Sustainable Innovation and Digitalization Inform Collections at Pitti Filati
the emblem of Botto Giuseppe's longtime commitment to sustainability as it is sourced from selected, sustainable farms in Asia and Australia and processed in the mills' Tarcento, Italy, plant by using renewable energy only and certified dyes with little environmental impact.
“Fashion is one of the industries that produces the highest rate of pollution after electricity, heating, agriculture and transportation,” said Botto Giuseppe's chief executive officer Silvio Botto Poala. “We need to take responsibility at every step of the chain [of our industry] and transform the system to include the principles of sustainable and ethical fashion.”
Tollegno 1900 promoted a similar ecofriendly approach taking the digital-theme literally and installing in its booth a high-tech workstation to show how the company's new Virtual Yarn project operates.
The goal of the digital initiative is to step up the quality of service the mill offers to its clients by optimizing its operations and reducing its overall environmental impact.
Through technology made by Shima Seiki, Tollegno 1900's clients are now able to create their fabrics digitally, before proceeding with the order. The digital service will enable a significant costcutting and reduction of waste and time, with sustainable consequences, as it won't be necessary for the company to send yarns, color cards and cones to its clients to check if these elements meet their expectations. The breadth of different combinations — from yarn types and colors to the processing techniques — will also favor the customization of the creations, tailored to the needs of each client.
“This service is among our top projects: using this platform and the technology that defines it, we will also continue with the development of new yarns and the experimentation of new contexts for their use,” said Lincoln Germanetti, ceo of the Biella-based Tollegno Holding, comprising Tollegno 1900 SpA and Manifattura di Valduggia SpA.
Product-wise, great focus was put on the firm's Harmony 4.0 wool yarn combining performance and functionality thanks to four innovative treatments, including the Compact process making it more resistant; the Eco Idro one making it waterproof and the High Twist treatment intensifying the wringing to prevent fibers from pilling.
Innovation abounded also at Lineapiù Italia's stand, where yarns highlighting the relations between modernity and history were inspired by the company's recently opened Sala dei Rari, or “Room of rarities” in English, an archive of more than 1,500 ancient laces, embroideries and textile samples spanning from the 16th century to the mid-1900's.
In a nod to the Japanese millennial culture, the spinner introduced innovative blends of fibers and paper with tech treatments. Examples included Washi, a viscose combined with paper-cloth to offer a fine raffia with natural look and Rattan, a mix of paper and cotton featuring a slightly crisp hand imitating basket weaves.
Offering an opposite take, Lineapiù
Italia also played with natural fibers with synthetic effects to deliver modern looks, developing cotton yarns with decorative splashed of fluorescent colors — in the case of the Fluo Papier yarn — or with gummytouch treatments, as well as techno-natural yarns, including blends of linen and nylon or cotton and polyurethane.
A similar approach was taken by Lanificio dell'Olivo, which set one of the most impactful installations at the fair to welcome its clients. Five colorful structures made of different kite-shaped panels highlighted the five collections offered by the Italian mill, whose sales increased 15 percent to 20 million euros last year compared to 2017.
Cariaggi took the shimmering theme one step further debuting the Magic and Euphoria combed yarns, embellished with micro sequins and blending silk with cashmere and Belize cotton, respectively. In addition, the Comet yarn mixing silk and polyester and the airy Sunrise blend of linen, silk, nylon and lamé were introduced in the collection.
The luminous offerings reflected the positive momentum the company is facing as it ended 2018 registering 101 million euros in sales, up 17 percent compared with the previous year. Cristiana Cariaggi said that enhancing the collections and speeding up the service to meet clients' demands were key to this growth. In addition, the recovery of some markets contributed to the spinner's performance, including France, China, Japan and the U.S., where Cariaggi sales increased 10 percent.