Pitti Filati 85: Florence, Italy
june 2019 autumn/winter
2020
Report: Noel Chapman
Introduction & Overview
As we consider the second season of 2020 it perhaps seems odd that so far no one has used the metaphor of 20/20 vision in relation to the clear-sighted and united message coming from the Italian yarn, industries in relation to ecological, ethical and altogether sustainable policies for growth and improvement of the sector.
Last season we began talking about the difficult times, what with the mess that is Brexit and the ever-unfolding repercussions for both Britain and Europe, and the worsening relations between the United States and the rest of the world, and political unrest elsewhere around the globe - little has changed, except perhaps for the worse. But on a very positive note that united message that came from the Italian yarn industries last season continues ever stronger with some very encouraging progress and ever greater plans afoot. That the planet and the people matter and without them there is no industry are ideas at the very core of most of the spinners strategies, underpinning every aspect of how they see the future of their businesses. More than a plan a plan for survival, it is a plan to win, to beat the rot and tackle the environmental problems and for many to put right any social issues whilst they’re at it. It is becoming more and more important that fibres are certified for animal welfare, for organic growth and soil care, for sustainable growth, for ethical production, for being free of dangerous chemicals, for being recycled, for lower water usage and ‘cleaner’ dying, for more and more aspects.
Talk is that these strategies are not solely limited to the fibre and yarn industries, but to the whole textiles and fashion industry. And, being Italian; arguably the world leaders in luxury, they vision that they will lead the New Luxury that will be defined by the ethics embedded in its products. The luxury Paris based group Kering with many thoroughbred Italian based companies within its stable – not least Gucci - has for the last 2 years had a fulltime department working towards the whole company becoming completely transparent, ethical, ecological and sustainable to roll out within the next couple of years. The LVMH group too, are apparently working along the same lines and with increasing numbers others are following. As the world aspires evermore to luxury so it follows that it will also aspire to the core values of its leading brands – a clever move with massive positive benefits for the survival of the planet not just its industries, whichever way you look at it.
In January 2019, Pitti Filati headlined the season with the statement:
The S/S 2020 presentation reflects an ideal of eco-sustainability that is careful not to distance itself from the sophisticated factor and a sense of uniqueness. Natural and essential yarns that are luxurious and, at times, subtly rough, where the deluxe soul is constantly emphasized by the hi-tech touch
That statement banished old ideas of recycled being substandard or 2nd Class, and instating the concepts picked up for A/W 20 and the future about total transparency and sustainability being embedded in ideas of luxury and desirability. What must surely be added to this is the notion that these attributes must not only be seen as luxuries but as necessities for everyone as the trickledown effect spreads across markets.
Luxury has a tradition of being linked to service - Increasingly interactive – more and more companies are going digital, enabling customers to preview ranges and service, access stock availability and follow-up on deliveries etc. The Pitti Filati website is linked to many spinners directly, closing the loop between the fair itself and the spinners.
It’s a year (July 2018 for A/W 2019) since I first I quoted Marina Spadafora, coordinator for Italy of Fashion Revolution, the international movement of ethical, sustainable fashion “Our tradition will save us from the price war. If we want to hold onto our supremacy in the world of fashion, we must continue to progress in innovation, quality and sustainability.” This crusading tone clarified if not defined the positive attitudes, and concerns for achieving the highest standards of ethics, responsibility, and sustainability consciousness across the Italian fashion industry. These ideas were by far the biggest most important messages to come out of the fair and signify perhaps the biggest most radical changes and influences happening across the breadth of the Fashion & Textiles industries. The positive results so far could be evidenced in the increased importance these values are held across the industry, and in the number of socially, ecologically and ethically sound products on offer and in the success of the fair as reported:
A total of 5,350 buyers attended, the foreign component confirming the great quality and levels achieved a year ago; while a slight drop was recorded for Italy.
