Multi-head but not multi-ideas

Human history is a mixture of progress and repetition, we definitely are in a phase of great progress but at the same time we are repeating the same mistakes. We are approaching total microplastic pollution of all the world’s waters. And while we go looking for drinking water on Mars, we must put a stop to the source of the pollution as soon as possible.

Winston Churchill in 1956 proclaimed the “Clean Air Act” to stop the use of coal as industrial fuel. Learnig from the past could help us to move before the European Parliament takes action to reduce the polluting impact of our textile fibres with a “Clean Water act”. We should have realised that change must come before the revolution that brings devastating social and economic losses. Instead of doing exhausting pilling tests, that only confirm the general increase in the degradation of fibres and raw materials, and which is now an established fact, I would introduce an analysis of the polluting impact of fibres during domestic washing and without further ado I would eliminate all polluted fibres such as acrylic, polyester and elastane.

In fact only recycled polyamide is saved this season, and the marketing directions, even before the artistic directions, have understood the importance of communicating the environmental impact of the fibre beyond the style of the product.

And here we are, in the middle of the season, still studying a viable replacement for the quintals of acrylic merinos that we have always used in abundance for men’s, women’s and children’s collections. We need healthy fibres, which do not harm us and our environment, but also resistant fibres because, even though we have all studied history, we cannot avoid making the same mistakes as in the past and have found ourselves involved in a war on resources and raw materials that will see the market face a major economic crisis and general price containment.

We go back to producing in the more traditional way and with higher output machinery per minute, and this is the new renaissance of Bentley Cotton and Monk and Sheller knitting machines. Producing the same quantities but in less time. Flat multi-head knitting machine system Cotton does not means multi-ideas heads!

What happens to the fibres? Recycled polyamide takes the place of acrylic. The classic composition 50 wool 50 acrylic is replaced by 50 wool 50 recycled polyamide.

But merions is not the only new polyamide comapnion,  even the most precious fibres are resorting to polyamide combination in order to have a more luxurious fibre interpretation at a more affordable price but also with an innovative look.

Thus come polyamide cashmere, polyamide mohair and polyamide alpaca wools, and why not mohair, polyamide silk!

The traditional 2/28 guage makes way for the more full-bodied and voluminous 2/26.

And even the classic 5500 nm is seduced by a more sinuous 5200 nm, which, thanks to polyamide, acquires a crisper, fleshier character.

The fibre that returns invigorated by the new historical contingency is the classic shetland wool and the 80/20 lambswool, which thanks to new technologies take on new volumes, new textures and new consistencies. But we cannot talk about this so quickly, the novelties are so important that we will have to talk about them in the next article!