Prototipo Studio is all about hemp: hemp garments and an entire hemp collection: Made in Italy, aiming to present a new ‘Made and Sourced in Italy’ sustainable project
Prototipo Studio: natural hemp for an Italian supply chain: Made and Sourced in Italy
A research project called Prototipo Studio that finds its starting point from natural fibers. Among the not so many, a focus is dedicated to hemp.
Prototipo Studio is working on hemp fiber. Starting in agricultural fields, studying how the fibers should be harvested, cut at what points. And then going through the processes of scutching and steeping, cleaning and carding. All the way to spinning. The result is a coarse yarn that gives a fabric with a hand similar to silk and cashmere. Something that today is not on the market yet.
The softness of hemp, only treated in natural process, increases with every contact with the moisture of the skin, with every wash at home without releasing microplastics into the water. With every wash, hemp regains its backbone, and releases the same summer scent even after years, without ever giving it up.
Today, in Italy we import all the raw materials of the textile industry from abroad. ‘Made and Sourced in Italy’ shall become a new valuable code, higher than ‘Made in Italy’ in terms of transparency, traceability, quality and sustainability. Prototipo Studio is working on this, but it’s not there yet.
Hemp is the only natural, plant-based textile fiber grown in Italy
Hemp is the only potential raw material for the textile industry from Italy (cotton and linen cannot grow in our territory). Coming out of the plant dimension, entering the animal chain, in Italy today we have wool and alpaca. Silk is also not produced in Italy, it is imported – apart from some micro productions, mainly in Veneto.
The hemp plant is indigenous, growing in almost all of Italy without needing an abundance of water (the water table, which is too high in some areas of the Po Valley, can damage it). Hemp can give rise to heavy (such as denim) and light (such as gauze) fabrics, depending on the number of threads.
Prototipo – Italian hemp Made and Sourced in Italy
Prototipo Studio is trying to restore the Italian hemp suppl chain. A restored agricultural and manufacturing Italian supply chain will have as target customers all textile companies attentive to implement sustainable assets. It is about elevating the quality code of ‘Made in Italy’ and going one step further. ‘Made and Sourced in Italy’ with a short supply chain that is sincere, transparent and increasingly ready to provide digital certifications.
Steve Marais: analog photography is a tool for social change and awareness
Steve Marais is a photographer based in Berlin, Germany. A member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Steve Marais uses his camera to celebrate the shape of all bodies, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, shape or size. He embraces inclusion and variety in his work, showing everyday life. His passion for photography developed as a young boy, when he used an old compact to snap photos of his family and environment in his home country of South Africa. Having travelled the world over, Steve has documented the lives and stories of people from various backgrounds and walks of life, from burlesque artists in Cape Town to refugees in Greece.
Photography Steve Marais, styling Camille Franke
Hair Dennis Brandt
Makeup Sabrina Pinsone
Production Eugenia Vicari
Casting Hien Le
Photography and production assistant Elfesya Canimara
Styling assistant Antonio Chiocca
Talents Illia Kulishov, Dave Waldorf, Emma Gröper, Denys Buchok, Maxie Elizabeth, Barbara Kepa Emma Krög, Jasper Braack.
Editorial Team
