A 100% Portuguese and family-owned company, founded by mother and daughter, Beatriz and Sofia, is making waves in the international fashion scene, with the likes of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Victoria Beckham all among their client list - Companhia das Cestas is a handmade basket company, that brings back the tradition of basket-weaving from the Algarve region of Portugal and turns it into tailor-made, one of a kind fashion accessories.
Every basket is hand-made, painted and truly original
Called "empreita", this typical art form from the Algarve uses the oil from dwarf palm trees indigenous to southern Europe (and thus present in the Algarve) to weave custom and hand-made baskets, that can be used as a fashion accessory, for decoration or as a beach bag. Hand-woven by a team of specialised artisans, the company produces more than 1.000 pieces a year - not nearly enough to keep up with demand, but the fact that every basket is hand-made, painted and customised with the initials of the client or special paintings that are ordered make it such a unique and special product that it couldn't be done any other way. Clients can choose from a palette of 24 different colours, with any combination they like, and up to 3 initials to customize the baskets, which can cost anywhere from 25€ to 65€.
Sales are mostly done online - with more than 60% being sold abroad - but you can actually get some here in Lisbon, at "Intemporal" shop in the Príncipe Real district. There’s a home, and a beach collection, and some of our favourite models are the bread, fruit and mags (for the home), shopper and tote (for the beach), and the flap clutch, well for any occasion, but in particular for a hot summer night!
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