A genuine Scots-Italian collaboration: Zegna Baruffa and Braemar

There is something that with time I have learnt not to pay attention to while in Scotland: being continuously told about the first Italians who emigrated from their country to Scotland and opened cafes and restaurants.

I do respect their histories, backgrounds and skills to adapt, but younger generations of Italians who ended up in Scotland to study or work, have different hopes and dreams compared to the Italians who left at the beginning of the 1900s and who were often running away from poverty.

While looking for a job (or a better job) remains one of the main reasons why Italians move abroad, it is also true that many of them hope they will manage to get high profile jobs rather than opening a fish and chip shop or an ice cream parlour.

I can not hide the fact that the definition “Scots-Italian” also makes me cringe, since it is often referred to children of Italian immigrants who by now can't actually speak Italian.

That said, I’m always on the lookout for true Scots-Italians and for people who are giving a new and refreshing meaning to this definition.

An example is Italian company Zegna Baruffa, one of the largest Biella-based yarn companies, that a while back started a collaboration with Scottish company Braemar.

Zegna Baruffa is a historical company that became rather important in the mid-70s when Giorgio and Giulio Zegna Baruffa created the Zblb Group, incorporating the prestigious Lane Borgosesia company, established in 1850.

One of the most popular products Zegna Baruffa created is a blend of wool called Cashwool as soft as cashmere and as shiny as silk.

Despite the crisis and a few internal problems, Zegna Baruffa still means innovation and research in its field and, just a few weeks ago, the group joined another historical yarn company, Filatura di Chiavazza.

If you leaf through Italian magazines from the 70s you will probably find a lot of photo shoots that include in the credits not only the name of the designer or the fashion house that made that particular garment in the photograph, but also the name of the company that provided the yarn for those outfits.

The images in this post are taken from the July/August 1976 issue of the Italian edition of Harper’s Bazaar and feature quite a lot of designer outfits – by Ilaria, Laura Biagiotti, Caumont, Missoni, I.J.S. and Gianni Versace for Complice and Callaghan – all made with Zegna Baruffa yarns, from the black jumper with colourful zigzagging motifs inspired by the palette of painter F. Remington to the voluminous wisteria woollen coat or the ample cardigan.

The Braemar brand is owned by the Innerleithen-based cashmere mills J.J. & H.B. 1788. The name of the brand comes from the highest and most mountainous town in Great Britain.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, the Braemar brand flourished but then it sort of disappeared for a while. The collaboration between Zegna Baruffa injected into Braemar a new life.

The Scottish brand has indeed launched a line of cashmere/cashmere and silk garments made with Zegna Baruffa yarns, using the intarsia technique.

Motifs inspired by nature – from carnations to thistles, butterflies, dragonflies, ladybirds and fish – characterise the men and women’s garments from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection, that also includes plain knits woven on Bentley looms and mini-dresses and tops featuring geometric micro-jacquard designs inspired by Scottish traditions.

The intarsia technique allows to create motifs with a sort of tattoo-like effect – you can check out the YouTube video at the end of this email to get to know more about how these motifs are created.

I didn't know it but apparently it takes over five years to become a master of intarsia.

This is a very skilled job since you must pay great attention to each single detail, making sure not to miss any stitch.

Just imagine that it takes up to eight hours to do a panel of medium difficulty, though speed improves with years of experience.

Each garment is also finished with a little coloured dot, hand-sewn in a random spot. The colours are particularly beautiful and some shades are inspired by the Scottish landscapes.

I think the best thing about this collaboration is that it has proved
that fusing know-how, the highest traditional skills and modern designs is the perfect recipe to create new and exciting products.

Braemar will be one of the sponsors of the Highland Games, but those of you who are more into fashion and not so interested in traditional Scottish games, will be able to find the Braemar/Zegna Baruffa collection at Luisa Via Roma.