From the Sector

• Building Leadership Position in Luxury Market

Oerlikon announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Riri, a leading provider of coated metal accessories for the luxury fashion industry. This transaction marks a milestone in Oerlikon’s growth strategy and diversifies Surface Solutions’ offerings and market access. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions.

“Riri is highly complementary to our existing luxury business and will reinforce our fashion jewelry and metallic components for leather goods. It is the ideal next step after our acquisition of Coeurdor in 2021 and will make us a market leader and an integrated provider with a complete offering of coated luxury metalware for high-end fashion brands,” said Michael Suess, Executive Chairman, Oerlikon. “The acquisition will drive cross-selling and strengthen our footprint in the global luxury metalware market, which sees mid- to-high single-digit growth rates annually.”

“Our portfolio, particularly in zippers and buttons, is an excellent fit to Oerlikon’s strengths in coated metal-based fashion components. Together, we are ideally positioned in Italy and France – the two major European fashion hubs – and can provide a complete offering to fashion customers,” said Renato Usoni, CEO, Riri. “We are excited to join Oerlikon as it will allow us to accelerate the luxury goods industry’s sustainability transition to greener technology by applying technologies such as Oerlikon’s PVD¹.”

Riri, headquartered in Mendrisio, Switzerland, is a market leader in metal accessories manufacturing, with a wide product range and unique offering. The company supplies global leading brands in the luxury fashion industry and has a strong foothold in the Italian luxury market. The company has more than 1 100 employees and expects to generate sales of EUR ~170 million (CHF ~165 million) in 2022.

¹ PVD, or physical vapor deposition, coating is a thin-film coating solution that is more environmentally friendly than traditional processes such as chrome plating.

Founded in Catania, Italy in 2014, Orange Fiber has developed a process to transform what remains from the industrial pressing process of citrus fruits for juice into a unique textile material. The innovative process has been patented in Italy and extended to major citrus juice producing countries around the world.

Recently, Orange Fiber and the Lenzing Group, a leading manufacturer of textile fibers specialties from wood, started a collaboration to produce the first lyocell fiber branded TENCEL™ composed of cellulose from orange and from wood. Produced using the same closed-loop process as the TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, the TENCEL™ Limited Edition x Orange Fiber contributes to promote sustainability in the textiles. The name of the fiber is LENZING Lyocell LE orange, abbreviated to OF in the yarn and in the fabric composition.

Munich Fabric Start presents a new project-area that will take place during the next edition.
BLUEZONE with CATALYZER and KEYHOUSE will be the place to be for the blue community on 30 and 31 August. As a global key event for the denim industry, 90 international denim mills, weavers, manufacturers and suppliers will show their latest innovations and trends in the Zenithhalle, the Kohlebunker and the Kesselhaus.

"THE ITALIAN LUSTER" will offer all visitors a deep dive into the Made in Italy supply chain with companies that have turbocharged growth by focusing on quality, innovation and research. Well-known and international companies that can make an important contribution to European and global brands.

From the production of trimmings and accessories, to the creation of unique fabrics, to the inspiration of new collections and their realization to the finishing of the garments, Made in Italy still represents the reality par excellence focused on ethical and sustainable production.

"THE ITALIAN LUSTER" will allow all visitors an incredible journey into the Italian supply chain that has the ability to meet any demand of brands, from small to large production needs.

On the top floor of the Catalyzer Hall, it will be possible to view the individual collections of the companies in attendance and receive a beautiful gift specially created by the CADICA GROUP company from Carpi.

 
Participants
ACM - TRIMS AND ACCESSORIES PRODUCER
ACM was founded in 1982.
Since 1982, ACM has been providing the fashion world with unique, sought-after and customized details, guaranteeing prestigious and innovative workmanship. Each and every product is the result of the care we take at every stage of our production process: from the prototype, designed by putting the consumer's health first, to production with state-of-the-art machinery, which allows for fine workmanship and cutting-edge customization, while minimizing the impact on the environment (we are GRS certified) and complying with the strictest eco-toxicological regulations.

