I’m sick of sustainability.

The causes? Abuses, levity, weak competence.

Nausea not of the concept it evokes, nor of its practical application in life, but of the word. In the last few months it has come to surround me everywhere. It could be a little bit because content appears on social media based on personal preferences. The point, however, is that it is now objectively everywhere. We are in a phase in which most companies claim to be sustainable, brands promote sustainability content, influencers talk about it, media, social media, TV, supermarket product packaging, billboards , radio jingles, TV commercials, private social profiles have no qualms about showing it off. Anyone who talks about it and everywhere it is talked about. Up to nausea.

“I admit to a long and growing angst over the misuse of the word “sustainable” and its derivatives. In fact I am well known for making a big song and dance every time the topic comes up. I am sure my friends and colleagues groan whenever the issue arises. They are good enough to humour me. Even those who may say I am cynical often share my concerns – and every year the abuse gets worse. So this year we inaugurate a new Transition Town High Wycombe Award. It is the “LA-LA Sustainability” – the Laughable Abuse of Language Award (Sustainability)”

Mark Brown, 2010

“The important thing is that we talk about it”, someone replies promptly. Are we really sure?

Anyone talks about it.

I see people I’ve known for a long and short time, live and on social media, who overnight present themselves as sustainability experts, without education, without studies, without bases. I notice ex-colleagues, whom I remember light years away from the concept of environmental and social sustainability, glossing over ethics, now in top corporate positions in this area (someone at the time even laughed at me for concerns about environmental impact) . On social media, I read and hear things that aren’t really helpful in lightening the human footprint on the environment, because that should ultimately be the goal of talking about sustainability.
It is not enough to be self-taught, to read articles, a few books, a short course, or even to have produced a line of clothing or “sustainable” products. Measures to protect the environment are not improvised, neither in fashion nor in other sectors. It is not something that concerns only sustainability: ours is a time of blurred boundaries between science and entertainment, in which we freely improvise doctors or chemists or engineers. The authoritative voices are no longer the experts in the sector, but the most followed characters, whom we listen to pronounce on any topic because we like them, we feel they are similar or because if they have followed then they must be good. We are in the era of “you too can create a course”, of the extreme confidence in self-taught education, of “I read it on the internet (so it’s a fact)” without curiosity and depth to explore sources and truthfulness.

Everywhere they talk about it.

“What is sustainable design? It’s a notion that is everywhere, but no one seems to know exactly what it means” (Joshua Bolchover 2012, Vitamin Green).

Sustainability – abused, stuck on sites, pages, profiles, products, newspapers, videos, articles, it sheds all meaning and loses credibility. I am reminded of a graph by the digital comedian Xkcd: the use of the “S” word is inherently unsustainable, and at some point in the not too distant future (2109) constant abuse will render it meaningless. I have the feeling that we are ahead of the times, it will not be necessary to wait so many decades.

Exponential diffusion is not a personal sensation. According to the Global Language Monitor, “sustainability” is the 10th most used word in the world (2020). Considering that half of the other terms in the top ten are linked to a single phenomenon, the pandemic, that’s not bad positioning.

98% of Forbes Top 50 Brands have used at least one cliché on their sites. On average they used the word ‘sustainability’ ten times per web page, while major sustainable brands (such as Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and Allbirds) only use the word once (Chen 2021).

A concept gone bad?

Advertising Age called sustainability one of 2010’s “slangest slang” words that “you want to stop saying”. Why? Sustainability is “a good concept gone bad by mis- and overuse. It’s come to be a squishy, feel-good catchall for doing the right thing. Used properly, it describes practices through which the global economy can grow without creating a fatal drain on resources. It is not synonymous with ‘green’. It is no wonder that such a word has been used indiscriminately by politicians, businesses and the media because not only sustainability is a hot topic that everyone wants to promote themselves as cutting edge, but misuse is made easy due to the lack of a universally shared definition. Tt’s no wonder that such a word has been used indiscriminately by politicians, businesses, and media alike because not only is sustainability a hot topic of which everyone wants to promote themselves as being at the cutting edge, but misuse is made easy due to the lack of a universally agreed upon definition.  The difficulty in coming up with a shared definition is complicated by the fact that sustainability applies to a multitude of dynamically interrelated issues — environmental, economic, and social — to name a few”(Lammers 2011).

