The Italian knitwear supply chain, expression of know-how and “know-how” at the highest levels, conquers the limelight during Milan Fashion Week thanks to “Feel the Green | Behind the stage”. Organized by Feel the Yarn® with the support of Pantone®, 4sustainability®, Politecnico di Milano – Department of Design, NLE (Nuova Libra Editrice) and CSM (Camera Showroom of Milan), the initiative will be held on 23 and 24 February at Officine del Volo in Milan.
A unique showcase for the sector which, for the first time in a single event, will tell the “behind the scenes” of fashion, giving space and a voice to its major interpreters and the strong values that define it, sustainability and creativity above all. Talks, exhibits, exhibitions, speed dates between companies and students will follow one another for two days, with the aim of enhancing all those factors that make the Italian knitwear supply chain the ideal partner for those who “think and produce sustainably”.
The innovative format of Feel The Yarn® is inspired by the six pillars of the 4sustainability® system – PEOPLE, TRACE, MATERIALS, CHEM and PLANET – declined in as many thematic areas.
The PEOPLE section will be characterized by the encounter between the world of work and that of school, in the belief that training and skills are decisive for accompanying the transition of the fashion system to sustainability. Equally central are the enhancement of talents, attention to the well-being and satisfaction of resources, compliance with suitable working conditions. To facilitate the contamination between the two realities, specific activities will be held during the event based on the world of knitwear. The Talk “The centrality of the designer in manufacturing” (February 24, 10 am), in particular, will see entrepreneurs, institutions, experts in the sector confront each other, with the presentation of the results of the Con-Text research of the Design Department of the Polytechnic of Milan. To shorten the distances between companies and young designers, a series of speed-dates accessible only upon registration: “These are not job interviews – specifies Giovanni Conti, professor of Design at the Polytechnic – but an informal way to encourage the exchange of information and contacts between those who experience the company firsthand and those who would like to approach it, called in turn to tell their story”.
The talk of the TRACE section “The traceability and transparency of the supply chain for the credibility of change” (February 23, 4 pm) focuses everything on the transparency and traceability of the production chain. Moderated by Ludovica Braglia (Ympact Società Benefit), the debate is an opportunity to understand how fundamental these two factors are in consolidating relationships with stakeholders while also improving corporate reputation. Above all, managing the supplier network efficiently is the only way to reduce the impact of the risks deriving from the complexity, fragmentation and global dislocation of the production chain. In addition to the presence of important suppliers in the sector, the reconstruction on a 1:1 scale of a knitwear product chain, from the fiber to the finished knitwear, is also planned in this area.
The role and quality of the raw materials to be used in production and the redefinition of purchasing policies in a sustainable key are the common thread of the MATERIALS area. In this thematic space, in the presence of some fiber producers and national and international certification bodies, the sustainable Italian yarns of the companies associated with Feel The Yarn® will be presented. A “trend” section is also planned for the students of the Milan Polytechnic – Knitwear Department. “The challenge to which we are called is to replace ‘traditional’ materials with lower impact alternatives, navigating the jungle of environmental labels and brands to eventually choose the most suitable ones to qualify our yarns. It is also essential to study new process initiatives, as well as product ones: operationally it is not a trivial step, but there are no other possible ways”, underlines Francesca Rulli, CEO and Founder of Process Factory/4sustainability®. She has the task of moderating the Talk entitled “The importance of sustainable raw materials in the purchasing policies of the fashion company” (February 23, 2 pm), which will help to deepen this evidence and its implications for the supply chain.
The reuse of regenerated fibers, the reconstruction of the recycling chain from the used garment to the fiber prepared for carded spinning and the educational tour proposal will be among the reasons of interest of the CYCLE area. In the Talk “Recovery, reuse, recycling and sustainable design as concrete circular economy initiatives” (February 23, 10 am) moderated by Marta Martina (NLE) we will talk about production and consumption models. The economic model based on the typical take-make-waste scheme, made anachronistic by the scarcity of materials and resources
it’s outdated. The alternative? A responsible model based on sharing, reuse, reconditioning, recycling and innovation also in terms of design”.
For the CHEM and PLANET areas, two talks with a strong cultural as well as technical appeal: “Monitoring of chemical risk and reduction of toxic and harmful substances in production cycles” (23 February, 12 noon) and “Good practices for reducing environmental and social impacts of production” (24 February, 12 noon). At the center of the two round tables, moderated respectively by Francesca Tardelli (Process Factory/4sustainability®) and by journalist Laila Bonazzi, there are always trials. The reduction and monitoring of chemical risk through a good chemical management system and the reduction of the impacts of fashion production will be treated as concrete examples of applied sustainability.
“Feel the Green | In short, Behind the Stage” is proposed as a beautiful journey into the sustainable future of Italian fashion, an unprecedented itinerary also for the excellence of Italian knitwear present at the two-day event in Milan. And then there is the creativity of artists and designers who take their space with some events within the event. Among these, the exhibition “The wonder” – photographic and material inspirations for the SS24 curated by Elisabetta Scarpini with the contribution of Modateca Deanna and the collaboration of CSM Camera Showroom in Milan – and the presentation of the capsule collection created by Marie Nardi, winner of the 2022 edition of the Feel the Yarn Contest.
“Feel the Green | Behind the Stage is the result of the attention that Feel The Yarn® has always dedicated to market transformations, the demands of the final consumer and the needs of the players in the supply chain”, underlines the President of the Consorzio Promozione Filati – CPF Alberto Enoch. “From the synthesis of these elements a highly innovative format was born, capable not only of relating the various protagonists of the sector, but also of creating useful opportunities to reflect on the development prospects of the sector, starting from the relationship between the fashion industry and the world of training. There is more: this initiative also aims to celebrate the excellence of the Italian knitwear supply chain, which in terms of know-how, innovation, research, experimentation and creativity has all the credentials to be the reference partner at an international level”.