FASHION ART - LUXURY FASHION DESIGN
Fashionart is the brainchild of Andrea Rambaldi, who, after learning his trade from his parents, his mother a seamstress and his father the owner of a dye shop, decided to pursue a freelance career.
He began by collaborating with companies in the textile sector, where he deepened his knowledge in the field of chemistry and industrial processes, touching on the problems of processing cycles.
The real turning point came as a result of an important job for the Maison Chanel, which recognized the originality and effectiveness of his technical proposals. From that moment, this is 2008, FashionArt was born, a company focused on luxury fashion and design, expert in the design and production of garments.
From the idea to the final product, the company is able to support the client throughout the entire production process.
Since then, the company has grown and developed exponentially thanks to a team of managers, artists and experts whose experience makes them a benchmark in the high fashion industry. Fashionart operates exclusively in high fashion, a very difficult field in which to combine experience and technique with art and creativity, where our potential can be expressed to the fullest.

ELLETI - GARMENTS AND WASHING MAKER
Advocate of an approach that combines tradition, creativity, and innovation, for over 30 years Elleti Group has defined standards of absolute excellence for the denim industry. Born in the 80s in San Bonifacio, near Verona, the company developed in a one-of-a-kind context, a hotbed of ideas that led to the defining and establishing of new professions and skills in the field of denim treatment and garment personalization. Led by Luigi Lovato, right from the start the company established itself on the denim scene thanks to an ambitious and pioneering investment in new solutions. The following ten years mark an important growth which leads to the internationalization both of brand and production. After the implementing of a new department for garment dyeing, Elleti Group was ready to welcome the ever-increasing international demand, equipping itself with the first laundry in Tunisia, a country logistically central in the Mediterranean area, and as a result, ideal for the development of a complete textile supply chain. This successful story continues to unfold in the 2000s, a decade that marks the opening to the market of garment making thanks to two new structures in Romania, and peaks with the acquisition of Martelli Lavorazioni Tessili. Today Elleti Group stands firm in the market as a result of a complete offer that preserves the company’s artisanal vocation enriched through a constant process of responsible innovation.

In addition, companies BERTO INDUSTRIA TESSILE and OLIMPIAS GROUP will participate in the project by presenting their collections within their booths in the Catalyzer hall.

The electrolyser producer Enapter has set itself the goal of developing its entire production process to run without negative impacts on the environment. As an important step on this journey, it is building the Enapter Campus production facility, which will be powered entirely from renewable energy produced on-site and in the neighbouring Bioenergiepark. The site in in Saerbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia combines electrolyser production, an R&D building, administration and office space, as well as a cantine over 82,000 square metres. Now the company wants to investigate what other measures can be implemented to achieve its “Life Cycle Impact Zero” aspirations – together with researchers from Fraunhofer UMSICHT, the Wuppertal Institute and the Institute of Sustainable Nutrition (iSuN) of FH Münster.

With the Life Cycle Impact Zero project, started on April 15, 2022, the parties want to develop and apply an especially comprehensive and holistic approach to environmental assessment. This includes chemical manufacturing and electrolyser production, as well as matters like the use of energy and water resources, the generation of waste or the human factor in general. This is intended to cover all interactions between business and people. That includes, in particular, Enapter’s employees, but also people in upstream and downstream value chains, users of the technology or residents close to the production site. A concept for sustainable employee catering is also being developed.

The basis for all environmental assessment that will be carried out is ISO 14040. The recognised international standard divides the research into four phases: Aim and scope of the study, inventory analaysis, impact assessment, as well as interpretation. Sensitivity analyses and scenario techniques are also used as further methods.

On the basis of these analyses, the 18-month project should derive concrete measures to avoid negative environmental impacts completely, if possible, for example in production, employee mobility or in energy supply. Furthermore, it will examine whether these measures are transferable to Enapter’s other locations – such as in Italy. Following on from the project, the steps defined should be implemented by Enapter in the next phase. In the subsequent Phase 3, a renewed analysis is planned. This will determine if the technological innovations achieved by then in the production and use of Enapter’s electrolysers can enable additional ecological improvements.

The Life Cycle Impact Zero project is supported by the State of NRW.

C&S strengthens its position in the luxury segment with the acquisition of Texo S.R.L., a company based in Cagli (Pesaro and Urbino) with 10 years of experience in the production of fashion apparel for Texo and for third parties.

C&S enriches the offer of its Style Services Luxe division, the research and production solution for any kind of style needs, together with Style Services Denim and along with C&S Experience projects, initiatives in direct contact with retail such as the haikure brand and the license agreements for Europe for Jeckerson and Purple. C&S’s history begins over 40 years ago in Trestina, in the Perugia province, and is rooted in denim culture and in the limitless potential that comes with this fabric. The company has begun to establish itself as a partner for the creation of jackets, shirts, outerwear, and denim. Its know-how expresses the combination of the production souls that characterize its territory of origin, between Umbria and Marche: all the typical tradition of premium denim mixed with the culture of luxury apparel, intimately dedicated to beauty, quality, and attention to detail.