Let’s admit it, the abuse risks provoking antipathy, arousing intolerance especially in those who flee banality and repetitiveness. The language about sustainability is often boring and full of clichés. Careless use of the term causes confusion and skepticism. It reduces the will to act and intervene on the issue. Those who are experts turn up their noses and, if they feel like it, approach with skepticism. Those who are not interested feel bored if they do not develop hives. Those who are new listen the first few times they hear about it, only to realize that on the one hand one thing is sustainable, on the other the opposite. The worst is when those who in good faith approach, follow the indication “sustainable” and later discover that in reality it is not, feeling teased: we have lost forever a possible travel companion towards a more responsible lifestyle.

“It is time to ban the empty word “sustainability”. The word has become so corrupt that it is not only meaningless, but even obscures the real problems that need to be addressed. To begin with, we need to certify that all human activities have impacts, and these can go far beyond current sustainability indicators. However, we must take responsibility for efforts to minimize or mitigate them”.

Marley Jack, 2013

This is all a pity.

The word sustainability is a useful way to describe how more efficient use of resources can help preserve the conditions for long-term economic growth (Cummins Kate 2012). It would be a shame to ban it, giving up the call to the deeper sense that all human activities have an impact and to the concept of availability of resources for our and future generations, which should be sufficient to make us want to be sustainable.

The topic is actually of interest more and more. On Google in the last 5 years (November 2016 – November 2021) the search on the web for the term has been increasing (in the graph below, the numbers represent the search interest with respect to the highest point of the graph in relation to the region and the period. The value 100 indicates the highest search frequency).

So. what to do?

The dialogue on sustainability helps to raise awareness and stimulate action, but let’s use it more sparingly, with knowledge of the facts, and with professionalism. Let’s talk about it in a competent and engaging way, clarifying what we are referring to, with data, sources, research, without improvisation. Let’s stop throwing the term there, even if in good faith and with the best intentions other than wanting to ride the crest of the wave. Let’s involve an expert, or sometimes “choose silence” (Gheno 2019), doing our own work and not that of someone else.

If on the one hand it is true that we need clear and objective criteria, both to define words in a universally valid way (they are coming) and to identify sustainability experts, on the other hand we can in the meantime – as in other fields – open the eyes and try to believe again in those who have a professional background, combined with dedication and commitment.

Personally, I would like to try to talk about it in a different way, experimenting, based on what I have learned over the years. So as not to bore the reader, and also not to bore us. Furthermore, I am reducing pages, profiles and sites to view, to avoid bitterness and gastritis in front of the improper and light use of sustainability where there are no skills. Knowing everything in depth about such a vast topic is difficult, but there are middle shadows between everything and nothing. Finally, we gladly support companies, brands and designers in communicating sustainability with transparency and ethics far from banality and greenwashing.

Do you also find yourself in the symptoms described? If so, please tell us your experience.

Come capire se siamo davanti a greenwashing*? Come verificare se un marchio è impegnato veramente nella moda sostenibile?
6 passi per individuarlo, in una breve guida che abbiamo creato per te secondo quanto pubblicato in un articolo di British Vogue. Per aiutarti ad avere un po’ di chiarezza lungo il cammino della sostenibilità.

* strategia di comunicazione finalizzata a costruire un’immagine di sé ingannevolmente positiva sotto il profilo dell’impatto ambientale, allo scopo di distogliere l’attenzione dell’opinione pubblica dagli effetti negativi per l’ambiente dovuti alle proprie attività o ai propri prodotti (fonte: wikipedia).

English – How are you?

If you are feeling confused, afraid, lost in uncertainty right now. Also for me, writing from this page, it is like that. It’s very difficult to communicate something to you in articles or posts, because each topic seems inappropriate.
Today I was thinking just how useless clothes seem these days. Not only because we are at home, where we realize that in the end a wardrobe full of clothes is not needed, but also because the priorities are now different.
At home you can do many things. To focus on the best possible survival I read, cook, self-produce, sew, refashion clothes, watch movies, listen to podcasts, attend courses, try to mess with watercolors, I try to write despite feeling boulders on my hands and a head heavy with worries. I repair clothes and change them, put aside those that I no longer use. The things I used to do before. Without the serenity of before. But I continue to do them and I try to experiment with new ones, hoping they are a starting point for someone else’s inspiration at this moment and also an anchor for me in this shipwreck (note: I do not write all this lightly in the optimal situation of a quarantine spent in the family, in a villa with the swimming pool, with a safe work, economic certainty, a guaranteed health). If you are interested I will happily share these activities.

