Twice a year one of the most important yarn fairs in the world takes place in Florence, Italy: Pitti Filati. Thousands of visitors come from all over the world to find out about the latest yarn and colour trends. As such, our two knitwear designers Julia and Mona will not miss the chance to visit the fair. At the end of January, they gave us a small inside look at their experience in Florence. Have fun reading!
For us, it is a highlight every time to visit the Pitti Filati, and not only because it is connected to a trip to the beautiful city of Florence. It is incredibly important for us and our work to always keep up to date with the latest yarn trends. At the trade fair, we are presented with a very compact and vivid overview of all the latest yarns, colours and knitting techniques. In addition, the Pitti Filati trade fair booths are beautifully designed and therefore also an additional source of inspiration for us! First there is the trend area – the so-called Research Area – here you can get an initial overview of the new trends. From there, we hop from appointment to appointment every half hour. In these meetings, representatives of the yarn companies present their respective collections and innovations. We then order sample colour cards of the qualities that could be suitable for Olsen.
Sustainable yarns are becoming increasingly important
Sustainability was once again one of the most important topics at the fair. The demand for sustainably produced yarns continues to grow, which is a really great development! EcoVero (the more sustainable alternative to viscose) and Organic Cotton have been hot topics of conversation for quite some time. For the coming summer season, hemp fibre will be an interesting environmentally friendly alternative to linen. This is because the cultivation of hemp uses much less water. Since we try to use sustainably produced products as much as possible, yarn blends with hemp could be a great consideration for the development of our summer collections.
It will sparkle and shine
What other trend did we encounter at the fair? Sparkling lurex yarns and sequins! Almost every exhibitor had at least 2-3 shiny option in his yarn collection. Look out – the spring/summer 2021 season will sparkle! In terms of colour, we are loving the blue and aqua shades, but also sandy and earthy tones right up to copper hues will play a big role in what we design. For mid-summer, key colours are beautiful and fruity, like pink grapefruit, papaya, tangerine and framboise.
The perfect source of inspiration
It’s is not only the yarns at the fair that are exciting to see — the looks of show visitors can also be inspiring. After all, Pitti Filati is a get-together of many fashion experts and knitwear designers who have a good eye for unusual styles. You can learn a lot from people-watching! All in all, our visit to the fair was a complete success and we came back with a wealth of new information and ideas in our luggage.