In recent years, the Portuguese footwear industry has undergone a profound structural transformation. On November 28, a new exhibition opens to reveal this shift, the result of the work led by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear, Components and Leather Goods Manufacturers Association, and CTCP, the Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre. Curated and developed by Associação ModaLisboa, the exhibition at MUDE – Design Museum brings together the outcomes of cooperative scientific, technological and material research that has repositioned the cluster as an international benchmark in the sustainable transition.

Built around the BioShoes4All program, the exhibition brings into view what usually remains within the specialised domains of engineering, technology centres and production units: quiet but essential transformations that redefine raw materials, industrial processes and development models. Plant-based stabilized leathers, biomaterials derived from natural fibres or agro-industrial residues, biobased polymers, recyclable composites and circular economy solutions are presented as signs of a systemic shift rather than isolated innovations.

By arranging this content into a clear narrative, A DOIS PASSOS DO FUTURO (Two Steps From the Future) helps to clarify complex processes: how ecodesign methodologies are applied, how post-consumer waste is reintegrated, and how digital platforms support resource sharing, decision-making and transparency across the cluster. The exhibition shows not only what has changed, but how that change was built through a productive culture grounded in technical rigor, environmental responsibility and long-term strategic thinking.

On view until January 25, it offers a portrait of an ecosystem in transition and invites visitors to explore new materials, new productive grammars and new industrial ecologies while taking two steps into the future.