Many are rediscovering the beauty of making bread, pasta, cakes, self-production not only in the kitchen but also in other areas. Someone is reflecting on the lifestyle he/she had before all this. Animals return to the city (it was the post we wanted to publish today), nature seems closer to us or if we are barricaded in a city apartment nature seems more precious. We would have liked to see all this but in other conditions, for other reasons. Because to rejoice at the return of the animals to us or the clean air (which are things we strive for) or the “awakening” of someone seems to us at this moment out of place. As wonderful as it is to find nature that reduces distances or to see a greater number of people consider more responsible consumption, every joy is dampened by the pain of the loss of human lives and by the fatigue of those who are working to exhaustion, touching with their hands the cause of this destabilising period.

This is not the time for strong tones on sustainability issues, for us it never really was. I believe in the greater effectiveness of the example compared to the shouted words, this is the way of speaking that we have chosen from the beginning (losing occasionally, however, I admit, patience in front of social issues that make me angry).
This is not the time to make it easy, because it is not. When it costs other people’s lives it can’t be easy.
This is not the time to pretend nothing, offering articles as if nothing had happened, as if the world had remained the same. We can’t hide our heads in the sand.
This is not the time to be completely silent, because I don’t want to turn my back but be there at this juncture and try in some way to help, support, listen and inform.
It is not the time for us too to bomb with news and indications on what is happening, on the spread of the virus, on the measures taken. It is not because there are already many who are doing it, we are not competent and it is not the mission of this site.

And it is precisely with this mission in mind that I wish to continue (https://dress-ecode.com/perche-why-ethos/), from the teachings of my grandmother that is no longer there, an icon of modern zero waste (she is that appears in the photo of our poster). “We are committed to living with respect for people, animals and the environment, with the aim of helping to create a world in which to live better”: this is why we started this adventure in a critical moment of standstill years ago and we try to continue writing and being there with this goal.
I have chosen a lifestyle that seeks respect for people, animals and nature and respect at this moment also means for me all this that I am sharing with you.
I want to help create a world in which to live better.
If there is something you would like to read now or something you would like to know more about or something we can do in our own small way or something you want to tell us (even just how you are) please write to us.

contact_us@dressecode.it

Abbiamo imparato qualcosa riguardo l’impatto dei vestiti sull’ambiente, abbiamo letto articoli o libri, abbiamo visto documentari che ci hanno aperto gli occhi sull’industria della moda. E dal momento in cui abbiamo acquisito consapevolezza si affollano nella nostra testa domande come “Cosa posso fare per evitare di contribuire a disastri ambientali e sociali?”, “Cosa compro?”, “Dove compro?”. Uno dei quesiti principali che leggiamo e che ci vengono posti è… “Ma quale tessuto è sostenibile?”.

Ogni volta che nei forum, nelle chat, nei commenti si parla di un tessuto spuntano aspetti negativi: “Viene da lontano!”, “Usa troppi prodotti chimici!”, “Distrugge le foreste!”, “Richiede troppa acqua!”, “Non si può riciclare alla fine del ciclo di vita!”, “Per produrlo si utilizza troppa energia!”, “È trasformato in fabbriche in paesi dove si sfruttano i lavoratori!”, “Danneggia gli animali!” ecc. ecc.

Così arriva la sconforto, perché se tanto in ogni modo continuo a produrre impatto negativo per quale ragione mai dovrei sforzarmi di comprare in modo alternativo? Il rischio quindi è di rinunciare a fare qualcosa.

Questo tema ci sta particolarmente a cuore. Non esiste al momento il tessuto perfetto. Ma aspettate di leggere fino in fondo, perché c’è un lieto fine.

Le nostre vite hanno conseguenze sulla natura e sugli animali, perché ogni nostra azione umana è un’interazione con l’esterno e comporta effetti e modifiche. Pure il nostro respiro è un’interazione con l’ambiente circostante. Come altri aspetti della nostra vita da essere umani, mangiare, spostarsi, abitare, anche vestirsi produce un impatto.

