A true story

Grandfather Jose’ was born in 1910, in the north of Portugal in an area called Monção, in the district of ‘Viana do Castelo’. Jose or ‘Senhor Ferreira’ (as he was always referred to) was an unshakeable hard man. People who didn’t know him, on first meeting him, could easily reach the conclusion that he was arrogant, pompous, and self-entitled, but when asking about him people would soon find that they had read him somewhat wrong.

You see, Jose’ projected pomposity, arrogance, entitlement. He was firm with his sons, as fathers were in those days, and ruled over his wife and daughter – as were the habits of men in the early nineteen hundred’s. Yes! Jose’ was all those things, but what he was also was ‘Honourable’, ‘Just’, where ‘Integrity’ was held sacredly in his highest regard, an integral part of his existential core.

Jose’ was an impressive man, known to walk tall, who sat rigidly straight. A man of unshakeable views, Jose’ was renowned for his unwavering trustworthiness. His word, in relation to today’s times, was equivalent to a signature on a binding document. Everyone knew that about him. Staying true to his word meant that his very own existence mattered, and that the other person mattered. He expected the respect to be reciprocal – and it has been muttered that he always managed that too.

Jose’ was born into the aristocracy- a privileged life. By the age of 33 he had fathered four strong willed sons and a daughter, sternly passing his values on to his five children. When World War II broke out in 1939, Portugal was officially a neutral country, but nevertheless affected by the war around them. As is historically known, the aristocracy back then deemed a trade beneath them, but Jose (although a traditional man) was never one to follow the social rule book as dictated by others, and he had predicted the looming war. So one day, to the surprise of his wife and children, he sat his five children down, each with their own sewing machine and taught them a trade. The oldest child was ten, the youngest five years of age.

All five of Jose’ children went on to adopt the skill they learned at such an early age into adulthood, creating a profession which evolved into life-long careers, progressing to clothing businesses established in Portugal, Mozambique, and South Africa. Some of the fondest memories at family gatherings, were the stories of Jose’ told by Jose’s children to new generations. The stories were always the same and always captivating, fascinating. His indomitable will, his passions, his commitment to causes and people – his integrity.

Jose’s children ensured continuity of Jose’s legacy, his values. It had served them well and passed these values down to their descendants and so forth to new-born generations.

Mudita’s leadership is a third and fourth generation skill, descendants of Jose’, with over 100 years of collective experience of the clothing industry.

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