“According to the exhibitors, albeit a sample group of the same, this edition exceeded expectations” says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine “and was characterized by the importance of the Italian and foreign visitors as well as the very high level of research and experimentation contained in the collections presented, an incentive and a source of inspiration for all. At times of growth or in periods of readjustment for the market and consumption, such as this, Pitti Filati is truly the only unmissable rendezvous for the big names in fashion and the best knitting mills. And that is not what we, the organizers, are saying, but the members of the trade attending. Pitti Filati is where the entire fashion chain starts, its zeitgeist: the materials, the technological innovations, the colors, the feel, the combinations, the disciplined dialogue between free creativity and frontiers of production. All of this is the result of the commitment and investment of the yarn manufacturers exhibiting in the Fortezza da Basso”.
“It is quite astonishing to skim through the list of buyers representing the knitting mills and, above all, the style bureaus” continues Agostino Poletto, General Manager “it is like reading the calendar of the London, Milan, Paris and New York catwalk shows, all together… For this reason, in a 2019 which is so tough for the economy and international trade and, unfortunately, for our country in particular, we are decidedly satisfied with the numerical results as well which confirmed the foreign data with regard to the figures for 2018 (completing three years of constant growth in attendance) and a modest decrease in Italian buyers. On our part we try to make sure that the fair is also an occasion for reflecting on the protagonists of recent fashion knitwear history – the exhibition dedicated to Pour Toi together with Modateca Deanna was a great success – and a platform for promoting new talents, for example with the Feel the Yarn competition which marked its tenth edition thanks to the collaboration with the Consorzio Promozione Filati and the best fashion schools in the world. Without forgetting the initiatives dedicated to the theme of sustainability – like the new Sustainable area – the new feature which, this year, also saw the involvement of a giant of luxury like Salvatore Ferragamo with its Young Talents for Sustainable Thinking project, and the always experimental work of Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller in the Spazio Ricerca”.
Looking at the final attendance data over the three days of Pitti Filati (Florence, 26-28 June 2019), there were almost 5,350 buyers in total. The foreign buyers confirmed their numbers (there were around 2,900 international buyers) while the Italian buyers fell slightly, in the order of 5-6% (down around 150 compared to June 2018).
Heading the ranking of the 15 key foreign countries was France (264 buyers) followed by Germany (260), United Kingdom (260), United States (217), Japan (186), Russia (124), China (115), Spain (102), Turkey (95), Switzerland(89), Hong Kong (83), Netherlands (67), South Korea (61), Sweden (49) and Belgium (45).
Trends
Heritage was this seasons theme in the Spazio Ricerca the main trend area
Organised once again by Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller, the trend area took a somewhat lightweight and superficial view of Italian heritage and craft, arriving at 6 rather loose themes; Su Misura (Tailoring), Parfam (Perfume), Libiamo (Drink), Precious, Coupe (Sports Cars) and Pattern-T.
Designers decreasingly fulfill their role as such, increasingly acting as the coordinators of elements present in a collection; a collision of choices that often occurs in the phase of sourcing. Businesses are being transformed into bona fide search engines of creativity and design. The heritage of knowledge, experience, and savoir-faire evolves towards new interpretations that can and know how – from one season to the next – to intercept the tastes of designers, who transform lifestyle trends into real products. Today, these are the companies representing the greatest creative heritage, which inspires the entire supply chain of designers and creative talents. This edition of Pitti Immagine Filati is specifically dedicated to the fair’s exhibitors as the true protagonists of trends that will be developed under six main guidelines. A new theme/trend in production develops the most significant signals of the up-and-coming season: after years of aesthetic denial and paradoxes in taste, a new need for simplicity, clarity, and linearity in shapes and surfaces begins to make headway, transmitting an easily identifiable, and accordingly recognizable, concept, which is compatible with the requirements of genuine wearability. Everything is finer and more classic, and even sportswear will become more elegant and sophisticated, overturning roles of inspiration. Comfort is no longer up for discussion and is a certainty in combination with a certain formality and elegance. Even sportswear shapes will be reinterpreted in an extremely refined key, becoming counterpoints for sophisticated processes and textures that are closer to haute couture than the sports world. A more lyrical vision will characterize fashion, along with a more defined and sculpted image of men and women. A new luxury, inspired by the fashion system, which between the 1950’s and 80’s was conceived in the service of beauty and to enhance the physical form.