È impossibile annullare del tutto le nostre orme umane su questo pianeta. L’impatto “zero” non può essere il nostro obiettivo: troppo difficile, con il rischio di abbandonare provando frustrazione e abbattimento. Possiamo invece mirare a inserire armoniosamente la nostra esistenza umana all’interno di un ecosistema rispettando tutte le altre forme di vita e in sintonia con animali e vegetali. L’attività umana dovrebbe cercare di causare il minore impatto possibile ad altre specie e al pianeta in sé.

Preso atto di ciò, cosa possiamo allora fare? Decidere con buon senso e responsabilità la tipologia di impatto che desideriamo avere (positivo/negativo), su che cosa (ambiente e/o persone e/o animali) e il livello (il massimo che posso fare/il minimo sforzo/impegno crescente). Piccoli miglioramenti da parte di milioni di persone hanno un impatto davvero significativo, più di quello di cento persone perfettamente sostenibili. 

Inoltre, per produrre risultati duraturi e significativi il percorso verso una vita più sostenibile non dovrebbe essere pieno di ansia, al contrario: dovrebbe essere intrapreso gioiosamente, visto il nobile obiettivo e le meravigliose conseguenze che comporta su noi, sugli altri, sugli animali, sul pianeta! No stress.

Ma torniamo ai tessuti. La produzione di manufatti è un processo impattante, non è possibile creare qualcosa senza “disturbare” il contesto esterno… Il punto è quanto impatta. Non è una questione di fibre buone o cattive. “Compro tutto in bambù e in cotone organico, sono a posto!”. Non è che una maglietta in bambù sia automaticamente migliore di una in cotone tradizionale. L’impegno del produttore durante tutto il ciclo di vita del prodotto tessile è ciò che fa la differenza, sia dal punto di vista ambientale sia sociale. Se la maglietta in bambù è prodotta tramite un processo altamente chimico di trasformazione della corteccia in cellulosa, inquinando acque e suolo circostante la fabbrica alimentata da combustibili fossili, se è sbiancata o colorata con tinte fortemente inquinanti, se è prodotta (per risparmiare) in paesi in cui non ci sono adeguati controlli di condizioni di sicurezza per i lavoratori né garanzie di salari dignitosi, se viaggia da una parte all’altra del mondo senza la minima attenzione alla produzione di CO2 di tutti gli spostamenti, non è detto che sia una scelta più sostenibile rispetto a una maglietta in cotone tradizionale, magari prodotta da un’associazione di artigiani locali in India dove è presente la piantagione, trasformata attraverso un processo alimentato da energie rinnovabili, colorata con tinte naturali secondo un’antica tradizione del posto e inserita in un progetto di riciclo alla fine del suo utilizzo, per cui è possibile riconsegnarla al produttore una volta lisa, rovinata o inutilizzata.

In questa non semplice fase di valutazione, sarebbe utile avere strumenti a disposizione che consentano di conoscere una misura oggettiva della sostenibilità di ciò che acquistiamo, senza dover studiare e impegnarci noi ogni volta che compriamo. Un’etichetta che mostri un indice di sostenibilità validamente riconosciuto e attribuito in maniera pulita e onesta. Ci sono soluzioni attualmente allo studio. Nel frattempo ciò che sicuramente ci aiuta, e ha grande valore, è la trasparenza del produttore nel condividere in modo sincero le scelte operate lungo tutto il ciclo di vita del prodotto, dal design alla sua fine o rinascita. Sulla base delle informazioni che abbiamo a disposizione, decideremo noi secondo le scelte personali, come dicevamo prima riguardo la tipologia di impatto che desideriamo avere (positivo/negativo), su che cosa (ambiente e/o persone e/o animali) e il livello (il massimo che posso fare/il minimo sforzo/impegno crescente). Qui trovate una guida degli aspetti da guardare per scegliere un brand sostenibile: https://dress-ecode.com/2018/11/07/15-aspetti-da-guardare-per-scegliere-un-brand-sostenibile-e-responsabile/

Il punto non è essere perfetti, il punto è fare con serenità ciò che ci prefiggiamo nelle nostre possibilità. 

