Pitti Filati retained its unique nature via Pitti Connect throughout its live three-month period from July to October. Exhibitors stressed the importance of keeping close to their customers, to develop with them the latest thinking on colour, composition and sustainability advances, keeping the supply chain healthy.
The digital approach of Pitti Connect was regarded as successful, although a depleted number of mills participated. Being part of the trio of leading Pitti Immagine shows, along with Pitti Uomo and Pitti Bimbo, Pitti Filati benefited from the common structure provided by the platform, and used well-known signposts like Feel the Yarn, the Research Area and set-piece industry conversations, marking a sector well accustomed to operating online.
Innovative mills at Pitti Filati have a specific place in high-end fashion, co-operating with international design influencers. Of late they have developed a role driving sustainability at the very beginning of the supply chain for this heavily certificated area, involved in detailed discussion of production values and direction.
Pitti Connect played a role in keeping up momentum with the possibility of a variety of digital meetings and new contacts made available. The virtual exhibition space on Pitti Connect was described from the beginning as barrier-free, appealing to all sorts of businesses, start-ups, brands and companies to get in touch with the Pitti trade shows’ buyer community.
The ambitious project, born out of necessity, was bold and brave. Will this be the showroom of the future? Cristiana Cariaggi, managing director at Cariaggi, commented to WTiN that Pitti Connect is “a needed alternative to stay connected with clients. The digital platform can represent an additional tool to leverage rather than a substitute for in-person gatherings.”
Others agreed. Silvio Botto Poala, CEO of Botto Giuseppe, told WTiN: “The Pitti Connect digital platform can be useful to support buyers in their preliminary choice. However, it’s fundamental to be able to touch and feel the yarn physically, which requires sending samples or scheduling in person appointments, when possible. With our extra-EU clients we did meetings through a number of digital platforms.”
Fabio Campana, CEO of Lanificio dell'Olivo, added: “The pandemic has changed the way of approaching clients, but it will never replace the physical meetings. Nevertheless, through the Pitti Connect digital platform we are enjoying the visits of companies that wouldn’t have stopped by our physical booth.”
The digital platform led to technical responses, such as Lanificio dell'Olivo’s launch of the Olivo Dream Box, enabling customers to touch and see swatches live, with a QR code leading them to the yarn page on the company’s new website, which allowed customers to explore proposals and browse before attending booked video conferences.
Style descriptions across the online show were permeated by optimism. Angelo Figus, Pitti Filati’s style designer, chose Ray of Light as the main theme, dovetailing with Out of the Blue, the official Pitti Immagine theme.
Designs for autumn/winter 2021/22 have a distinct nostalgic, soft side to them, described by Cariaggi as “a quest for inner peace, with a renewed respect for what life is above all.” Its new Bliss collection assembled palettes for cashmere, vicuña and fine wool, with calm and delicate textures, “combining elegance with a hedonistic spirit”, expressed in new textures and dyeing, including an organic cashmere collection.
Strong trends emerged in many collections for fancy yarns, melanges and mixes destined to interpret lively ethnic-inspired jacquards, floral designs and geometrics, with bolder looks already making their presence felt in avant-garde fashion collections.
Zegna Baruffa showcased its Supergeelong wool yarns in colourful intarsias and closely patterned knits, and contributed several luxury fashion yarns used by knitters in Feel the Yarn.
Palettes also featured paler shades of yellow, pink and green in tones unusual for winter. With soft colours came the allure of cosy natural animal fibres in camel hair, vicuña, alpaca, superfine Merino, cashmere and mohair, often with silk, to entice customers by feel and vision. These luxury yarns were spun to produce special effects, such as bouclés and hairy blends, with colours from nature, like textured wool designs in sea green and natural brown at Botto Giuseppe.
A more flamboyant element was added with fluffy effects and mouline surfaces for glamour. Elegance was enhanced by mother-of-pearl or crystalline sequins in the yarn, adorning cashmere and fine wool knits, as at Zegna Baruffa.
The majority of collections favoured traditional blends of natural fibres, with silk or man-made fibres added for decoration and sparkle.
Technical developments continue, such as yarns for protection and performance, including graphene used for active sportswear, while companies talked excitedly of promising work on developing anti-viral attributes for yarns and fabrics.
Hand knitting is thriving, with international increases in domestic and commercial hand knitting creating welcome demand for thicker wool yarns for winter. Shepley Yarns of Yorkshire in the UK, known for pure British and varied speciality wool sold from stock, has seen continuous production during the Covid crisis. Founder Roger Shepley described a ‘slow burn’ over the three months of Pitti Connect, acknowledging that the footfall was obviously not as great as a physical fair, but added that it had led to some new contacts.
Initiatives on responsible production formed a constant theme. Lanificio dell'Olivo showed Bianca, a sustainable yarn blending Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)-certified wool with superfine alpaca and recycled nylon. It has a yarn count of Nm 1/10.000 for a soft and versatile effect.
Botto Giuseppe presented its latest eco-friendly Naturalis Fibra yarns, which include GRS certified cashmere. “Our target is to reach full sustainability by 2025,” stated CEO Silvio Botto Poala. He observed that “in general after the pandemic, the theme of sustainability will be strengthened, given that the concept of buying a little less but of higher quality is gaining ground among consumers, thanks to traceable and less invasive raw materials.”
Feel the Yarn 2020
Now in its 11th edition the international competition Feel the Yarn formed a familiar landmark for the digital Pitti Filati.
Started by Ornella Bignami, supported by Pitti Immagine, and with yarn from select Pitti Filati companies, the competition, which is headed by Filpucci’s Federico Gualtieri, this year faced huge challenges choosing 34 participants from hundreds of entrants worldwide, organising and mentoring them from a distance.
The theme of the 2020 edition of the competition was ‘Move Beyond’, with the winners chosen by social media followers and a group of experts, resulting in thousands of votes cast across the world.
The winners were Sara Zanetti (Polimoda, Florence); Sara Kickmayer (Institut Français de la Mode, Paris); and Maddalena Gentile (CKD, Accademia Costume e Moda, Rome). All showed great skill and flair and received valuable bursaries.
