Black Moda

What Black Moda does

Black Moda is a family-owned Finnish textile company founded in 1996 by Marko Keski-Vähälä, operating a vertically integrated European apparel manufacturing platform. The company's core activity is custom textile manufacturing for fashion brands and retailers, spanning jersey (knitwear), woven products, knitted fabrics, and light workwear, with a strong emphasis on certified organic and sustainable materials (GOTS, BCI, OEKO-TEX). Production is anchored in the company's wholly-owned sewing factory, Black Moda Portugal, Lda, in Ponte de Lima, Northern Portugal, which employs roughly 70 skilled professionals and is supported by a tightly clustered partner network within a 70-kilometer radius. The Finnish headquarters in Pirkkala handles customer relationships, design assistance, and material sourcing.

Beyond B2B contract manufacturing, Black Moda owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands—RATIA (marketed and produced since the late 1990s), Aarrelabel (acquired 2016), Puuvillatehdas, and PikkuSet—distributed through e-commerce, B2B wholesale, and Finnish department stores (K-Citymarket, Sokos). Notable brand customers include NOSH, Kaiko Clothing, Riva Clothing, UHANA, and Finnish Social Insurance Institution Kela (maternity package). The company invests in 3D pattern-making, rotary and digital printing, a BULLMER PREMIUMCUT ELC cutting system, and the PROTextil ERP platform, and is a signatory to the Finnish Textile & Fashion Association's Carbon Neutral Textile Industry 2035 commitment, with carbon footprint reporting since 2022.

The business model combines transaction-fee-based B2B manufacturing services, wholesale distribution of own brands, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Pricing is case-by-case with minimum order quantities (e.g., 300 pieces per product/color for jersey, 60-100 kg minimums for knitted fabrics). Revenue in 2020 was approximately EUR 9.5 million. The company is led by siblings Marko Keski-Vähälä (CEO, Finland) and Riikka Oliveira (CEO, Black Moda Portugal), with Laura Silva leading the Aarrelabel brand, and operates from a single private Finnish holding structure (BM Capital Oy owns 100% of Black Moda Oy) with no external institutional investors identified.

Name

Black Moda

Legal name

Black Moda Oy

Website

https://blackmoda.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Moda is a family-owned Finnish textile firm operating a wholly-owned sewing factory in Northern Portugal, producing certified sustainable jersey, woven, and knitwear for European fashion brands, while also running owned consumer brands (RATIA, Aarrelabel, Puuvillatehdas, PikkuSet) via e-commerce, wholesale, and Finnish retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Manufacturing

NAICS

Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (3152), Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) (31525), Textile Product Mills (314)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Knit Outerwear Mills (2253), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable & Certified Materials (Organic, Recycled, Traceable) (CRAAAMAK)

Keywords

• Textile manufacturing
• Sustainable textiles
• Custom clothing production
• Organic cotton apparel
• European textile production

Headquarters

HQ city

Pilkanmaa

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. B2B Manufacturing Services: Turnkey textile production services for Finnish and European fashion brands, including design assistance, material sourcing, manufacturing, and quality control.
2. Own Retail Brands: Design, marketing, and sale of proprietary textile brands including RATIA, Aarrelabel, Puuvillatehdas, and PikkuSet through e-commerce and physical retail.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Sale of RATIA brand ready-made clothing and Puuvillatehdas products to retailers through wholesale online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Black Moda is a Finnish textile company that designs, manufactures and markets sustainable textiles. It operates an integrated B2B contract manufacturing business through its own production facility in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, and runs a portfolio of consumer brands (RATIA, Aarrelabel, Puuvillatehdas, PikkuSet) sold via wholesale, e-commerce and physical retailers in Finland.