Il percorso è serenamente fatto di passi, non per tutti di salti acrobatici! L’importante è avanzare su questo sentiero, dimenticandoci della (irraggiungibile al momento) perfezione.

(Foto: in copertina, Ethan Bodnar; Amy Treasure; Francisco Arnela su Unsplash)

English – The perfect fabric: our choices along the sustainable path

We learned something about the impact of clothes on the environment, we read articles or books, we saw documentaries that opened our eyes to the fashion industry. And from the moment we gained awareness, our mind is crowded of questions like “What can I do to avoid contributing to environmental and social disasters?”, “What should I buy? “,” Where should I buy?”. One of the main questions we read and are asked about is… “But which fabric is sustainable?”.

Every time in the forums, in the chats, in the comments we talk about a fabric, negative aspects pop up: “It comes from far away!”, “It uses too many chemicals!”, “It destroys the forests!”, “It requires too much water!”, “It cannot be recycled at the end of the life cycle!”,” To produce it, too much energy is used!”,” It is transformed into factories in countries where workers are slaved!”,” It damages animals!”, etc. etc.

Thus comes the discouragement, because if so much in every way I continue to produce negative impact, for what reason should I ever strive to buy in an alternative way? The risk is therefore to give up doing anything.

This issue is particularly important to us. The perfect fabric does not exist at the moment. But wait until you read to the end, because there is a happy ending.

Our lives have consequences on nature and animals, because every our human action is an interaction with the external context and involves effects and changes. Our breath is also an interaction with the surrounding environment. Like other aspects of our lives, from being human, eating, moving, living, even dressing produces an impact.

It is impossible to completely cancel our human footprints on this planet. The “zero” impact cannot be our goal: too difficult, with the risk of abandoning it by feeling frustration and dejection. We can instead aim to harmoniously insert our human existence within an ecosystem respecting all other life forms and in harmony with animals and plants. Human activity should try to cause the least possible impact to other species and to the planet itself.

Taking note of this, what can we do then? We can decide with common sense and responsibility the type of impact we wish to have (positive/negative), on what (environment and/or people and/or animals) and the level (the maximum I can do/the minimum effort / increasing effort). Small improvements by millions of people have a truly significant impact, more than that of a hundred perfectly sustainable people.

Furthermore, to produce lasting and meaningful results, the path to a more sustainable life should not be full of anxiety, on the contrary: it should be undertaken joyfully, given the noble goal and the wonderful consequences it has for us, for others, for animals, for planet! No stress.

But let’s go back to the fabrics. The production of manufactured goods is an impactful process, it is not possible to create something without “disturbing” the external context… The point is how much it impacts. It is not a question of good or bad fibers. “I buy everything in bamboo and organic cotton, I’m fine!” It is not that a bamboo shirt is automatically better than a traditional cotton one. The manufacturer’s commitment throughout the life cycle of the textile product is what makes the difference, both from an environmental and a social point of view. If the bamboo t-shirt is produced by a highly chemical process of transformation of the cortex into cellulose, polluting the waters and the soil surrounding the factory fuelled by fossil fuels, if it is bleached or coloured with highly polluting colours, if it is produced (to save money) in countries in which there are no adequate control measurement on safety conditions for workers or any guarantees of decent wages, if it travels from one part of the world to another without the slightest attention to the CO2 production of all journeys, it is not necessarily a choice more sustainable than a traditional cotton shirt, perhaps produced by an association of local artisans in India where the plantation is present, transformed through a process powered by renewable energies, coloured with natural dyes according to an ancient tradition of the place and inserted into a recycling project at the end of its use, for which it is possible to return it to the producer once worn, damaged or unused.

In this not simple evaluation phase, it would be useful to have available tools that allow to know an objective measure of the sustainability of what we buy, without having to study and make efforts on researching every time we buy. A label that shows a sustainability index validly recognized and attributed in a clean and honest manner. There are solutions currently being studied. Meanwhile, what certainly helps us, and has great value, is the transparency of the manufacturer in sincerely sharing the choices made throughout the life cycle of the product, from design to its end or rebirth. Based on the information we have available, we will decide according to personal choices, as we said earlier about the type of impact we wish to have (positive/negative), about what (environment and/or people and/or animals) and the level (the maximum I can do/the least effort/increasing effort). Here you can find a guide of the features to look at in order to choose a sustainable brand: https://dress-ecode.com/2018/11/07/15-aspetti-da-guardare-per-scegliere-un-brand-sostenibile-e-responsabile/

The point is not to be perfect, the point is to do with serenity what we aim at in our possibilities.

