool.
As we expand into outerwear, we'll be looking at PFC free options for waterproof fabrics as well. There are a lot of changing regulations when it comes to synthetics, so it's important to stay on top of everything. Fabrics are a hugely exciting part of building a brand, and we rigorously test our product to ensure the fabric holds up under intense running or training.
Materials in general are really complex, even more so in sportswear. It's something that we take a lot of time to get right, but due to the size of business, we're somewhat limited when it comes to innovating ourselves. With so much innovation and progress in sustainable materials, we're always keeping an eye on this side of things, but it's important not to fall into the trap of using a new sustainable innovation at the expense of quality.
I know Mylo (who produce mycelium based leather) halted production last year due to its inability to raise funds. This is a high-profile example of why it's important to really evaluate materials and understand what the customer values and wants. That said, Merino wool will continue to be a big part of our focus moving forward. It's a material that you won't see many big sportswear brands used due to its price, but it's truly a fiber that can revolutionize running and training apparel. For AW24, we're reintroducing our New Zealand sourced Merino wool which uses a construction called Rapt™ - a process which encases a durable nylon yarn within superfine Merino fibers, giving the fabric the durability of a synthetic but the properties of 100% Merino wool.
As we expand into outerwear, we'll be looking at PFC free options for waterproof fabrics as well. There are a lot of changing regulations when it comes to synthetics, so it's important to stay on top of everything. Fabrics are a hugely exciting part of building a brand, and we rigorously test our product to ensure the fabric holds up under intense running or training.
What first brought you to Portugal? Are there any other cities where you’d want to expand your market next?
The first thing that brought me to Portugal was actually the surf. I'd been traveling for a number of years surfing the Atlantic coast. However, when I started Torsa, I soon came to find Portugal also had a rich history in textile manufacturing. As a small brand, it felt important to be somewhere nearby that I could jump on a plane and visit so easily, build a relationship and have that ease of communication. You also have the added benefit of smaller order quantities out of Portugal compared to somewhere like Asia.
In terms of market expansion for the brand itself, our strategy is to increase our presence within boutique running stores in Europe. We're also bringing on a wholesale agent in Asia to target the South Korean and Japanese markets for SS25, in which I believe Torsa's aesthetic closely aligns and resonates with. We've had a few conversations with some small boutique running stores in the US as well, but we'd like to gain more of a presence in the UK and Europe before expanding too quickly into other markets.
↳ Shop Torsa
↳ Case study
The first thing that brought me to Portugal was actually the surf. I'd been traveling for a number of years surfing the Atlantic coast. However, when I started Torsa, I soon came to find Portugal also had a rich history in textile manufacturing. As a small brand, it felt important to be somewhere nearby that I could jump on a plane and visit so easily, build a relationship and have that ease of communication. You also have the added benefit of smaller order quantities out of Portugal compared to somewhere like Asia.
In terms of market expansion for the brand itself, our strategy is to increase our presence within boutique running stores in Europe. We're also bringing on a wholesale agent in Asia to target the South Korean and Japanese markets for SS25, in which I believe Torsa's aesthetic closely aligns and resonates with. We've had a few conversations with some small boutique running stores in the US as well, but we'd like to gain more of a presence in the UK and Europe before expanding too quickly into other markets.
↳ Shop Torsa
↳ Case study