The best design decisions have always combined instinct with information. A feel for what's coming next, backed by knowledge of what clients actually need.
For decades, the information side of that equation depended on physical samples, trade show floors, and years of accumulated expertise.

That equation is changing. At Adalberto, we believe the future of textile design is built on intelligence and that's exactly why we joined TEXP@CT.

TEXP@CT is a national programme for the digital transformation of Portugal's textile and clothing industry, co-funded by the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). Together with CITEVE, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Riopele and TMG Textiles, we collaborated to push the boundaries of what digital innovation can mean for our sector.

As part of this consortium, Adalberto contributed to the development of FabricFinder. An AI-powered platform designed to support design teams in making smarter, faster, more informed creative decisions.

Introducing FabricFinder.

FabricFinder is not a trend report. It is not a fabric catalogue. It is a creative intelligence tool, one that brings together global signal data, material science, and AI to give design teams a genuine edge at the moment it matters most: before the collection takes shape.
The premise behind FabricFinder is straightforward: designers already have instinct. What they need is better information, delivered at the right moment in the creative process. Not after the brief is closed, not mid-sampling, but at the very beginning, when directions are still being set.

By analysing global colour and material data through AI, FabricFinder helps teams move from "what feels right" to "what we can justify", without losing the creative energy that makes good design good. Intuition and intelligence working together, not in competition.

"This is what it means to invest in the future of our industry. Not just in machines, but in the people and ideas that shape it."

Why This Matters for the Brands We Work With.

For the global fashion brands and buyers who work with Adalberto, FabricFinder has a direct and practical implication: the creative conversations we have together become sharper, earlier, and more grounded.

When we bring a seasonal proposal to the table, it is no longer shaped only by our teams' expertise, it is informed by a live read on where global markets are moving. That means less time spent aligning on direction, more time spent on the work that actually matters: developing the right fabrics, in the right colours, with the right technical performance.

In an industry where lead times are shrinking and the cost of a wrong creative direction is real, that kind of intelligence is not a luxury. It is a competitive necessity.

TEXP@CT gave us the structure, the partners, and the co-funding to accelerate that conviction.
The result is a platform that is already changing how design teams at Adalberto , and across the consortium , approach the creative process.

The textile industry just got a new creative superpower.
And it was built right here, in Portugal.

‍

‍