Textile Haven. Welcome to Prato & Florence Italy.

Ask any native Italian where to get great textile and fabric and majority will say Prato and Florence.  The bus entered into a row of textile factories and all I could think about is what the factories produced, who did they sell to? Where do they get their inspirations from. I needed an answer to these questions. G-2 textile factory also known as Tessuti Iannuzzi. We met Walter, the sales representative and agent for the company. He sells once or twice a year to America, France, Canada and Japan for companies such as Theory, Phillip Lim, Annette Lepore, Burberry, Dolce  & Gabbana, Armani and Alexander Wang but of course a lot more.

            As we walked up the stairs we surrounded by over 200 different type of textiles, fabrics, colors and patterns. They were all neatly hung up on a rack and marked.  We had the chance to first observe the fabric before we asked questions. We looked around and saw and touched fabric for Fall/Winter 2012. The patterns and weight of the fabric were rich. If there was an overhead picture of the fabrics, they may appear to all the same but if given enough attention, the details were visible enough to notice the difference between each.  

            G-2 create their own fabric and designs their own patterns by reading books, trend and color books, researching social aesthetics and listening to designers needs and wants.  Since it is not possible to buy online, designers come to the factory or Walter goes to them to choose a fabric. This industry is global and some countries play a major roll in production and fibers. G-2 buys Italian fibers but also get wool from Australia because they produce some of the best fibers and buy cotton and silk from Japan.  As a textile factory they must stand out from the other competition, literally their next door neighbors. They market themselves by going to textile fairs, face-to-face conversations and expos.  Designers sometimes make fabric and patterns specifically for themselves and their collection. G-2 does honor their request but finds it difficult to match it perfectly to the designer’s original design. 

            We had the chance to see each step of making their fabric. All designs are drawn onto the computer and sent to the machinery to be done by computers with minimal manual labor. This shows how the company is keeping up with times and advances. Most of their fabric used to be synthetic but due to the recent demand for purer and more natural fibers, they sell more cotton fabrics. G-2 designs and produces over 200-250 different fabrics twice a year. It requires a lot of communication and teamwork between different areas of the company. Samantha, is in charge of all of the client relationships, send samples to customers with price, shipments, handles all customer documents and services. Marco is the owner and Fabio Iannuzzi is the fabric designer.  Each person holds important responsibilities that were expressed to the group.

After Walter and Samantha told us that we were the first group to tour their factory I can definitely improve my method of analyzing fabric since we were exposed to more than I though we could or allowed to see.  I will need to understand the value and content of fabric in any area of fashion and now enhanced my understanding of how fine fabric is made and handled.

Later that day we finally arrived to Florence! I instantly felt the difference between Milan and Florence. Milan atmosphere reminds me of work and rushing while Florence reminds me of ancient and rich history but bombarded with tourists.  Florence instantly won me over.  I have about four days to explore this city. I will first tackle two things one must do in Florence: buy gold and leather.

On June 14th