Product overview

Black Moda Oy is a Finnish textile family company founded in 1996, offering a comprehensive portfolio of textile manufacturing services and branded products. The core offering is custom textile manufacturing including jersey products, woven products, knitted fabrics, and light workwear, produced at their own factory Black Moda Portugal Lda in Ponte de Lima, Portugal. The company also manages multiple consumer brands: Puuvillatehdas (clothing and home textiles), RATIA (timeless design clothing and accessories), and PikkuSet (maternity and children's clothing). Aarrelabel is an associated brand. Services include 3D pattern making, rotary and digital printing, and a B2B wholesale store for retailers. Turnkey production approach covers product development, material sourcing, manufacturing, and quality control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Textile Manufacturing Service Contract manufacturing service for fashion brands and resellers, producing textiles and garments using the company's own factory in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, with capabilities in pattern making, rotary/digital printing, cutting and sewing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon footprint calculated and reported since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Woodly OycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Black Moda is the first textile company to pack clothing in Woodly's carbon-neutral, wood-based plastic packaging. Woodly material has wood cellulose as main raw material, can be sorted into plastic recycling or mixed waste, and is carbon neutral and recyclable.
• Col & BriminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Spanish partner for re-opening and spinning cutting waste fiber into yarn and fabric weaving for recycled material project. Processed approximately 1,300 kg of cutting waste into yarn and fabric.
• Armaco, LdacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Knitting supplier in Trofa, Portugal. Installed 118 solar panels (211 m2 total area) on production plant roof, estimating 50-60% of energy needs will be met with solar panels.
• YoungStarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese manufacturing partner that made clothes from recycled fabric (Amalia shirt, Evelina dress for Puuvillatehdas brand; Malia dress and Stella blouse for Aarrelabel brand).
• PROTextilcoreTechnology or IntegrationPortuguese ERP system implemented at Black Moda Portugal for production management, inventory tracking, demand calculations, and streamlining processes from material warehouse through pattern making to product warehouse.
• InnomanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert company specializing in development of business, processes and operating methods. Managed ERP implementation project for both Finnish and Portuguese offices.
• Finnish Textile & Fashion Association (Suomen Tekstiili ja Muoti)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association representing Finnish textile and fashion companies. Black Moda is signatory to Carbon Neutral Textile Industry 2035 commitment.
• Wastuu.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital platform for presenting sustainability indicators, verifying compliance with sustainability requirements, and sharing materials with stakeholders. Enables transparent and comparable sustainability data reporting.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Petratex: Portuguese textile manufacturer producing knitwear and woven apparel for European fashion brands. Directly comparable as a Portuguese-based contract textile manufacturer serving European fashion brands with similar product categories and sustainable material focus.
• Marimekko: Iconic Finnish design-driven textile and apparel company with global DTC and wholesale presence. Comparable as a Finnish textile company with own brand portfolio, focus on timeless design, and European production footprint.
• Nanso: Finnish textile manufacturer producing clothing and home textiles with long history in sustainable production. Comparable as a Finnish textile company with own production, brand portfolio, and similar focus on sustainable materials and circularity.
• Mascot International: Danish workwear and textile manufacturer with European production footprint and sustainability credentials. Comparable as a European mid-market textile manufacturer with own production, sustainability certifications, and B2B sales model to brands and retailers.

Emerging players

• Ecoalf: Spanish sustainable fashion brand focused on recycled materials and circular production. Comparable as a European brand focused on recycled textile materials and circular fashion, an area where Black Moda has demonstrated capability through its cutting waste recycling project.
• Recovo: Spanish circular textile marketplace connecting brands with deadstock and recycled fabrics. Comparable as an emerging circular textile platform operating in Southern Europe, an adjacent capability relevant to Black Moda's recycled cotton initiatives.
• Armedangels: German sustainable fashion brand using European contract manufacturing partners. Comparable as a European sustainable apparel brand that could be a customer/peer for ethical European textile production with GOTS and similar certifications.

Broad incumbents

• Varner: Norwegian retail and apparel conglomerate operating multiple European fashion brands. Comparable as a Nordic-rooted apparel group that could serve as both a customer and competitor in European textile production and brand distribution.
• Patagonia: Global sustainable apparel leader with transparent European supply chain partnerships and strong ESG positioning. Comparable as a benchmark for sustainable apparel brand standards and European production partner requirements, though much larger scale.
• L-Fashion Group: Largest Finnish textile and apparel group (Luhta, Rukka, Halti brands) headquartered in Lahti, Finland. Comparable as a Finnish-rooted vertically integrated apparel company operating own brands and B2B capabilities across European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blackmodaoy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-moda-oy
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackmodaoy

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Moda