Research will orient itself towards six guiding principles, ingredients for realizing a collection or simply a well-made garment. Material is the starting point: it will be declared and exalted by clothes that highlight the quality of the yarn and of the knit, promoting the textile concepts offered up by the materials. The structures will be rich, but visibly tone-on-tone, presenting themselves on knitwear without overwhelming it, while making even the most ordinary clothes precious and extremely special. The patterns will speak of knitwear in a traditional sense, reinterpreting in a minimal and extremely sophisticated key the traditional patterns and motifs associated with the history and places of the most recognizable knitwear, from diamond patterns to houndstooth, which also in this case are tone-on-tone or glossy-matte. The shape will be studied to give the body a new importance and elegance, with apparel returning as a status symbol that would like to tell something about us and our choices. Volumes are alternated, defining knits through layering, transparencies, and matte effects: the worth of a knit garment is presented gram by gram. The color will be muted, degradé, and sensitive, corresponding to the need to soften the tones and soothe the soul. The color, associated with water, will be a bona fide stylistic calling card; customization is a new frontier in luxury that will give even more credit and value to important and exclusive purchases. Six themes will develop the guidelines of these new trends.
Whilst not actually suggesting that ecology, ethics and sustainability are trends in a transitory way, these issues are at the moment the highly influential direction of key movers in the industry and as such inspired a new project area: Sustainable
Pitti Immagine Filati lanches Sustainable, a project entirely dedicated to sustainability and its multiple facets, inspired by the need to respect the environment and save resources. In the course of this eighty-fifth edition, in the Cavedio, on the Lower Level of the Main Pavilion, an area will take shape that has been designed and set up to maximize the sustainable production chain, the use of biological raw materials and the salvaging of processing rejects and wastes. In a continuity with the Spazio Ricerca - and with the creative direction of Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller, and the consultancy of Marco Ricchetti - this will be a place for reflection and discovery.
In what appears to be following in the format of Premier Vision in Paris, Pitti Filati each season is extending the trend zones to cover new and newly influential aspects of the industry and its developments.
The ‘Athleisure’ trend of a few years ago recognized the crossover of fabrics and styles from track and arena to street and fashion, further developments see a growth in hybrid yarns and fabrics.
_Techno-Luxury, matching noble and technical materials
Now that the matching of techno-materials and fine wools has cleared a path for itself in fashion, today experimentation in the yarn sector is aiming for the union, within the same garment, of even very superior fibers like cashmere and polyamide. Pitti Filati expresses this trend through an exciting installation-event and a new product vision that showcases an Italian excellence in technical jersey, the Carvico group and Jersey Lomellina, already the partners of prestigious sports and fashion companies. A project and an invitation to work together directed towards the best names in the production of technical materials curated by Angelo Figus with the layout by Alessandro Moradei.
In January the CustomEASY area was launched in response to growing trends in the number of customize-able products from trainers to T Shirts, the zone proved very interesting which this season prompted it to be significantly enlarged.
CustomEASY, a knitwear capsule collection obtained from real production chain integration
The exploration of the Spazio Ricerca extends to a project that emphasizes the synergies between the various Pitti Filati players. Initially the prerogative of denim and streetwear, today customization treatments are also very widespread in the luxury segment. In CustomEasy the fair exhibitors’ top yarns will be transformed into knitted garments by the knitwear manufacturers in Knitclub and treated by INTEX, a leader in the dyeing and treatment industry. The goal is a special collection of unique knits, the result of an authentic integration of the production chain that opens up the potential for infinite interpretations of the same yarn. A project curated by Angelo Figus, Nicola Miller and Maurizio Brocchetto with the set-design by Alessandro Moradei.
