Sergio Rodrigues

Escovaria de Belomonte

Brush maker

Combining utility with beauty

Sergio is the fourth generation to work at Escovaria de Belomonte
All brushes are made manually using traditional techniques
His family is striving to keep their craft alive

Sergio did not initially imagine continuing the brush making business his great grandfather created in 1927. His family had even contemplated selling it when his grandfather fell ill, but thankfully Sergio’s parents decided to step in, learn the craft and save the workshop. Sergio studied technical design but his dream of running a business and being independent naturally led him back to Escovaria de Belomonte. “The passion for brush making came afterwards, once I learnt the art and started making the brushes myself,” he says. His father Rui was thrilled when Sergio joined as it meant the continuity of this rare art in Portugal, and they work well together. “We try to make each brush the best brush, made to last for generations, if not forever.”

Interview

Has the way you make your brushes changed over the years?: The way we fill each little hole with animal hair is very much the same. My father and I are more sensitive to the beauty of the pieces, working with noble woods. Some collections now include our in-house wax, a recipe each generation has perfected for the best maintenance of our brushes.
What is the signature characteristic of your brushes?: The hand filling technique. This is the 93-year-old legacy my great grandfather left us. All our brushes, whether for shining shoes, combing hair, cleaning kitchen pots or even scrubbing kitchens, undergo the same rigorous procedure to ensure their utmost quality and durability.
What was the first brush you made?: A clothes brush. I realised then how much time it takes to create a brush by hand if you want it to be beautiful as well as functional. It can take up to 72 hours to create one brush from the shaping and finishing of the wood to the hand filling process.
Do you consider brush making an endangered craft?: Definitely. There used to be six or seven handmade brush companies in Porto but they all closed. Now we are the only ones remaining in Portugal and we are determined to keep our art alive. We will be organising workshops later this year to share and create more interest in our craft.

Sergio Rodrigues is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2011