For cruelty-free and sustainable fashion, fabrics are one of the key ingredients. This is why Tiziano Guardini, also known as the designer of nature, told us about a particular type of non-violent silk he uses to make a large part of his garments. But that's not all.

Your passion for fashion began when you were very young. When did you realise you wanted to combine your skills as a designer with nature and respect for the environment?

My passion for fashion was born at eleven, and everything else came from the gut, in the sense that when I was invited to take part in the "Limited/Unlimited" event at Alta Roma in 2012, I created my first dress using natural materials. It wasn't a decision I made at the drawing board — I simply felt the need to use those particular materials to tell the story of a dream of living in harmony with nature.

Tiziano Guardini garments are a constant reference to the natural world, both in their lines and in the materials used. Can you tell us, for example, about the non-violent silk you used in the "three days to butterfly" collection?

Ahimsa silk came out of my own research. Knowing that silkworms were killed to produce the fabric, when I started fashion school I felt uncomfortable having to work with silk. That's when I told myself, "I will find the solution!" After I left school, I continued my research with little success. Until a friend, during a dinner, told me about her friends who were based in India and worked with non-violent silk.

But how is this non-violent silk produced?

Basically, in the conventional process, the silkworm is boiled — and in some cases even frozen — before it becomes a butterfly. This is done to prevent the butterfly, as it emerges from the cocoon, from breaking the long thread the cocoon is made of. And it is precisely that thread that makes silk precious, as it is the only long-fibre fabric. The non-violent silk process, on the other hand, involves waiting for the silkworm to complete its development and become a butterfly, then collecting the cocoons already abandoned by the insects, from which the thread is extracted as if it were a short fibre — like cotton or linen.

It naturally makes me wonder: if it's that straightforward, why doesn't everyone adopt this technique?

Because the fabric is different either way, though it also depends greatly on what the silkworms eat. In fact, depending on what they eat, both the colour and the texture change. In this case, I noticed that the fabric is crispier compared to conventional silk, but I think it also depends a great deal on the processing method used. The answer is that perhaps, with non-violent silk, an extra step is required that people are reluctant to take, because in the traditional process you find a longer thread, whereas here you have to recreate it yourself by reweaving it.

Non-violent silk is just one of the natural fabrics you work with. In one of your past collections you also used another truly innovative material — soya fibre. How is a fabric derived from this natural resource, and above all, what are its characteristics?

Soya silk, unlike ahimsa silk which remains of animal origin, is a plant-based fabric. It is in fact a by-product of soya processing for the food industry: the residual husks and pods (globular proteins) are given new life through a process of treatment, spinning and weaving. Soya is a renewable plant that requires few pesticides and helps fix nitrogen in the soil, making it a valuable crop for rotation. And of course, if disposed of as waste, a soya-fibre fabric is biodegradable, whereas petroleum-derived fabrics such as polyester take as long as 900 years to break down.

Let's move on to another undisputed protagonist in your collections: raffia. This natural resource, obtained from a particular species of palm, is often processed with substances that are harmful to people and the environment — but not in your case.

No, absolutely not! The raffia I use is completely raw, and even in my sculptural garments I tend to work it while keeping its natural structure intact.

How do you turn it into a cohesive garment?

I tie all the various pieces together to create a single thread, and from there I work it with a crochet hook or knit it. Or sometimes I lay it over a base and simply use it as embroidery.

From nature to recycling. Tell us about the project with recycled plastic.

That was a project with Alecci and Di Paola, who deal in the artistic recycling of plastic without burning it, so without causing it to release its toxic components. They proposed putting on an event together and I thought it would be nice to collaborate. That's how a series of bow ties, a necklace, a dress and a bag made from plastic and plastic materials came about.

All your creations are refined down to the smallest detail, like true works of art. Which of the garments you have made over the years do you think best represents your philosophy?

Perhaps the dress made with liquorice roots that I exhibited at the Palace of the United Nations for the International Day of Forests. The story behind this dress is very particular, in the sense that I had intended to create something using roots. So one evening a friend of mine introduced me to a young man who was organising a fashion event in Calabria and proposed a collaboration with Amarelli, one of the finest liquorice companies.

But how was it possible to make a dress out of liquorice roots alone?

I use haute couture techniques, so you start from a tear-resistant base which is essentially already a garment, onto which the embroidery is applied. The liquorice roots are the embroidery, to be clear!

Your philosophy has also been appreciated in the East, a region not widely known for its engagement with sustainability issues. Tell us about your experience at Chinese fashion week.

Having that opportunity was an enormous thrill. It's an international competition for young designers that I had tried to enter five years earlier but hadn't been accepted into, so returning and being the only Westerner to win — taking the bronze prize — was a wonderful surprise. The most beautiful thing, though, was bringing a culture of non-violence and respect for nature to a country like China.