Colour
Another exciting season for colour taking influences from many spheres, often used in surprising and exciting combinations. In times preoccupied with ecology and climate change it is not surprising to see in the mix colour directions from nature herself:
Natural & Neutral - All variants of apparently undyed and natural colours from Ecru and unbleached looks, through delicately shaded melanges, solid mid-tones, to dark ambiguous woody and charcoal shades’. Greyed shades have a cool urban edge.
Red – Countering much global negativity and concern with this perhaps most confident of colours, strong inarguable Scarlet, Poppy and hot Flame shades, Persimmon, Claret, Cherry, Carmine, Softer Rosy hues
Pink – another positive and uplifting colour, flattering and often comforting, crossing traditional gender and age barriers. Soft Rose and romantic blush shades are surprisingly modern, make-up shades veer towards modern neutrals.
Orange – is upbeat and positive, bold vibrant shades are energetic and assertive, Jaffa, Kumquat and Koi. Earthy Ginger and Marmalade shades. Pumpkin and Golden Harvest shades towards Yellow and Ochre are a natural choice for autumn colour.
Yellow – these sunshine shades show no signs of fading, its upbeat disposition lifts the gloomiest spirits. Corn and Saffron, Ochre and Mustard, Copper and Tarnished shades. The ripe golden shades of harvest.
Green – Deeply symbolic, green suggests the sound politics and social conscience that plant it firmly in our current fashion spectrum. Absinthe and Winter Lime can be simultaneously nostalgic and modern. The Old School shades of Spruce, Pine and Bottle Green. Jade and Sade are subtle and precious. Olive, Bay and deep saturated Bronze and military shades are important grounding colours – often working as modern neutrals – gender free and easy to wear.
Blue – Midnight and Navy continue as the new black. Mid-tone and greyed shades of steel, teal and Wedgewood are classic and easy. Softer Saxe and Smoky, Misty shades, Sky and Icey pastels.
Plum – is rich and exciting, paler Violet shades, Lavender and Lilac. Greyed shades of Wisteria are modern and sophisticated.
Violet – Deep plum and Wine shades, Blackberry, Purple and wine shades, are rich and velvety for brushed textures, or slippery shiny finishes.
Black – Is a modern perennial, a fashion and classic staple, the sound investment when paying out for quality to endure. Inky blue-black and sooty charcoal shades add depth and newness.
Grey - deep Browny Charcoal shades, Concrete and Silver shades are modern and work well with ‘true’ colour. A very contemporary neutral. Flat toneless looks contrast with heathered, mouliné and melange mixes.
Brown – makes an important emotional connection with nature, wood and the earth. Tan and leather shades are richly expensive, Camel and Fudge are classics rediscovered. Copper has hints of pink and the warmth of orange. Pale Sand, Stone and Mushroom shades are easy neutrals that merge effortlessly into greyed more urban shades.
Fluo and Neon – a small but significant number of spinners showed bold Fluo and Neon colours to shake off any hints of winter gloom. Not for the faint hearted, these bold techy colours add youth and vitality wherever they are used well.
Fibre
Organic matters continues as the big message of the season. But customers often need convincing that they are making the right choices, that their cash is wisely and ethically spent. Certification and verification of origin that meets and recognizes the international compliancing regulations are what the contemporary customer are growing to expect from a quality product. Whilst most natural fibres are understood to be biodegradable, ecological problems arise when as in many, many yarns these days, fibres are blended for performance, appearance and to hit price points and such – some of these concerns are being addressed or balanced by using recycled materials etc.
Mohair – The Mohair Groweres Association and The South African Mohair Growers' Association (SAMGA) the authorities for monitoring promoting the production of mohair have worked tirelessly these last couple of seasons to provide certification to alleviate animal welfare concerns and counter some of the inaccurate reporting of these last few years and help place this favourite fibre back into the fashion arena.
Yak – one of the newer fibres we’ve been seeing these last couple of seasons, customers are slowly being introduced to this alternative luxury fibre, which probably needs certification to inspire greater customer confidence.
