Gilberto Calzolari opened Milan Fashion Week in an unconventional sustainable way thanks also to the collaboration with Italian Converter
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Business
Lineapelle – 19-21 February 2020 – FIERAMILANO RHO - HALL 9 BOOTH E21-F30
Italian Converter, a leading manufacturer of innovative fabrics for fashion, footwear and accessories, expands E.C.O. Kosmos, the fully traceable, transparent and 100% Made in Italy cross-collection. The acronym E.C.O. - Ecologic, Conversion, Optimization perfectly reflects the founding values of the Italian Converter philosophy and represents a further step in the company's responsible path. E.C.O. Kosmos has also been selected to be part of C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy) and also welcomed with enthusiasm the proposal to support C.L.A.S.S. Smart Materials Bank, the educational platform and e-shop of C.L.A.S.S. designed for young designers who want to discover and experiment with innovative and sustainable textile solutions from the best manufacturers in ways suitable for their reality.
“E.C.O. Kosmos is more than a collection. It’s a system of actions, values and materials that began almost a decade ago and which develops during the entire process of transformation and improvement of quality", comments Costantino Karazissis, founder of Italian Converter. The process involves a dedicated team that develops, produces and constantly monitors with the utmost care and attention to sustainability; from the selection of innovative materials to the collaboration with equally responsible partners and suppliers.
“In the last 4 years we have increased the rate of sustainability exponentially through continuous and accurate attention and measurements on production and products; in addition, since a long time we have started a selection and activation of our suppliers, especially in terms of reducing the chemicals that impact the environment, following a proactive approach. The number of subscriptions to the parameters of the RSL (Restricted Substances List) is an important indicator of the company policy on the now confirmed and growing interest in increasingly smart products. Among our customers, from 30 commitments of documents relating to this topic in 2016, we have moved to over 256 commitments in 2019”. In the last 3 years the number of subscriptions to the parameters indicating the right values and sustainable substances has grown to double percentage figures. The signatory suppliers to which the company asked and collected adhesions went from 27.3% to 92.7%.
“We are very positive because we see an increasingly positive and concrete response from our entire Supply Chain. It is in this direction that our Code of Ethical and Responsible Behaviour is positioned and we are promoting it to all our suppliers”.
“With the expansion of the collection, Italian Converter continues its process of sustainable conversion but also ethical and attentive to the social impact”, marked by the perfect balance of technology, style and market trend in terms of design and materials. “Sustainability is a fundamental value like quality for us and for our customers. It is for this reason that the new references of E.C.O. Kosmos use materials and processes with the lowest environmental impact and supported by the certification criteria STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, an independent and uniform control and certification system at the international level of the textile sector for every level of processing. Being able to measure and certify not only materials but also products is a fundamental step in our path”, concludes Karazissis.
Here are some highlights of the collection:
- C.O. Alba – E.C.O. Aurora, fabrics made of 50% casual cotton combined with AMNI SOUL ECO ® technology, the biodegradable nylon thread in an anaerobic context created by Solvay. Visually they recall natural fabrics and are highly appreciated for their structure, a particular texture that gives three-dimensionality. Both fabrics have been analyzed and are being certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX by the Centro Tessile Cotoniero in Busto Arsizio.
- C.O. Sonica is a semi-shiny satin with an elegant and refined appearance. It has the particular characteristic of being stretch with a soft hand and is appreciated for its elegant look and for the wide variety of colors proposed. It is composed of Newlife™, a new generation yarn resulting from the High Tech Conversion Model which transforms 100% of post-consumer plastic bottles, whose origin is fully traceable, into a high-tech polymer of unparalleled quality, through a mechanical process Made in Italy. The savings generated for the production of 1kg of Newlife™, when compared with the production of 1Kg of conventional polyester are significant: -94% of water, -60% of energy consumption, -32% of CO2 emissions, as declared by the LCA - Life Cycle Assessment study conducted by ICEA. Newlife™ also has GRS - Global Recycle Standard certifications, that certifies products obtained from recycled materials and manufacturing activities. It enhances products made with recycled materials, respecting the environmental and social criteria extended to all stages of the production chain and it’s promoted by Textile Exchange, one of the most important non-profit organizations that promote responsible and sustainable development in the textile sector at an international level.
