ISSUE NO. 31
«Maglieria – Italian for knitwear: do you know where the word comes from? One of the origins is the Latin word “Macula”, meaning both spot and mesh. I was surprised to discover that knitwear comes from a word which refers to something which needs to be mended, fixed», says Loro Piana CEO Damien Bertrand.
Specialized in the processing of cashmere, vicuna and extrafine wool, since 2016, the brand’s commitment to preserving and innovating knitwear design and manufacturing traditions has found expression in the Loro Piana Knit Design Award. A hotbed of young talents from international fashion, engineering, and design schools who each year are invited to interpret Loro Piana’s yarns through their creative visions. This year’s projects fell under the team Fast Forward Heritage as 2024 marks the centenary of the foundation of the Maison. Students from eight schools, including Fashion Institute of Technology (NY), Institut Français de la Mode (Paris), École Duperré (Paris), Bunka Fashion College, Japan, and Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, pushed the boundaries of knitwear in search of the next Loro Piana knitwear icon.
Knitwear combines craft manufacturing with social and political messages, from gender fluid fashion to the inclusiveness of all body shapes, from the rediscovery of local manufacturing traditions to respect for the environment. With the Autumn Winter 2022 and Spring Summer 2023 collections, immediately after the pandemic – according to many, due to a desire to return to tactility and visceral contact with the outside – the catwalks of the main international fashion capitals were filled with knitwear: coats, sweaters, capes, but also dresses, skirts, and tops.
From the silhouettes of Jil Sander to the enveloping ponchos of Chloè and the a-gender clothes of Marco Rambaldi, just to mention a few examples. And if for some brands it was just a new trend which through the social media lens took the name of craftcore – i.e., a sort of nostalgic return towards old manual production traditions – for others it is a true vocation. Among these brands is the Loro Piana Maison, originally from Quarona in the province of Vercelli, Italy, which is recognized worldwide as one of the leading companies in the knitwear industry.
According to The Woolmark Company – the global authority on wool – the naturally sourced textile fibers used in knitwear design – and in particular wool – play a role in the adoption of a circular economy model. Wool is an ecological alternative to synthetic fibers due to its properties: it is renewable with a life cycle ranging between 20 and 30 years; its manufacturing processes consume less water and energy; and it is biodegradable. The University of Leeds has proposed a project aimed at enhancing these characteristics entitled Re-Vive.
Inspired by the ancient Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, which celebrates the beauty of imperfection and resilience, the project created a new way of exploring knitwear, by increasing user connection. «We created a QR code system which you can scan and will open onto a page which will tell you everything about it: the size, what it is made from, pictures of cashmere used, wash and car instructions to increase the longevity of the garment – explain Olivia Walster and Laura Sillitoe. If Loro Piana garments already last 20 years, they will last longer now because people have built a bond to it, they know how to take care of it. We also integrated raw cashmere fibers which come with the finished garment, so when it is ruined you can take it back to Loro Piana, which will re-spin the cashmere and give you back a sort of new garment. It is a circular process».
«We designed fabrics which look delicate but are strong. They are also reversible, as we integrated the front and the back in each side. We were playing with structure to highlight the complexity of the product and the design, but also to make it feel and move with the body», further explain the students of University of Leeds.
Versatility is also at the core of the Tale of Growth on Mars project by the students of the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design, Art in Ramat Gan. The garment designed by the Israeli students changes shape and transforms according to the user’s needs, becoming a coat, a jacket, and a dress. Tale of Growth on Mars, in which the past inspires the future through the combination of the planet Mars color palette and the intricate textures and structures of 18th century clothing, aims to underline the infinite potential of Loro Piana yarns, which can be used alone or combined in many different ways.
Ása Bríet Brattaberg and Sofia Castellon from Institut Français de la Mode used their own heritage as a starting point: Brattaberg was born in Iceland and grew up surrounded by nature with her grandparents who were sheep farmers, while Castellon grew up in Mexico City, in a family which practiced spirituality and had a deep interest in the esoteric side of Mexico. «We imagined what Loro Piana would be in 100 years – they say. We asked ourselves who we would be designing for during that time and what kind of environment humans would be in».
