The most important platform for men’s clothing worldwide is undoubtedly Pitti Uomo, a must for: buyers, publishers, coolhunters, influencers and professionals in the fashion sector.
Its summer edition Pitti Uomo 96 closed yesterday, June 14, with 14,000 visitors and 18,500 buyers, so of course we could not miss such an important event.
Sustainability has become a trend and cannot be absent at any fashion fair. On this occasion I turn back with a very positive impact of the experience, as I have found brands that are very committed to the environment. I must also say that there is a clearer and more detailed management about information of the processes suffered by these products that are offered as “green”, in the coming days I will talk about the brands that I bring to the blog this time, which fortunately are different, however , making a general comparison of the fair represents a very low percentage, but as I always say it is the beginning.
Esemplare
An Italian brand, its garments have been specially designed for men and women who travel constantly and need comfort and quality, for which they use cutting-edge technology combining it with new sustainability processes such as recycling. What I mainly take into consideration for this brand is the honesty of the product and its creators, meaning by what not all of its products are from the recycling range, its current collection contains less than a quarter of such garments. However, its total production is 45% sustainable since it has the SA8000 certification which is granted to companies that work with social responsibility, this means that those who are part of this company have fair wages and work in suitable conditions, it is also important to mention that this society is animal free.
Returning to garments made with recycling, Esemplare is one of the companies that works with materials obtained from recycled bottles and with THERMORE ECODOWN® filler, which is a high-tech filler that guarantees thermal resistance and durability. They also use cotton, which in the future needs to be replaced with recycled cotton, they also want to include other materials such as wool and yarn to make them the same as a result of the recycling process in order to get a 100% green product.
Save the Duck
A brand could not fail to mention, although I had already talked about it in another previous article in more detail. I think it’s one of the most committed to the environment, which is why his current SS20 collection is full of variety and sustainability. For those who haven’t read my article about them I leave the link.
Part of the information gathered at Pitti Uomo is that the company has important collaborations such as “10 Rivers 1 Ocean” in which the Italian explorer Alex Bellini will navigate among the 10 most polluted rivers in the world, with the aim of raising awareness and demonstrating importance of taking care of our ecosystem. Another important collaboration is with the Sea Shepherd movement for the conservation of the oceans and marine fauna, hence its homonymouscollection.
As we know that excess plastic and its wrong elimination are contaminating our oceans, and while it is valuable that many companies are committed to cleaning up the seas and using this resource as a raw material to fuel a circular economy, it is sad to admit that it is not enough that we have subjected our planet to such a great pollution process that decontamination requires several measures of action.
Fiorio Milano
This brings me to the next brand, also of Italian origin, historic for the production of ties and scarves and now also for men’s swimwear. At present, owned by the Canepa group, a coalition that has included the brand in the sustainability sector, since Canepa (a textile production company) owns the SAVEtheWATER® – Kitotex® patent together with the CNR-Ismac de Biella laboratories. What does it mean? Well, this means that the use of water is reduced by up to 90% and up to 60% of energy, in addition to the non-emission of CO2 and the total elimination of PVA (methacrylamide and polyvinyl), in other words dissolved plastic, in the process of preparing yarns for weaving.
“Everything is possible thanks to the use of the exoskeleton of crustaceans, waste from the food industry, from which” chitosan “is obtained, a biodegradable and non-toxic organic substance, which in addition to what is listed above, allows to drastically cut the use of detergents, whiteners and other chemical agents, used instead in the usual processes. “(CS Canepa Green Press Report) The benefit of this process is not only environmental but also in favor of consumer health as it provides bacteriostatic and anti-mite properties.
Yatay
Italy is famous around the world for its footwear and it is about this product that the brand that we will see below deals with. Yatay was born in 2018 after two years of research and development, its name was inspired by the Butia Yatay palm, this does not mean that its products or all of them are made with this fiber. His relationship is more with animals, because they are shoes animal cruelty free. They are vegan and approved by Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), as well as having the collaboration of OneTreePlanted, which means that for every pair of shoes sold, a tree is planted. One thing that I found very interesting is that they show the sustainability percentage and composition of each piece that makes up the shoe on their website. This provides more certainty of what is being purchased.
Chimborazo Milano
Although summer is almost over, it is an Italian brand that you will surely want to know. It inspired its name in the cold volcano of Ecuador despite being a beachwear brand, its responsibility for the environment comes from its material as its products are made of polyester microfiber and a blend of polyester with elastane that come from recycling plastic bottles. They reflect their commitment to the Italian marine area in support of projects such as; Safeguard and protection of Pinna Nobilis and support to the Protected Marina of Torre Guaceto.
Franco Ferrari
An ideal item for the next season. Let’s talk about scarves and shawls; The company that we will see next is part of the Achille Pinto SpA group, we are again faced with an Italian company that combines craftsmanship and technology, its products are made with prestigious materials such as silk and wool and are digitally printed, but the finishes and details such as embroidery and applications are handmade in his workshop.
It is important to remind that the Achille Pinto SpA group has the certifications of 4sustainability Ckemical Managment Protocol, FSC, GRS (Global Recycled Standard) and Bureau Veritas. I underline these certifications because it is important that we consumers know them to understand the different sustainability processes that a company may have, in this case we are faced with a brand that offers sustainability in many of the components that act during the production of an article, such as the inclusion of sub-ministers of electricity from certified renewable sources, the recycling of packaging, corporate responsibility with personnel and participation in projects such as the study of micro-solvents in waste water.
GAS
Finally, I want to talk about, an Italian brand with a few more years in the fashion market than the previous ones, probably for this reason they already know it, also since it has a greater variety of items. They wanted to focus sustainability on the use of organic materials by supplying these materials from producers / suppliers with the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification, one of which Candiani Denim, an equally Italian textile production company, which produces high-end products equipped with low environmental impact industrial plants that limit pollutants, reduce CO2 emissions and produce significant savings and recovery of the water used in production cycles.
The dyeing phase uses a new substance of natural origin, non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable, complying with the guidelines of the GREENPEACE DETOX campaign which improves the fixing of indigo in the fabric, significantly limiting the use of water and energy. The accessories make use of responsible materials: recycled, of natural origin and with low environmental impact. Buttons and rivets are made of “No Impact” metal that renounces synthetic chemicals and uses only water-based paints for finishing. The salpa is made of leather worked with a vegetable tanning that rationalizes energy and water resources. Importantly, being new to this system, not all of his collection is contracted with these standards and / or elements.