Alpaca – a luxury winter favourite for its softness and warmth, long fibres bring polish to blends. New certifications bring new fans and customers.
Wool – Always the most popular of the seasons fibres, but its ubiquity does not diminish it’s popularity, appearing in endless blends and varieties. New certification for Merino and Australian Wool reinstates it’s popularity. A number of companies including Baruffa offer Easy Care and Machine Washable varieties. Filmar presented Museling Free blends.
Norwegian Wool - was first launched last season by DiVe, an old breed wool, revived and revered for its long fibres, hard wearing and thermal qualities.
Silk -back in favour, its traditional image satisfies a thirst for luxury, in enhanced modern blends that provide body and recovery, stretch, drape and a sophisticated handle, it appears modern and contemporary in trans-seasonal blends. Tussah Silk adds rustic neps, slubs and surface interest. Filmar presented at least 4 variants of Cotton, Silk and Cashmere blends.
Cashmere, super-finely spun or clever blends, with cotton, wool, silk, linen, viscose or stretch help modernize and move this naturally lightweight fibre through the seasons as a perennial luxury favourite. Trans-seasonal yarns and blends finding their way into many contemporary lifestyle-driven collections. Zegna Baruffa presented modern machine washable varieties for contemporary markets.
Cotton - our favourite all-round all-season fibre. Filmar even had a 70% Cotton 30% Wool yarn called Allseasons. Airspun versions add a modern lightness. Its increasing availability in certified organic qualities ensures its continued popularity. Filmar promote CottonForLife and the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative.
Linen adds texture and a dry modern look to new winter blends.
Viscose - still a popular favourite for career and smart urban looks. It’s appearance as matt or shine, and supple behavior being very popular characteristics. The latest FSC certifications are enabling buyers to make informed environmentally sound decisions
Stretch – Nylon, Poliamide, Elastan, Lycra - for performance and recovery, for springy and spongy textures.
Polyamide/Nylon, present in many blends for volume, performance and lightness. The key ingredient in many modern blends – an alternative to Lycra for lower-power stretch or simply to add body and substance. Baruffa and others included recycled Poliamide in some their blends.
Polyester – valued for adding lightness, durability, and performance qualities to all manner of fibre blends.
Polyester/Metallic – whilst not ubiquitous to every yarn collection, there is a not inconsiderable amount of shine and summer sparkle – perhaps the antidote to some of the current global and national concerns of the moment, with more sophisticated and subtler versions; frosted, shimmering and sparkly, alongside some fun full-on glittery and bling examples. Metallic – for full-on glitter or subtle sparkle.
DiVe, presented Biofeel a new ‘Nylon’ produced from Castor Oil.
Coolmax - is the brand name for a series of polyester fabrics developed and marketed by Invista, as "moisture-wicking" and "breathable".
Tencel – spinners such as Lanecardate are recognising that Tencel which comes from Eucalyptus has balsamic properties thanks to the absorption of moisture.
Yarn
Twin themes combining trans-seasonal dressing with environmental and ethical concerns are the key drivers of many of the seasons new yarns.
Go anywhere blends that can transition through seasons and climates to suit contemporary lifestyles and aspirations were the hits of the show.
Mohair and Alpaca blends were the predominant trends, with brushed and softened surfaces.
New Shetland – look wool blends, with intensity of colour and a slightly vintage look.
Blurred, mélange and heathered effects.
Washed, Felted and Denser surfaces evoke Flannel and Mouflon fabrics.
Tweed, Twists and Neps – bold Donegal looks with a modern take on traditional tweeds.
Loop, and Boucle effects, sometimes with poodle qualities, many brushed versions. Two-colour twists and tonal mélange effects.
Fur, Eyelash - new blends being devised to help with fire retardant issues.
Teddy and Pile effects – from retro-inspired Chenille looks, to sophisticated Velour and Faux Fur looks.
Nep and Flecked effects across all gauges.
Chainette, Tubular, Lily and Encased yarns increase in range and variety and clever colour mixes.
Two & Three Colour twists – for subtle tonal shifts or rich colour mixes.
