A new Italian sustainable supply chain project drew to a close recently. The initiative was developed and supported by Fulgar, the leading manmade fibres producer, in collaboration with Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA) and flat knitting machine specialist Shima Seiki Italia. 

At the end of a selection process one female student – Liu Yijie - was selected from the first year of the Two-year Specialist in Textile Design course.Liu chose to use Fulgar’s innovative Q-Cycle yarn to express her ethical creativity. The result is a sustainable capsule collection drawing inspiration from the lunar landscape, created through a unique knitting process made possible by the skills and expertise provided by Shima Seiki.

In the young designer’s words: “The new generations are increasingly aware of environmental issues and that’s why it’s been interesting to create a mini-collection with a special focus on the raw materials used, like Q-Cycle by Fulgar, a material with characteristics that are identical to those of normal polyamide fibres, but with a green soul, as they are obtained by recycling end-of-life tyres. The objective for young eco-designers like us must be to generate and spread a new way of thinking, developing an aware fashion that takes into account climate change and the environment.”

Alan Garosi, Head of Marketing at Fulgar, commented: “We think it’s crucial for a greener future to place training nearer the centre of the fashion system because, starting with a new generation of designers, it’s possible to develop a creativity and an innovative approach that is already based on sustainability and social responsibility.”

Federica Muschio, Showroom Coordinator at Shima Seiki Italia, added: “It’s an honour for all of us at Shima Seiki Italia to support the new generations and new projects through our technology,  which aims to become more innovative every year, reflecting a world that is constantly evolving. We intend to use our machines to show knitwear in all its aspects and experiment with new approaches. Using yarns by the Fulgar company that are unconventional in the knitwear world, and NABA, an important academy in the fashion world, gives us the opportunity to show students our core business.”

Colomba Leddi, NABA Fashion Design Area Leader, said: “It’s vital for NABA to be closely connected to the companies that carry out research into new technologies and innovative materials, with the objective of developing production of aware fashion. The students of the Two-year Textile Design Specialist course have taken on the challenge presented by this ambitious project, which promotes their creativity, increasing their ability to develop original creations with a green heart, enhancing the potential of Fulgar’s Q-Cycle fibre, combined with the use of Shima Seiki Italia technology.”

The desire to position itself increasingly as an incubator for innovation in the textile industry is not new for Fulgar. As well as the project with NABA it has already coordinated and carried out many special supply chain projects. Its ambitious aim is to create a crucible of new designers 4.0 with a green heart, which will be achieved through a more sustainable approach based on experimentation with fabrics and production processes with a reduced environmental impact.

www.fulgar.com

www.shimaseiki.eu

www.naba.it