«Due to the uncertainty of the climate and state of the world, we imagined we would all be living in our own cells protected from the outside dangers. Thus, we wanted to create a safe and comforting space for the wearer using only Loro Piana 100% cashmere yarns». The result is a whole bedroom set in shades of white and pink consisting of a sleep mask, a headset, socks, a blanket, a travel pillow, and a dream catcher, conveying a feeling of glowing and peace. The final jacket was inspired by the Loro Piana icon – the traveler jacket – but adapted as a pajama or loungewear piece designed for mental and spiritual journeys.
As for the technical aspects of Dreamscapes, they explain: «We started to learn how to program knitwear using the Stoll Machine. After learning a few stitches, we really delved into the technical aspect of the craft and explored how far we could push things. We were inspired by the stitches used to create dreamcatchers and using a partial knitting technique, we decided to craft most of our samples into circular shapes which resembled the object. We continued by adding different techniques into our samples such as lace, vanisé, ribs, etc.».
The washing of the yarn was another step of their process as the tactile feeling of the samples evolved after being washed and brushed. The jacket was constructed using circular panels in order to follow the flow of the stitches and conserve the ethereal feeling radiating off the knit, which led to an interesting shape, especially in the sleeves. «Wool is the material of the future. There is an inherent practicality in natural fibers like wool and cashmere, which allows for durability and biodegradability. Moreover, wool’s ability to regulate temperature ensures comfort across seasons».
Most of the projects presented revolved around nature, ecology, and landscapes. Solastalgia – Rediscovering Nature’s Beauty by Linda Muffatti and Marina Mendeš of the Accademia Costume & Moda delved into the intersection between technology and the digital realm, and naturally sourced textile fibers and craft manufacturing. The project draws inspiration from the concept of “solastalgia”, a neologism which describes a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change and unfolds across three main topics: Tradizione – an ode to Loro Piana’s rich heritage -, Digitopia – depicting a cold, dystopic future where machines have taken control – and Equilibrio – where a harmonious balance between old and new is achieved.
On the other hand, the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology’s project, Ode To Life, was a celebration of a little-known Chinese natural landscape of rare beauty: Danxia. The unusual colors of the craggy rocks, which are smooth, sharp and several hundred meters high, are the result of numerous red sandstone and mineral deposits which occurred over 100 million years ago. The atmospheric agents did the rest, sculpting the colored rock in unexpected ways. In Ode To Life, which takes up the palette and striped pattern of Danxia’s mountains, nature becomes a symbol of resilience and continuous renewal, while reminding us of the transience of human life compared to that of the planet we inhabit.
The long process which led to the awards ceremony which took place on May 10, consists of five phases. Initially the Maison contacted some of the leading schools in the world looking for students with a background in knitwear; once the candidates had been selected, the students were invited to the company’s factory to explore its world and the brand’s craft manufacturing heritage. On that occasion the students received the brief and the Loro Piana yarns to start working on their projects. After several weeks, the schools presented their projects to the jury of experts – this year made up of names of the caliber of Sara Sozzani Maino; Alexander Fury; and Anna Dello Russo, among others.
The students Pierre Sauvageot and Björn Backes with Professor François-Xavier Herody of the École Duperré in Paris, won the 2024 coveted prize with a visionary project which responds to the Fast Forward Heritage theme through a dialogue between past, present, and future. Cavalieri, A History Of Innovation brings the imagery of ancient medieval knights into the present with a modern Loro Piana cashmere armor enriched with metal inserts. The winners will have the opportunity to complete their design project in the Maison’s long-established knitwear workshops in Piedmont, working alongside artisans who will share their expertise and savoir-faire. The finished piece will be showcased at Pitti Filati 2024, the leading trade event showcasing yarns for the knitting sector, to be held in Florence from June 25 to 27.
ISSUE NO. 31
Lampoon is a cultural magazine.
Culture today means sustainability – in its honest meaning.
Culture has always been about human respect, tolerance. It’s not only about accepting human diversity but it’s about searching for the beauty of every human peculiarity.
Inclusion is the first value that defines art. Culture today means one thing only: to be part of a community, to think as a community.
Reading Lampoon, you see that these themes are smoothly aligned. A good part of the articles’ content discusses practices to restore our environment and stories about understanding the others.
Reading Lampoon, you find a dialogue between science and creativity. From sharp and edgy photo sessions to fashion, architecture, technology – the commitment is dedicated to a future that is all about us – together.
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