Dry, Matt & Grainy surfaces – fine gauge versions for sophisticated looks and many high fashion finishes.
Multi-colour and Multi-texture Twists for New Chanel effects. – the funky Chanel tweed thing is young and BIG.
Clean, Rounded and Classic- look yarns, for good stitch definition and clean surfaces.
Matt and slightly Dry look / dry-feel blends.
Silky blends with sophisticated drape and handle, for career and After 6 looks.
Polish and Shine – add sophistication to fashion looks, and in blends create Matt & Shine twists
Gliter and Sparkle – A much bigger presence than expected, full-on versions can be total fun Bling, whilst other versions were subtle and delicate, little more than frosted effects.
Many new yarns whisper their newest qualities rather than shout; their discrete benefits appealing to a more sophisticated customer, more informed and often more discerning.
Structure and Pattern
It’s very much a knitwear season, with designers raiding all the archives for pattern and stich inspiration - but similarly and conversely with many of the new yarns so attractive themselves, it is possible and frequently desirable to create simple jersey-knit garments with beautiful fashioning and finely resolved detail.
Refined Fully Fashioning and shaping.
Cable & Aran patterns
Bold Vintage and Retro inspired patterns, Jacquards and Intarsias borrowed from Print Design and Woven Patterns.
Lace, Pointelle & Open stitches
Skinny Ribs return to favour for new body-con silhouettes.
Deflected and Intercepted Ribs
Fair Isle and Traditional Jacquard patterns with folkloric roots.
Bold Intarsia Patterns, Geometric, or fluid Organic patterns.
New Camouflage patterns and variants.
Simple Stripes, colour with neutral.
Complex, Multicolour and Rainbow stripes, think Paul Smith, vintage Missoni, etc.
Deflected and Disrupted stripes, Optical and ‘busy’ stripes.
Clever Colour blocking and BIG Bold stripes.
Mini-geometric patterns and mock-woven effects.
Checks and Plaids and larger-scale geometric patterns borrowed from wovens.
Simple all-over texture stitches
Ottoman-type stitches for garments with volume and form.
Plated structures for clever two-colour and reversible effects
Quilted and padded effects, turn knitwear into outerwear.
Crochet, for texture, for a change of pattern scale and for trims and edges.
Macrame, add a folksy-craft or rustic quality, and can be big and bold.
Essential Extras
Mohair has national, but is aiming to progress to international certification much in the same way as exists for Merino wool with the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and the Viscose standard, Forest for all Forever - Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Similar discussions are continuing over Alpaca. Many of the mills having already put in place their own certification of standards. Other certifications boasted by many Italian spinners include:
Associazione Tessile e Salute, Traceability & Fashion, Confidence In Textiles, Alperia Green Energy, Fiducia Nel Tessile, Egyptian Cotton, CottonForLife, Detox, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Global Organic Textile Standard, BCI (Better Cotton Initiative), Tencel, NEWLIFE, other certifications exist for Chlorine Free and Metal Free and Water initiatives.
Probably first past the post in the race for transparency, environmental and social compliancing was Zegna Baruffa group who last year produced their own 150 page sustainability report. Other spinners must follow as the Fashion Textile Industry works to catch up on years of lost time.
An increasing number of Italian Mills are promoting their use of Green Energy, energy efficient LED lighting and other environmentally conscious factory improvements.
To end on a positive and encouraging note –
Stefano Borsini, proprietor, Manifattura Igea:
An extremely pleasant edition. Great international attendance, particularly of Russian, American, Chinese and Japanese companies. I really enjoyed this episode of Feel the Yarn and the new Sustainable project, I hope it represents the beginning of a new journey.
Coming Next . . . .
Pitti Immagine Filati 86
Spring/Summer 21
22 - 24 January 2019
FORTEZZA DA BASSO
Viale Filippo Strozzi 1 - Florence
every day 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
last day 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
Registration times:
every day 8.30 am – 6.00 pm
last day 8.30 am – 2.00 pm