When we talk about eco-sustainability, especially online, we tend to consider this topic in a very abstract way. Trying to be as eco-friendly as possible leads us to consider situations that seem much bigger than ourselves: pollution, environmental impact, awareness of the use of raw materials and much more.
For this reason, it sometimes seems very complex to take the first step and embrace this lifestyle, despite the fact that it is within reach, much more than we think. In fact, there are many small realities in our everyday lives that can help us make this small dream more attainable. This is why I decided to interview Gloria Barana, owner of the shop and brand Filotimo, an eco-friendly clothing line born in the heart of Verona. Gloria is a pioneer of sustainable fashion in Italy and a shining example of how, by following her ideals, any dream can become reality.
I had the honour of interviewing her during a lunch in Verona and I report here the highlights of a long interview on sustainability, lifestyle, fabric quality, washing and care and the artistic aspect behind her basic and timeless collection, a great example to start your own capsule collection.
HSM: Dear Gloria, how did you get the idea to set up a shop and approach the world of sustainable fashion?
FT: I studied 'Fashion Design' at the Milan Polytechnic and during the last year of my specialisation in Knitwear, the professors on the course were particularly interested in eco-sustainable fashion issues: they took us to Prato to see all the activities related to textile fibre recycling and we did research on the general impact of the fashion world.
After graduation, I did an internship at a style office in a fairly large company and, at the time, there was little or no eco-sustainability. So while I was living this experience on the other side, I kept thinking about everything I had been taught, especially about waste and recycling. So, with all my studies coming back to me, when I finished the internship, I tried to go out on my own. The advantages were that I already knew how to sew, I already had the sewing machine and so there was no need for a particularly large investment. So, I bought about ten metres of fabric, just to try it out.
Also, it was the period when a lot of craft markets started, so I also had a physical space where I could actually test the products and see if the public liked them. This was an opportunity I jumped at because I was seeing so many people over a weekend and I was able to adapt the collection in a short time. I continued with markets and fairs for a few years, and only later, in 2016, did I open the shop.
HSM: Regarding fabric sourcing, where do your main suppliers come from and which fabrics do you use the most?
FT: All my suppliers are Italian, in particular two: Maeko Tessuti for hemp, nettle and vegetable fibres. Then, we use a small amount of organic cotton denim, which we get from a company in Vicenza called Berto, which tries to produce it as sustainably as possible. I'm not a big fan of cotton, even organic cotton, so I try to limit it to the bare minimum.
Instead, for wool, I have a historical supplier in Biella, who has been producing men's wools since 1800 and who, in recent years, has specialised in what are called 'technical wools'. For example, very fine merino wools that can also be used for sportswear.
HSM: When you point out that they are Italian suppliers, does that mean that they weave in Italy, but we don't know if the yarn comes from Italy?
FT: Correct, Maeko weaves in Italy, but the thread is foreign, Eastern Europe or China, it depends. It's the same for denim, more or less. On the other hand, for wool, the spinning is also in Italy, while the raw material comes from New Zealand, but they own the whole supply chain, from the farms to the sale.
HSM: Let's continue with the production aspect, which I think is very important when we talk about an eco-friendly garment. For the sewing part, do you rely on any external suppliers or do you produce all your garments yourself?
At the beginning, when I started with the Filotimo project in 2014, I sewed all the clothes myself. But later, with the opening of the shop, I decided to delegate, also because on my own I had a very limited production and therefore I often found myself lacking pieces and sizes. I relied on a social cooperative, which has a tailoring workshop that deals with the rehabilitation of women with certain difficulties or complicated pasts. Then, a seamstress, who came from this cooperative, set up on her own and, for a couple of years, took care of all our tailoring. Now I am back working with this cooperative again and I am very satisfied with their quality.
HSM: So Filotimo's production is 100% Italian. Have you ever considered producing abroad?
FT: Yes, but I noticed that some foreign initiatives, although they were very sustainable from a certain point of view, had some shortcomings for my Filotimo brand philosophy that were unsurpassable. So producing in Italy, through a cooperative that supports women in need, ties in better with the Filotimo principle. However, the problem of production in Italy is very big, because the costs are high and there is a lack of skilled labour, who work with passion and dedication. However, from the customers' point of view, I am pleased to note that production in Italy by small artisans is an important added value, almost more so than the fabric and its quality. So much so, that they often associate you with others, who may not have much in the way of sustainability, but are still craftsmen like you.