The path is serenely made of steps, not for everyone made of acrobatic jumps! The important thing is to advance on this path, forgetting about the (unattainable at the moment) perfection.

(Photos: on the cover, Ethan Bodnar; Amy Treasure; Francisco Arnela on Unsplash)

The project, which stems from an idea by Stefania Ricci, is part of the initiatives of the Maison Ferragamo carried out along the path of transparency and ethics undertaken. For the Salvatore Ferragamo brand, investing in sustainable development means believing that the use of innovative materials, the link with the territory, the attention to the environment and to its people are essential elements for success. It represents perhaps the best way to respect the values transmitted by its founder, who has always experimented with natural and unusual materials to build a philosophy of the physical and psychological well-being of his client.

This is not about exhibiting all the possible techniques, practices and raw materials to reduce the environmental impact. Instead, it is a treasure chest of well presented ideas, a well-kept container of stimuli for reflection that come from the exhibited creations, the result of the combination of artistic experiences and main sustainable fashion researches. Walking through the rooms you move into a new world – we hope of a very close future – in which you are accompanied to open up to a thousand possibilities to create having in mind the reduction of the human footprint on the environment. The clothes, the works, the exhibited materials invite a change of mentality, with which man understands that he can no longer be at the center of the universe at the expense of other creatures and of nature, but respecting the centrality of the person must fit harmoniously in a fragile ecosystem.

From reuse, to transformation, to new materials, each room is a discovery or confirmation of new options. We recommend visiting the exhibition. Here we take you along the route with us in the different rooms.

In the introductory room, interactive screens present information, data and images (thanks to the contribution of Hakan Karaosman, professor at the Luxury Fashion Management course at the Politecnico di Milano) that explain the changes needed in the production area to find the balance lost in the delicate ecosystem. In the same room the work Invasion by the artist Pascale Marthine Tayou expands immersing the visitor in an unbalanced ecosystem, in which the plastic dominates over the destroyed natural elements. There is also a tribute to Joseph Beuys, considered one of the great masters of the second half of the twentieth century, a precursor of environmental, political and cultural issues, and founder of the Green Movement in Germany, of the Organization for Direct Democracy and of the Free International University for Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research.

The second room is dedicated to Salvatore Ferragamo and his engaging, consistent and continuous work on materials, enhanced in each model while preserving their characteristics and at the same time adapting them to the functionality of the footwear. 77 pairs of shoes created in the 30s, 40s and 50s from the combination of local craft techniques, silk and cotton embroidery, needle lace produced in the surrounding countryside, straw weaves used for production of the famous Florentine hats and for the experimentation of leather, embroidered uppers, but also of poorer materials and never used for shoes at the time of Ferragamo: paper, tree bark, raffia, fish skin, cellophane. The wonderful shoes created by Ferragamo with cork wedge, from trees typical of the Mediterranean area, are the proof that every material, even the most modest, can be creatively modified so as to be well placed in the world of luxury, from which it originally appears very far away. This room is a daydream for those with a passion for shoes. Many of the models in this section could be perfect to represent the theme of sustainability in contemporary fashion, even if in the years in which Ferragamo’s works there is certainly no mention of environmental protection and the desire for novelty stems from different reasons, from the scarcity of more prestigious materials and from the rarefaction of raw materials.

Transformation – clothes, accessories and works in this room come from the idea of reworking secondary raw materials (pre- or post-consumer or pre-industrial). The transformation of waste must strictly take place through a mechanical process, in order to be sustainable by avoiding the use of polluting chemicals.

The designers create from: recycling of reclaimed nets from the sea (Ecoalf), plastic from bottles (Paul Andrew), leather scraps (Maria Sole Ferragamo), retrieved ring tabs (Bottletop), used clothes reinvented and felted (Eileen Fisher), recycled denim fabrics (KUON), reused military fabrics (RÆBURN), 100% recycled ropes and yarns and editorial waste (Bethany Williams, involving young women who are following a path of recovery) or even using the clothes worn at the time of emigration (Chain).

