About Saber Fazer
Founded in 2011, Saber Fazer is a private initiative coordinated by Alice Bernardo and Miguel Barbot, dedicated to the research, promotion, and dissemination of artisanal techniques and small- and medium-scale manufacturing in Portugal, with a focus on natural textile fibers.
We are an educational and publishing project, and our main goal is to ensure the accurate transfer of technical knowledge, as well as to educate and raise awareness about issues related to this topic, which encompass not only environmental sustainability but also social and economic sustainability.
Our principles
Saber Fazer’s work is guided by five fundamental principles:
1. To transmit knowledge with technical rigor, ensuring that it is not lost and laying the groundwork for it to take root, evolve, and become more effective.
2. To work on the scale of small and medium-sized manufacturing, focusing on more sustainable production chains based on local and economically viable resources, because job creation and the retention of people and knowledge in the region depend on this viability.
3. To create collaborative networks for the production and transmission of knowledge. The small- and medium-scale context, with a focus on technical capacity, necessitates mutual aid and collaboration, from which fairer production systems emerge.
4. Build on local genetic resources. Native breeds, regional varieties, and local raw materials form the foundation of sustainable production networks, resulting from generations of adaptation to the specific characteristics of the climate and the region. This principle also implies that work must be carried out within the limits of natural systems while maintaining the biodiversity on which production depends.
5. Work across the entire value chain, from raw material production to the final product. In the case of textiles, this means from the soil to the fabric. Considering the entire value chain requires taking responsibility for its initial stages as well, including animal welfare and respect for the soil, without which there can be neither high-quality raw materials nor sustainable production.
How we work
Saber Fazer’s work is based on field research, and it is through doing that we learn what we teach. The four areas in which we work emerge from the intersection of the knowledge gained through fieldwork, the experience of those who know how to do it, and the existing literature on each topic:
School
In-person and online courses in various fields. As a training provider recognized by DGERT, we offer a wide range of certified training programs designed to empower participants to work independently. One of our school’s main focuses is providing training and technical support to educators and educational services, so that knowledge can reach everyone without relying directly on us.
See our courses →
Manuals and educational resources
Publications resulting from our research and a collaborative effort with some of the leading experts in each field, including technical manuals, guides, and educational resources—both for learning and for teaching.
See our manuals and resources →
Research and projects
We develop European and national projects, educational programs, technical consulting services, and research projects focused on artisanal work and small- and medium-scale manufacturing, local genetic resources, and textile production. Our clients include municipalities, cultural institutions, schools, universities, and industrial companies.
Know more about our projects →
Store
We believe that the viability and productivity of artisanal work can also depend on choosing the right materials and modern tools tailored to the needs of those who use them. We have a physical store in Porto and an online store, where we offer equipment, tools, and all the materials needed for textile crafts, including Portuguese wool from native breeds and publications from Saber Fazer. In Portugal, we represent brands such as Louet, Glimakra, Kromski, Toika, Lojan, and Texsolv, among others, and we have a specialised team that can provide full support in choosing the right equipment or materials for each activity.
Visit our online store →
Where are we?
Saber Fazer is located in Portugal, in the city of Porto. We hold training courses at our premises and have a physical store open to the public. Our home smells of wool, linen, and whatever else we have harvested at the time. It is an ever-changing, intense space, filled with materials, tools, and objects that spark curiosity and raise questions.
Saber Fazer is a certified training organisation and is an integral part of Barbot Bernardo, with an in-house team specialising in education, research, project management, strategic support for artisans and creators, and graphic, editorial, and instructional design.