HSM: As far as production is concerned, have you encountered any other difficulties that customers may not expect you to face?
There is one main difficulty, linked to the fact of being small, which is reflected above all in the process of procuring materials, because the companies I work with, except for Maeko, are all production giants working with large realities, so they have minimum order quantities and significant production quantities. For my part, on the other hand, also because of the philosophy I follow in my project, not only for cost, I don't find it sustainable to buy 100 metres of fabric if I then only have to use 20.
So while there is this need to have a variety of fabrics, colours, that people are looking for, there is also the need to make it sustainable, from every point of view and throughout the creation and production chain. I have also tried to overcome this difficulty by creating a range of very neutral colours, which can be reused throughout the different seasons.
For example, in Filotimo's collection, the main colours present at 90% are white, beige, blue and black. This has two positive aspects: on the one hand, I can reuse the same fabric as the seasons change and over the years, and on the other hand, clothing in these colours is considered timeless and never goes out of fashion (so it is ideal for a capsule collection - ed).
HSM: Instead, after the experience you have gained after so many years in the shop, can you tell us: is it true that natural fibres, especially hemp, are so durable for all these years?
FT: In all honesty, it depends a lot on the fibre and texture.
Hemp, in itself, can last a lifetime, but in my opinion there is often a problem with dyes, probably because they try to use dyes that are low impact. But hemp is a very tough fabric, so the dye can never penetrate perfectly into it. In fact, when cutting hemp fabric, you can see that the innermost part of the fibre always tends to remain white. And if the dye does not penetrate well, it unfortunately fades over time. So even if, in itself, the fabric can last a lifetime, after a few years it can give the impression of being a bit creased, aged, which is an effect you may like, but you have to be aware of when you buy it. In fact, I now get hemp jersey from suppliers, which we have always used and which we make t-shirts with, and that is eternal. There are some t-shirts I made for the very first events, so years ago now, with hemp jersey, which are identical to the new ones I currently have in the shop. Also, other white or begiolino fabrics that don't have the problem of dyeing.
As for wool, this has a very long life because it is washed less and at a lower temperature, so this also helps to keep a fabric 'young'.
On the other hand, as far as linen is concerned, which I only use in my collection in a small part, in my experience it creases a little, but this seems to be intentional and is a characteristic that linen lovers appreciate very much.
Finally, in my opinion, there is a problem that is emphasised by the suppliers themselves, even those of excellence, namely that of the quality of materials. In fact, in recent years the quality of fabrics has dropped so much, partly because customers are not demanding excellent quality but rather a lower price.
Even the wool mill where I source my wool, which is among the producers of the finest wools in Italy and also has many certifications guaranteeing their quality, confirms this trend that is increasingly oriented towards price rather than quality, in fact even they notice a big difference between today's wools and those of 30 years ago. The main demands are limited cost or special patterns and that they are easy to maintain.
HSM: This of course also relates to the final durability of the fabric, which then indirectly incentivises the purchase of new garments (ed.).
HSM: As far as care is concerned, what do you have to watch out for when using eco-friendly fabrics?
Here, too, a distinction must be made between the various fabrics.
Hemp, in general, withstands washing up to 40 degrees very well, without any particular problems, obviously with light, eco-friendly detergents. However, I have noticed that the appearance of the garment changes depending on how it is washed. So, I have hemp shirts that I only wash by hand and I notice that they look different than those I put in the washing machine at 40 degrees.
If we talk instead about the 100% wool fabric, in any woolen mill they recommend putting it outside at night to air it out, or putting it in the bathroom when you take a shower, so with the steam, it regenerates being its natural fibre. Especially if they are not garments in direct contact with the skin, such as a vest or underwear, they recommend treating it in this way. Wool clothes can therefore be washed seasonally, just to put them away clean, to avoid moths, certainly not because they need it. We have light woolen summer shirts in the shop and those are in contact with the skin, so they need washing, but certainly much less than other garments. Finally, to preserve the fabric, wool should be washed in ice-cold water, very low temperatures, below 20 degrees would be even better.
HSM: Your audience appreciates your collection and that's a good thing, but the broader question is whether, in your opinion, the ecological revolution has begun and thus has also intrigued the average consumer?
FT: Yes, certainly. In my opinion, the awareness of buying from small brands, from artisans, going to markets, rather than buying from big brands (which are trying to integrate more sustainable fabrics into their collection anyway, or at least painting them as such through greenwashing) has started so much. As far as the sustainability of materials is concerned, in my opinion we are still a long way off and there is a lot of room for improvement. I have the impression that it is still not considered as an added value, in the sense that there are many alternatives, even in the craft world itself, different prices and different quality, but they are often equated.
