In yesterday's post we looked at yarns and traditions, let's continue the thread (pun intended) for another day while looking at how textile traditions may be taken into the future. Manufacturer of yarns and fabrics Tollegno 1900, part of Tollegno Holding (leading Italian company in the international textile sector, owner of Manifattura di Valduggia and producing apparel and underwear under the Ragno, Julipet and Riabella brands), will indeed launch at Pitti Filati 84 (kicking off tomorrow until 25th January in Florence, Italy) the "Virtual Yarn Project".
This service employs Shima Seiki technology and allows a designer to simulate the final performance of the chosen stitch once the colour, type of yarn and processing have been defined and decided.
For Pitti Filati Tollegno has deviced a hi-tech workstation managed by its own technicians to show visitors how the project works and to let them experiment with it. Visitors will be invited to test the project first digitally, selecting the yarn and the processing technique, and then they will be allowed to see the results on Shima Seiki machines.
The project aligns with the current trends for sustainability in fashion since it allows to cut costs and reduce waste and time: it will indeed no longer be necessary to send yarns, colour cards and cones to verify the results of the correspondence between need/yarn/colour, but designers will be able to make their creations digitally and then make the order if it complies with the expectations. The possibility of trying different variations (from the colours to the processing) will also allow maximum customization of each creation, tailored to the needs of each client.
Sustainability is not a new principle for Tollegno 1900 as the company has been working on investments and operations that have a minimum impact on the environment: its purification plants process 2,300 - 2,500 cubic meters of water a day, returning it to the Cervo torrent in compliance with laws on surface water treatment; part of the company's factories' roofs are covered with photovoltaic solar panels (12,500 square meters above the weaving plant and 5,000 above the spinning plant, with a maximum energy generation capacity of 1.4 megawatts and 750 kilowatts per hour, respectively), and the production employs advanced machinery with Green Label certification, as well as processes that do not use toxic substances.
The Spring/Summer 2020 yarn collection also revolves around sustainability with a colour card inspired by nature. Among the new yarns there is "Harmony 4.0", a shrink-proof water-repellent yarn, machine washable at low temperatures, and made with cohesive and compact fibres that guarantee a greater strength, high resistance to abrasion, and a lower pilling.
The inspiration for Tollegno's Lana Gatto knitting yarns - luxury hotels - is less technological, but it offers intriguing blends of fine yarns, such as Alpaca, Baby Alpaca and Merino Wool, and very unusual fibres like Himalayan nettle, one of the components (20%) of the "Concorde", a soft and naturally melange yarn.
The Wild-Growing Giant Himalayan Stinging Nettle Plant grows spontaneously in Nepalese regions between 1,800 and 3,000 meters above sea level where it is harvested, defibered by the local populations and sent to Italy to be scoured and worsted.
This nettle is capable of absorbing large amounts of CO2, and the harvesting process does not require preventive deforestation or the use of pesticides or other chemical products, but creates jobs in profoundly disadvantaged areas.
Despite the increase in the costs of raw materials, Tollegno achieved good results for the financial year ending 2017, recording 10% growth over the previous year (consolidated revenues for 2017 amounted to €172 million, against €156 million in 2016).
The positive results are to be attributed to production efficiency and innovations: while maintaining a strong link with the past through its historical archives preserved in its headquarters in Tollegno (near Biella, in Piedmont), the company is indeed focused on the future and has pledged to continue its investments in technological projects in the next seasons.
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