They started as a movement. And their mission is to raise awareness about the real costs of clothing. WRAD has now become a manifesto brand that describes a value with each of its products.
Wrad, or rather Raw + Rad. This is the origin of the brand name created in 2015 by three young talents who are not only passionate about fashion, but also about their desire to change the world. The motto and daily aim of Matteo Ward, Silvia Giovanardi and Victor Santiago is in fact to “catalyse positive change”. Sure, they’ve designed clothes, but they’re hardly a typical fashion label. “In 2015 there still weren’t many people talking about the true costs of fashion,” says Matteo, “but we were already going around schools in Italy and elsewhere explaining these issues. We began as a movement more than a fashion brand. Our educational format was chosen by Fashion Revolution – the movement started by Orsola de Castro after the collapse of Rana Plaza – to tell the world about the need to change the rules of the game, and especially about the urgency to be more mindful in our choices and consumption.” From just 45 students in 2015, last year Wrad instructed about 5,000 people worldwide in the ways of eco-aware fashion. Their first big fashion project was “GraphiTee” endorsed by Perpetua. A T-shirt manifesto, it’s made in jacquard jersey using organic cotton certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), and produced by the Tessile EcoBio fabric manufacturer. “But above all it’s dyed with graphite, a carbon-based non-toxic mineral,” adds Matteo. “And it adopts a technique that the Romans used in Italy’s only mine at Monterosso Calabro. However, instead of using fresh raw material, we recycle industrial waste graphite powder, which would otherwise end up in a landfill.” The T-shirt went on to win the Best of the Best Red Dot Design Award 2017. And now it’s been chosen by an icon of Italian retail – Roberta Valentini, founder of the Penelope store in Brescia – as the banner of a new fashion revolution. This was also the starting point for Wrad’s second product: the denim “G-Jacket”. Dyed with the G-pwdr system patented by Alisea, the jacket’s environmental impact is reduced by over 90% in terms of energy and water consumption and the use of chemical substances. “Graphi-Tee” and “G-Jacket” have been chosen by Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan, NYC and Seattle as a symbol of innovation, sustainability and fine Italian production. It seems there’s no end to Wrad’s innovation and communicative force. Last January during Pitti Uomo and White Street Market, the three founders organised a veritable festival of sustainability. In a workshop reminiscent of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, guests were invited to take a piece of fabric from Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “Venus of the Rags” and create their own personalised garment. It’s therefore no surprise to hear that Wrad launched a consultancy in late 2018 to assist companies in their green conversion.