There are two artworks exhibited in the hall. The first is by El Anatsu, Energy Spill, a multitude of fragments of cans arranged as pieces of a precious contemporary mosaic, connecting Africa to the West and, at the same time, past, present and future. The other artwork is by Sheila Hick, Satellite Interplanétaire, a circular sculpture in wool fiber that placed on the wall punctuates the space “as a constellation of an interplanetary garden”.

The materials: cotton that saves 77% of water (ECOTEC®), biopolymers from castor seeds (EVO® produced by Fulgar), pre-consumer cuttings of wool and cashmere (Re.VerSo), threads from bottles plastic (Newlife produced by Sinterama), smart laces (Pizzi Smart produced by Iluna Group), polyamide fiber with spinning waste (Q-NOVA®), regenerated leather (Alfa Products), recycled silk (Fibers Green by Felice De Palma).

Craftsmanship and social fashion – Two categories of crafts that can meet sustainable criteria:

• the craft of recycling that, although to a lesser extent than industry, reuses fabrics or plastic materials to transform them into something new, as exemplified by Andrea Verdura’s work;
• the recovery of ancient manual traditions, destined to disappear due to the negative effects of globalization, which are revised in a modern key, permitting not only the revival of aesthetic techniques and models, but also the redemption of local communities which, through craft activities, find economic sustenance and social reaffirmation.

Five fashion designers were involved in the exhibition, creating exclusive pieces and accessories with enthusiasm, showing how, according to them, craftsmanship is a fundamental element of sustainability and social responsibility.

Weaves – Seven suspended sculptures (Intrecci), made by Paola Anziché with a clever concentric weaving that enhances the characteristics of the fibers (including cotton, cork, linen cord, paper ropes, organic cotton, raw wool, silk, natural raffia, braids of wheat, wool felt, pineapple, banana, jute, sisal rope). In this section there is also a long kimono made with two panels of softly felted organic wool, by Cangiari, the first eco-ethical haute couture brand in Italy, to underline the connection with Anziché’s work in the craftsmanship of fabrics.

Social innovation – The work presented in this section is Life Guard by Lucy + Jorge Orta, which refers to the state of emergency caused by the multiple conflicts in progress and the following dramatic wave of migration in recent years. An invitation to “REAGIR [e]” (to react), “MOR”, the immorality of refugee traffic, and actively contribute to the achievement of “PACE” (peace).

Innovation – Materials, clothes and accessories that are part of a new generation in which innovation, responsibility, nature and creativity are integrated.

The designers create with:

• A combination of recycled post-production or post-consumer waste in polyester, polyamide, viscose and polyurethane yarn (Undici (1 + 1 = 11), by Laura Cavese);
• Kombucha, a fabric whose components are black tea, sugar and micro-organisms that ferment and create cellulose, and in 100% recycled cotton (La biomímesis, Nous Etudions by Romina Cardillo)
• Orange Fiber fabric, inserted in a knitwear twin set (Spring/summer 2017, Salvatore Ferragamo)
• Bioplastic elastomer obtained from compostable raw materials and 3D printing (Names Gown, Sylvia Heisel)
• Newlife polyester, together with organic cotton, pieces of discarded sails and other recycled materials (L’abito dalle 20 e più combinazioni – The dress with 20 or more combinations, the modular dress by Flavia Rocca)
• Organic cotton, biodegradable fringe and linen thread embroidery (Highway, long dress by Hoh Pabissi)
• Piñatex, a skin made from pineapple leaves, silver laminated (Rombaut Piñatex Cowboy Sneakers, boots by Mats Rombaut)
• Fiberglass, PVC, viscose, cotton, polyester (Lucciole by Matteo Thiela)
• Ecological embroidery and printing (Xenomorph by Angus Tsui)
• Fibers of yarn recycled from post-production waste (Flows Follow Flaws, outfit by Hellen van Rees)
• Jacquard-knit jersey in 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton dyed with waste graphite from industrial processes, according to the ancient Calabrian dyeing practice (Graphi-Tee, WRÅD T-shirt)

Fibers and materials: the first polyamide yarn in the world that with its chemical structure based on carbon and hydrogen is intrinsically nourishment for bacteria and degrades in just five years (Amni Soul Eco® by Solvay); the 100% vegan fabric obtained from apple waste (Appleskin produced by Frumat); the material derived from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linters (Bemberg by Asahi Kasei); the fiber from the crushing of the shells of crustaceans from the food industry (crabyon); polylactic acid (PLA) (from Natureworks sold under the Ingeo biopolymer brand), a biopolymer produced with 100% renewable resources from the polymerization of lactic acid; the fabric from the citrus fruit by-products (Orange Fiber); the material based on fiber from pineapple leaves (Piñatex); tissue from viticultural biomass (Vegea).