So, actually, I understand how in a historical period like this, just thinking about buying a handmade knit by a girl, in Italy, from a small project that I want to support, at a higher cost than an industrial production is a very good step forward in terms of change, but, if we then want to evaluate in purely sustainable terms, the difference lies so much in the material that is used.
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HSM: Before concluding, I was also interested in the artistic aspect linked to the Filotimo brand. Because while it is true that the eco-sustainable and artisanal aspect is important, there is also a creative soul to Gloria because your brand is still your desire to express your creative flair.
How difficult is it to match artistic flair with the needs of eco-friendly materials, which are more challenging to handle?
FT: If I can be honest, it's almost irreconcilable! People are used to seeing different kinds of colours, prints, patterns and applications, which is almost the opposite of what I do. A little bit for my own personal style, but I wouldn't mind having some particular patterned or printed fabrics. Then of course, if you're a big player in the industry, you can afford to have the fabric made the way you want it, but for a brand like mine, I have to go for ready-made fabrics and in the world of eco-friendly fabrics, there's still not much choice.
In the beginning, this restricted my creativity a bit, but only to a certain extent. The world is full of fabrics with particular patterns, if people want them, but I don't go against my principles to have them in the collection. So until I find them that meet the characteristics I am looking for, that's how it will be. I am often pointed out, the lack of colour or prints, and I honestly understand that. However, it's not easy.
One thing I then worked out at university, during a lot of group work, especially in the third year, working with eco-sustainability: if you give yourself a starting aesthetic, with strict limitations to stay within, you have to make compromises. And I didn't want to compromise. During my thesis project, in fact, I had not created a moodboard, lifestyle or colour line, as one does in design, but I had catapulted myself into choosing fabrics and how to use them, thus arriving at a final aesthetic dictated by the material and not decided from the start.
I think my collections have a very strong aesthetic limit, compared to the potential that the fashion world can have, so they are at a 10% of what you could find in textiles, but on the other hand they communicate a lot with each other, as the choice is limited. So, a garment you bought today you can wear with a garment you bought 5 years ago.
HSM: This reasoning is very interesting and also relates to a recurring topic we have also discussed in this magazine, such as thecapsule collectionwhere, with a limited number of quality garments, you can build a wardrobe for all occasions.
Then, I think it is much more important to talk about the fabric and its quality, rather than details that do not add any value.
FT: Yes indeed, I'm a big supporter of the basic. In the sense that, partly out of necessity, but also because there are so many ways to customise a garment, it's not necessary for these things to be on the garment, also because then it can become a limitation over time.
At the same time, however, we live in a world where we have so many visual stimuli, so nowadays seeing a white or black T-shirt, it almost seems as if something is missing, and that is objectively a lack. In fact, I still see so many people who, yes, like sustainable fashion as a principle, but can't find anything they like. Actually, that's not true, because now there are brands that make very feminine, particular clothes, even though I do a very basic style, on the masculine side, more because that's the style I like. In recent years, the choice of sustainable clothing has expanded a lot.
HSM: What will the future of Filotimo look like? I heard about an all-digital project...
FT: For sure projects, I know that until August I'm in the shop, then from September online, so we'll try to follow the online shop more and the digital part, with social networking. Filotimo's objective is definitely to bring Italian quality abroad, also because the foreign market seems more prepared and sensitive to these issues than our fellow countrymen. Online also allows us to focus a lot on the Made in Italy aspect, especially in some foreign markets such as Germany, where the average consumer is more aware of sustainability issues.
HSM: To conclude, a classic question they usually ask you at the opening, what does filotimo mean?
The name derives from a Greek word 'φιλότιμο' (philotimus) and is very deep-rooted in Greek culture, literally meaning 'Love of honour', but in reality, it has a much broader meaning, namely 'the will to do things to the best of one's ability'.
We who work in the field of sustainable clothing have translated it as doing something useful for ourselves that also affects, in an indirect way, everything around us. So if I do something to the best of my ability, I bring an advantage, both to my person, but also indirectly to my family, my city, my work environment, and this spreads like a virtuous wave. Returning to Italian, on the other hand, the initial part 'filo' is associated with the world of tailoring, so it is a good match for the world of sewing!
HSM: Thank you very much Gloria, for enriching this magazine with your unique and special experience!
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Translated with Linguana