The Larius Brand was born from the vision of Alessandro Iannotti and Mirko Ruggirello, who decided to combine their love for nature and the planet with an ethical and sustainable product.
Both originally from the Lake Como area, they live the area with passion; so much so that in 2018 Mirko Ruggirello participates in the creation of Larius Way , a project dedicated to showing unique places, activities and experiences to do in the Lake area.
This will be the starting point of the brand that it shares with Iannotti and that will begin to come to life thanks to the immobility imposed by the first lockdown. This is the story of the two founders:
“If we want to see a small positive side in the experience we have lived, it is that of having been able to focus on the ideas we had. We all stopped a bit, but thanks to the extra time we were able to dedicate ourselves to projects as well. that maybe they were in the drawer, to make or develop them.”
In March 2020, the project therefore began to come to life, and became a line of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and mugs, launched between September and December 2021. But what are the key points?
Different souls, same love for the planet
The motto reported on The Larius Brand website, which can be translated as “different souls, same love for the planet”, highlights the brand’s intent, that is to translate the sensations and emotions that nature can give into a product, and that they are transversal.
If it is true that the project has its roots in a specific territory, it is equally true that its message is universal: you don’t have to be in a given place to be able to appreciate what we have around us, and the sensations we can experience on Lake How they are the same that another person can experience on the other side of the planet. What we want to express is a sense of community around a way of life that is as respectful of nature as possible.
Even the name recalls the territory of origin (Larius is the Latin name with which the Romans called Lake Como), but it is only a reference to the source of inspiration, not to the physical place:
“We don’t want to be the brand of the Lake, that’s not the point. Everything you can find here at the level of emotions, feelings, sensations, you can actually find anywhere in the world. The emotional matrix has no fixed place , therefore the territory becomes more a source of inspiration than the subject itself. What we want to do is to graphically represent the emotional part contained in this place.”
Every little thing makes the difference
But the heart of the brand lies in doing everything possible to get to propose a 100% sustainable product: this is the goal, and it must go through the construction of a transparent supply chain. There are many obstacles on the way, from the difficulty of finding producers who guarantee traceability of both raw materials and processes, to that of competing with already established brands, which can afford a more substantial investment. We know that good quality materials and ethically produced have a cost, which is however worth paying for; however, the important thing is to be aware of their value.
For the two founders this is also part of the mission: to sensitize people, starting from those close to us, to conscious consumption. Alessandro Iannotti and Mirko Ruggirello are convinced that every little daily gesture makes a difference. Their journey is also made up of small steps: they started by choosing certified materials and manufacturers that guaranteed fair and sustainable working conditions. This research has given them the opportunity to grow and learn, to discover more and more the world of eco-sustainability, making them better understand the various production mechanisms.
Now they have a goal: to move production to Italy.
“The intent of 2022 is to develop products here in Italy. Partly because we believe in the quality of Made in Italy, but above all because we would like to have direct contact, to be able to physically go to the production site and talk to people with we work. In our opinion, sustainability also means fair working conditions, which is why it is important to know the socio-economic context of the companies we rely on. Furthermore, having production close by would allow us to have greater control over the quality of the final product, and to support, if possible, the local economy.”
The future of The Larius Brand
The packaging of The Larius Brand products is completely recyclable, and contains a symbol of life: a paper that can be planted, which gives the person who buys the product the possibility to make a small but concrete gesture.
However, the intent is to do something bigger: “many brands today link the purchase of a product to initiatives such as planting a tree, but often in parts of the world that are far from the reality of the company or the consumer. we would like to do something more tangible. We would like to contact associations, foundations, or at least try to actively participate in some campaign to fight climate change. Perhaps starting with something local, with the hope of being able to expand more and more”.