Art, technology and science – Two artworks by Tomás Saraceno make us reflect on the indispensability for human survival of developing renewable energies, researching new ways of living, observing other living forms (such as spiders, from which to draw valuable lessons). Saraceno pursues the idea of ​​a “achievable utopia” taking up and updating the visionary spirit of constructivism. Saraceno founded an open-source platform called Aerocene (era of the air) to promote a community project aimed at “an ethical collaboration with the atmosphere and the environment”.

The culture of diversity – We are glad that this delicate and crucial aspect has not been forgotten in the exhibition, included through the presentation of Exactitudes, a special project by Ellie Uyttenbroek and Ari Versluis with Salvatore Ferragamo employees, on clothing codes for various social groups. The room is covered with wallpaper on which all the portraits taken have been printed, uniting the people who work in Ferragamo under the sign of diversity. According to the Ferragamo’s Maison, “a truly responsible and sustainable company, in its growth perspective, must take into account the integration, in business management, of economic and environmental objectives, but also social ones, ie virtuous behaviour and ethical actions that manifest themselves in respect of the rights of workers, in the development of their skills and in the enhancement of the characteristics and ability of each individual”.

Return to nature – The exhibition path ends with a room dedicated to the return to natural fibers (animal or vegetable) and to the lost contact with Mother Earth. The section contains the works of two artists, the clothes of five new-generation designers and some organic fabrics. The latter, descending from the top of the ceiling, create circular environments, in which the visitor can enter and learn about the fibers from which the textiles are made, the processes, the world behind this production. In some cases it will be possible to wear minimal garments, conceived as patterns in canvas of the haute couture, to feel the texture of the fabric, its weight, its specificity (hemp, nettle, yak).

Art – The artwork Terzo Paradiso of Michelangelo Pistoletto, a new project aimed at reconciling artifice and nature for a more responsible humanity, is exhibited. “The symbol of the Third Paradise, reconfiguration of the mathematical sign of the infinite, is composed of three consecutive circles. The two outer circles represent all the differences and antinomies, including nature and artifice. The central one is the interpenetration between the opposite circles and represents the generative womb of the new humanity”. (M. P., Terzo Paradiso, 2003, www.pistoletto.it/it/testi/terzo_paradiso.pdf).

In the room the artworks by Piero Gilardi are also exhibited from the Tappeti-Natura (Carpets-Nature) project, of which five different recent versions created in expanded polyurethane can be admired. His artistic research, starting from the early sixties, was characterized by a strong social conscience, by a particular attention to the relationship between man and nature and to the drastic changes taking place in the landscape, in the environment and in the post-industrial world.

The fashion designers:

Natural fibers and fabrics: hemp (fabric supplied by Maeko Tessuti & Filati Naturali), organic coloured cotton (Organic Cotton Colours), felt (a non-woven fabric, produced with fiber felting – Filz Torino Felt), Kapok (the 100% vegetable and natural fiber obtained from the fruits of a tree, produced by Flocus), the native wools (by Lanificio Fratelli Piacenza, from the Italian sheep farms where the wool lies abandoned on the territories where the shepherds and the farmers, forced by the biological cycle and by the necessity of survival of the animals, directly practice the shearing of their own flocks), the organic linen (supplied by TINTEX Textiles), the nettle (by Camira Fabrics), the vegan silk violente (by Ereena), cork (by Villani Leonello), natural colors (from Clementina by Sissi Castellano and Stefano Panconesi) and mYak yarn (from the finest and thinnest fiber of baby yak). Among the natural fabrics also the creations of Chiara Vigo (article on the silk of the sea) that with the linen weaves masterfully precious works that can neither be bought nor sold, just donated or received.