- C.O. Aly is a vintage effect raffia, a very trendy theme right now. It consists of GRS certified recycled polyethylene wire (see above) and responds to PRSL (Product Restricted Substances List) issues, a list of chemical substances whose presence in product data (raw materials, semi-finished and finished products) is limited or prohibited based on national and international laws and/or voluntary commitments.
Italian Converter is a market leader and collaborates with some of the most internationally renowned luxury icon brands. On this occasion, the company is pleased to support the talent of the brand Gilberto Calzolari which will debut at the upcoming Milan Fashion Week, supported by the Camera Nazionale della Moda.
Italiana (CNMI) in recognition of the refined research in terms of style and sustainability. Calzolari has chosen the technical satin E.C.O. FISSET + E.C.O. INTERLOCK 100% Newlife™, from the E.C.O. KOSMOS line.
Newlife™ is a new generation yarn resulting from the High Tech Conversion Model that transforms 100% of post-consumer plastic bottles, whose origin is fully traceable, into a high-tech polymer of unparalleled quality, through a Made in Italy mechanical process. The savings generated for the production of 1kg of Newlife™, when compared with the production of 1Kg of conventional polyester, are significant: -94% of water, -60% of energy consumption, -32% of CO2 emissions, as declared by the LCA - Life Cycle Assessment study conducted by ICEA. Newlife™ also has the GRS - Global Recycle Standard certifications, which certifies the products obtained from recycled materials and manufacturing activities. It enhances products made with recycled materials, in compliance with environmental and social criteria extended to all stages of the production chain and is promoted by Textile Exchange, one of the most important non-profit organizations that promote internationally responsible and sustainable development in the textile industry.
Calzolari has chosen a technical satin which will adorn, as a detail, the pockets of a coat and also some unsold stock in a perfect circular economy perspective, such as GAUCHO LAK combed for a coat, two jackets and a skirt and the INCAS double neoprene, used to make two coats, two skirts, two tops and a dress.
Paul Green shoes have elegance and sportiness written in their DNA. The shoes have been developed and modeled over decades by their own shoe manufacturers to achieve the perfect fit.
For the new collection, PAUL GREEN PURE used - among other high-quality materials - 100% E.C.O. Moon by Italian Converter.
A path of sustainability that goes beyond the fabric.
To share a current and extremely important topic in the panorama of the textile and fashion sector, Italian Converter is also planning a Smart Talk - which will see the participation of Giusy Bettoni, CEO & Founder of C.L.A.S.S. (Creative, Lifestyle And Sustainable Synergy), the first and only international library of eco fabrics and accessories - entitled “Does sustainability matters? A journey into new generation of values for the consumer”.
Wednesday 19/02 from 12:00 to 13:00 - in Italian
Thursday 20/02 from 12:00 to 13:00 - in English
Free access, without reservation.
For further information, please contact:
GB Network Italian Converter
press@gbnetwork.eu press@italianconverter.it tel. +39 0276018402 +390381-348120
ABOUT: C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy) - Leading the way since 2007, we are a unique multi-platform HUB based in Milan specialized in integrating a new generation of eco values into your fashion and home product and company. These new values are needed to speak to a new, smarter and contemporary conscience consumer. C.L.A.S.S., founded by Giusy Bettoni, introduces a new way of design thinking that represents a shift in culture, which enables your business to be competitive and socially innovative.
ECO CHIC DESIGN AWARD, advisor,
ARAB FASHION COUNCIL, sustainability advisor,
Ms. Bettoni currently serves on the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative Advisory Board and was a speaker at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Education Summit. Curator - Sustainable Thinking by Museo Salvatore Ferragamo.
About: Italian Converter
Italian Converter is a leading manufacturer for over 25 years of modern, smart-tech and adaptive innovations, using their own unique alchemy of expert finishing techniques to transform their customer’s products into new specialities for apparel, shoes, bags, fashion accessories and furniture.
At its heart, the company believes in transparency through responsible sourcing and processes while using research into new technologies that are combined with an instinctive, market-savvy taste for material design to deliver these innovations. It is a fusion of three skills: a deep textile knowledge, a history born from leather and a smart finishing expertise that creates its own contemporary alchemy for invention generating better products every season. By sourcing the best base materials, and transforming them through their complex range of finishing, bonding, coating, embossing and multiple layering combinations, the Italian Converter Company defines its DNA and the real soul of fabrics for the modern age. The current focus and future plans look to the new E.C.O. Kosmos range as their most integrated and responsible, smart material innovation range through better processing that leverages the best knowledge from their unique, tri-industry expertise.