Moda futuribile is a project that rethinks and reuses fabrics to propose alternative solutions to the stockpiling of unsold garments. It takes place in Florence, at Pitti Filati, from 26 to 28 June.
The problem of unsold clothing stock held by fashion brands must be addressed urgently. I remember being shocked when I read that Burberry had burned thousands of garments — expensive ones, at that — to "write down" its inventory for tax purposes. All the work, the fabrics, the design, the energy that had gone into creating those garments had literally gone up in smoke for bureaucratic reasons.
The first problem to address is the excessive quantity of clothing produced every year, consuming resources and energy and causing environmental damage, in the hope of selling everything and reaping large profits. "Sold out" is no longer achievable, and textile production, which can no longer find a market ready to absorb it, needs to be drastically scaled back. But what is to be done with all the stock, the surplus that clogs the warehouses of factories and fashion brands?
What is needed is imagination, fresh ideas and bold solutions that allow these garments to be reconditioned, reimagined and reused, adding creative value and thereby giving them the chance to re-enter sales channels as objects with added worth. In this spirit, I curated a project for Dyloan Studio and Bond Factory, which we are presenting at Pitti Filati from 26 to 28 June in Florence, at Fortezza Dabbasso.
The experiment unfolded in several phases. We asked eight Italian knitwear manufacturers to each donate two identical jumpers that had been sitting in their warehouses as unsold or slightly defective items. At the same time, I contacted eight young designers, inviting them to work on these garments using Bond Factory's innovative technologies, which range from laser cutting to bonding (heat-sealing for fabrics), from dyeing to the lamination of different materials together.
I personally oversaw the designers' proposals, which were supported by the Dyloan Studio team in reinventing the jumpers that had been offered to us. I gave the designers great freedom of expression, and the final result is truly exciting. For Pitti Filati, the garments included in the Moda futuribile: rethink, reuse, reknit project are displayed in a dedicated area where each designer has two mannequins on which visitors can see the garment before and after the intervention. The designers also illustrate their creative process both verbally and visually, each having a wall at their disposal to do so.
Some of the designers are my students from Domus Academy and the Istituto europeo di design (Ied) in Milan: Marco Perissinotto, Elisa Zadra and Cecilia del Carmen Juarez Balta. The others are designers who have embraced a concept of sustainable fashion: Tiziano Guardini, Cora Bellotto, Denise Bonapace, Giulia Conversano and Vittorio Branchizio.
With a fresh and extremely creative approach, they have brought extraordinary and special objects to life. The message is clear: with creativity and the support of today's available technology, it is possible to rescue unsold garments and transform them into attractive, entirely new objects. Fashion Revolution Italia has backed this project, which opens a window onto the endless possibilities that can arise for the fashion landscape when human ingenuity and technology join forces to save objects from the bin and the incinerator.
Furthermore, this project fulfils multiple functions that fit perfectly within the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The textile industry's commitment to improving itself is constant, and this initiative shows many brands and designers how the right path can be taken — one that consumers are increasingly demanding.