During the next edition of Pitti Uomo to be held June 13-16, 2023, S|Style-Sustainable Style, the show's platform showcasing a selection of brands committed to promoting sustainable practices, will host for the first time an exclusive partnership with Kering MIL (Material Innovation Lab).
The project will showcase ten menswear brands that offer innovative low-impact solutions. Among the brands participating in the June 2023 edition will be Cavia and Dalpaos from Italy, Dhruv Kapoor from India, Isnurh from Denmark, Jeanne Friot and Steven Passaro from France, Ksenia Schnaider from Ukraine, Olooh Concept from the Ivory Coast, Permu from The UK, and Young n Sang from South Korea.
Kering MIL, the group's in-house research center, was established in Milan in 2013 and is committed to reducing overall environmental impact through the transition of all Kering Group brands to a sustainable supply chain.
Building on a decade of expertise gained in the field of sustainability, Kering MIL's involvement will focus on a hands-on approach to accelerate the adoption of innovative, low-impact materials and processes in the collections of the designers featured in S|Style, who will present their new products at the June show.
Each designer will explore various solutions that benefit sustainable development: from upcycling, or the technique of reworking an existing garment, to the use of fabrics certified to international standards; from planet-friendly giving back activities, with support for environmental associations and organizations, to the use of recycled materials and the promotion of fair and ethical labor in support of craftsmanship.
"We are particularly happy because MIL can concretely help designers to know and use the most innovative materials for research and international quality level design," he added.
"Pitti's S|Style project suddenly sounds like a perfect match with Kering MIL's attitude and approach to open innovation. This unusual partnership to support young and emerging brands passionate about sustainability adds innovation to their low-impact capsule collections and gives them the opportunity to showcase new prototypes of materials tested or validated by MIL and aligned with Kering standards," said Christian Tubito, director, MIL.
"It is difficult to be an emerging brand and at the same time be 100% sustainable, but we have to start somewhere. That's the principle that has guided S|Style since its inception in 2020, when I proposed at Pitti my idea of combining talent and responsible practices in terms of production, ethics and technology," commented Giorgia Cantarini, curator of S|Style.
"Regardless of where the brand comes from, S|Style fills a void in the menswear industry by presenting a selection of creatives who are virtuous examples of responsible fashion. Our partnership with Kering MIL is a concrete milestone to push these promising designers to learn even more about innovative solutions, offering them the opportunity to integrate them into their next collection to be presented in June," he added.
Kering MIL is based in Milan and houses a library of sustainable textiles that offers Kering brands' design teams the opportunity to better understand how sustainable materials can act as drivers of change within a very complex supply chain.
MIL pays particular attention to cotton, silk, cashmere, viscose, and polyester. In doing so, it provides Group Houses and key suppliers with resources, tools and new solutions to help them understand how to make more sustainable choices in their product development. Its database uses unique references for suppliers and their fabrics. Fabrics are thoroughly vetted and evaluated against both external standards and certifications and an exclusive MIL tool developed in line with the EP&L methodology.
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