From hemp, new life for Italian producers
Opera Campi in Parma aims to create hemp fabric as soft as it was two hundred years ago, and an Italian supply chain. Opera means ‘work’, ‘masterpiece’ and evokes the territory and opera, which has deep roots in Parma
Alberto Ziveri, founder of Opera Campi
Alberto Ziveri founded Opera Campi in 2017, choosing to follow a path that had not yet been explored. The idea came during a walk in the hills around Parma, where ponds were once used to ret hemp. The decisive impulse came later, when he found hemp garments at least two hundred years old that were still intact and soft. With his uncle’s help, he decided to carry out an experiment, planting two hectares of hemp to study the plant and understand its qualities more deeply. «I immediately appreciated its properties», Ziveri says, «including breathability and its capacity to absorb CO2 during cultivation. Once I understood that I wanted to work with hemp, I researched who else was moving in the same direction, but I could not find any company producing hemp cloth as soft as the old fabrics. There was a gap in the market that could be filled. I looked for suppliers with one objective: to make no profit, but to create the best possible hemp fabric, taking inspiration from antique cloths».
His knowledge of clothing, developed through a personal interest, and his IT skills, acquired while working in the family business, helped him manage the process from suppliers to production. «In 2017 I started using French-grown European hemp, which is no longer produced today. We tried to recreate on the cloth a finish that replicated the effect of time on the centuries-old fabrics we had found. We managed to produce a fabric as soft as the finest linens». The first result came in 2018: in four days, Ziveri and the team that initially supported the project sold forty jackets at 350 euros each, generating 15,000 euros in four days.
The name Opera Campi is a reference to nature
Anything produced naturally comes from the earth, from cultivated fields. Opera means ‘work’, ‘masterpiece’ and evokes the territory and opera, which has deep roots in Parma. In 2018, European hemp was discontinued, displaced by Chinese competition characterized by low labor costs and a high-quality product. «I decided to buy the last kilos of European hemp so that I would have some stock», Ziveri continues. «I stopped for six months, but in the end I had to give in. I found a suitable quality of Chinese hemp. I discovered that China is far ahead in hemp production, and this makes me somewhat pessimistic about the possibility of recreating the supply chain in Italy and Europe. We are in contact with the EIA, the international hemp association based in Brussels, and as soon as yarn production resumes in Europe, we will be among the first to know».
The Herotex fabric
Two problems remained to be solved: the softness of the cloth and the creases that form in the fabric. With the help of a technician in Tuscany, «we developed a patent that allowed us to make the fabric elastic by sacrificing eight percent of the hemp and replacing it with a blend of polyester and Lycra», Ziveri continues, «which can still meet sustainability criteria, and we are getting there». The new fabric is called Herotex, a tribute to the material used for Spider-Man’s suit. «A kind of superhero cloth. Lycra adds elasticity and increases the resistance already present in hemp. We then analyzed the fabric in a laboratory and discovered that it is both insulating and breathable». The result is supported by measurements from the Lart Tessile laboratory in Carpi, which Ziveri commissioned to test the material.
Hemp and wool – Lanapa
«The percentages of hemp we use are already extremely high compared with the market average. The American brand Patagonia, known as a pioneer in the sector, has not reached similar levels». The strength of hemp yarn is the main obstacle in processing it. «It is so tough that it breaks the needles on the knitting machine – how do we manage to produce knitwear in one hundred percent hemp? We pay our regular knitter more. That allows her to work more slowly, so the needles can pass through the yarn without breaking. Our ‘Puro’ sweater is one of our most appreciated and best-selling garments».
The technique behind Herotex opened the way to Lanapa, created to cover the winter season. «It is not a worsted fabric, but two wool and hemp yarns joined together in a creative way using a patented process», Ziveri explains. «It is sixty-six percent Zegna Baruffa merino wool, from one of Italy’s leading wool mills, and thirty-four percent hemp. Some people say hemp takes color well. That is not true. For most of our fabrics, we dye each yarn separately, which significantly increases production costs. The same problems arose with Lanapa. To avoid double dyeing, one of the most polluting processes, we tried joining the yarns before dyeing them. Our dyer had to carry out more than fifty tests. A conventional brand could never afford to sustain these costs. We experiment».
Alberto Ziveri created the Opera Campi website
Marketing is developed in-house, from photography to the e-shop. «We cannot spend money on photographers, websites and communications agencies. Being able to do everything ourselves has allowed us to save money, and all of it has been reinvested. Production takes place between Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Lombardy. We do not have a single supplier outside these regions. As far as hemp cultivation is concerned, the only guarantee we have is the hemp itself. It is a plant on which pesticides are not used because it does not need them, and in China it is produced in what are known as ‘Black Lands’, financed directly by the government. These are soils that, rather like those we had here centuries ago, are naturally humid and therefore do not require irrigation. I have a personal relationship with all my suppliers, who work for the luxury industry».
Opera Campi
The year 2020 marked a turning point, with sales increasing by one hundred percent. «Part of our vocation is to help revive the Italian supply chain. Our suppliers are experiencing difficulties because of the current crisis. We need not only to rebuild the hemp supply chain, but also to avoid losing the stages that come after it. We have companies with unique expertise: there is only one producer in the world capable of making Herotex, and it is in Prato». Via Sandro Pertini 12/A, 43123 Parma PR.
Via Sandro Pertini, 12/A,
43123 Parma PR
