When it comes to knitwear it is difficult to resist to the allure of natural fibres, yet innovations can offer great possibilities, especially when it comes to new blends of traditional materials and synthetic yarns.
The compact installation entitled "Techno-Luxury", designed by Angelo Figus for Pitti Filati 84 (on until tomorrow in Florence), features a colourful kaleidoscope of 15 metres high fabric panels, symbolically joining with their colours and textures the earth with the sky.
The panels create a setting for the 12 designs on display, among them shirts, dresses and evening gowns made with blends of luxury yarns (wool, cashmere and natural fibres) and polyamide.
The designs on display are characterised by blocks of colour and geometrical patterns and in some cases they seem to be inspired by a sort of Constructivist aesthetics.
The most interesting designs on display are the ones that show a sort of duality and feature dynamic elements and draped motifs inspired by the moulage technique.
The warp-knit, circular-knit stretch fabric sections in the garments on display were created in collaboration with manufacturers Carvico and Jersey Lomellina - more famous for their textiles for streetwear and beachwear and for super-dynamic sports and activities including skateboarding and surfing. The two companies are taking part in the international Florentine yarn fair for the first time.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are the main inspiration behind these designs: they do indeed combine sporty elements with high fashion, mixing traditional textiles and techniques from the East and the West with innovative fibres, to symbolically try and bridge the gaps between different cultures.
Will sport designs become more elegant and Haute Couture opt for more casual and dynamic designs? Angelo Figus is postive changes are coming. "The future is increasingly hybrid," he states in a press release about this project. "In the yarn industry, we are experimenting with a tendency to combine noble fibres, such as cashmere, with polyamide, within the same garment. This work, which visitors can enter for a real chromo-experience, demonstrates the potential that can emerge from this encounter."
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