Janet Prescott reports from Milan

Knit is the place where today new developments and fashion dominate. This was backed up by Filo, the yarn fair which took place this month in Milan 8-9 October.

Yarns for fashion, weaving, knitwear, furnishings and protective wear are found in many different guises at Filo. It was clear that there were more yarns relating to knit procedures than any other.

Many colours for spring 2016 are delicate, a little pale and interesting in the way they are put together. Sandy yellows, lilacs, light clear blues, pinks and pale greens are particularly prevalent.

Some red and bright yellow stands out as a highlight among the paler colours, and there is still place for grey, black and white for both men’s and womenswear as at Karsu, Turkey, with Tencel and Modal for jersey. Marls are quite subtle with different shades of the main colour, or little streaks of white or pale grey in darker grounds seen at Safil.

Lurex is always a busy stand at Filo, since many buyers are looking for specific yarns for designer collections or signature labels. Lurex showed its new offerings which included technical developments to deal with silk processing and yarns which would not lose their lustre or brightness after frequent washing.

Coloured Lurex this time picked up on lilac, light blue, Dune, navy, claret, steel grey and topaz yellow, with a vibrant brightness retained even for matt looks.

There were many examples of pale shades for summer and linen and cotton are tipped for use in natural, undyed states like yarns in Tencel, cotton, modal and Cupro from Predlinica Litija, Slovenia. Despite a quantifiable falling off for a few seasons, eco issues are back in fashion, chiming with the emphasis on sustainability and provenance.

The yarns were at the top quality end of production and raw materials with much emphasis on certification and verification; comfortable long staple Ice Cotton at Spoerry, ecotex yarns at Marchi & Fildi and natural looks at Tearfil.

The Italian initiative, Tessile & Salute, supported by the Ministry of Health, was high profile, ‘healthy’ yarns and fabrics, which as well as doing no harm, are claimed to actively benefit wellbeing.

Fibres such as Tencel C used at Hermann Buhler and other crab shell recipes from Pozzi Electa have been proved to have beneficial effects, some claiming that skin rejuvenation can follow. Healthy fabrics are showing some appeal to the public, especially for childrenswear and bodywear.

Linen the summer star, was blended with many fibres, including wool and cotton. Pure linen at linen specialists Kingdom, with four factories in China and a facility for stock in Prato.

Viscose was mixed with many precious fibres and manmades for effect. Ilaria’s fancy yarns included ingenious combinations, nylon/polyester for sparkle and 70/30 cotton/nylon with crunchy handles and combos like 82%viscose, 8 polymer, 6 linen, 4 nylon to produce effects like stretch, bouclés, neps and slubs, design points for the season.

Botto Poala had chic summer wool for knitwear and Merino was successfully presented as a summer choice, alone or blended with alpaca, twisted with crepe yarns, to give a tighter, cooler feel. Some blends brought together three or more ‘ingredients’ like wool, silk and linen or mohair, silk, linen.