“We are proud to have achieved this new milestone” states Federico Corneli, C&S’s main shareholder. “We firmly believe that the added value that Texo S.R.L.’s specialization brings to the table will allow us to grow further and to be able to accelerate the strategic path that will lead us to establish ourselves as special partner for the most important luxury brands”.

Setting concrete environmental sustainability objectives for abating direct greenhouse gas emissions and leveraging investments and state-of-the-art technology. This is the approach that has always guided RadiciGroup in operating its businesses with a wide range of products: chemical intermediates, polyamide polymers, high performance engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions.

Between 2011 and 2020, overall Group greenhouse gas emissions were cut by 70%, falling from about 700,000 metric tons per year of CO₂ equivalent to 200,000 metric tons.  

These results were largely achieved through the action implemented by the Group’s Specialty Chemicals Business Area at its plants in Novara, Italy, and in Germany, which are the heart of RadiciGroup’s chemicals business. Here the Group produces an essential intermediate for synthesizing polyamide 66, adipic acid, whose production process releases nitrous oxide as a by-product. Nitrous oxide in itself is not particularly problematic (in fact, it is used in the medical sector as an anaesthetic and in the food industry as a spray propellant, in cans of whipped cream, for instance), but, if it is released into the atmosphere, it has a much higher greenhouse gas effect than carbon dioxide.

At the Radici Chimica site in Novara, a multiyear investment budget of over EUR 10 million was dedicated to lowering these emissions through three important undertakings: in 2004, putting into operation a three catalyst bed reactor, designed and patented by the company, to decompose nitrous oxide into nitrogen and oxygen, the two elements it is composed of, thus making it innocuous for the atmosphere; in 2013, installing an EnviNOx plant to decrease the release of nitrous oxide formed in the production of nitric acid, and, in 2021, a further improvement in the emissions abatement system associated with nitric acid production.

Since activating the last plant just 9 months ago, more than 35,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent have been cut. All the above-mentioned actions have enabled Radici Chimica Novara to record a nitrous oxide emissions level less than 10 ppm, a value close to zero.

Albini Group, historic manufacturer of high-end shirting fabrics, meets C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub, international platform for the promotion and development of innovative and sustainable textiles. Two groundbreaking companies joining forces in the name of ethical and technological development through the C.L.A.S.S. Material Hub, the section dedicated to fibers, threads, yarns and fabrics that are changing the fashion and textile industry.  The values in which Albini Group believes and the strong sensitivity to environmental issues have led the company to also address the issue of the risk of toxic and harmful chemicals in a systemic way, integrating into the production cycles activities and controls aimed at gradually eliminating their presence, with the clear objective of protecting man and the environment.

Three main research areas - innovative fibers and yarns, sustainable dyes and green chemistry - united by the task of transferring cutting-edge technologies through open innovation. Among the new projects presented is "Off the Grain," born from the collaboration with Riso Gallo, a leading rice producer in Italy. It is a new type of dye derived from the processing of a particular variety of black rice: the boiling water of the rice, which can no longer be used for the food industry, is transformed into a natural dye, resulting in significant water savings during the dyeing process.

"Grounded Indigo" is a natural textile dyestuff, born from the search for dyeing practices that are more responsible to people and the environment. For this project, ALBINI_next chose to collaborate with Stony Creek Colors, an American producer of the world's only 100% plant-based indigo that is USDA BioPreferred certified.

The third project, called "HempFeel," is an innovative hemp oil-based finishing, tipically used for cosmetic products. ALBINI_next was the first company to apply it to fabrics of different weights, compositions and structures. HempFeel replaces silicones usually used in finishing, thus reducing the release of microplastics and giving fabrics a soft and durable hand.

"When discussing values related to creativity, next-generation production and commitment to ethics and traceability, Albini is an extremely important point of reference." says Giusy Bettoni, founder and CEO of C.L.A.S.S. "This is why we are delighted with its inclusion within our Material Hub, alongside its colleagues of the responsible innovation movement. Follow us on this new common path. Next- generation solutions and nice surprises will not be missed."

ANDRITZ has received an order from Manifattura Fontana, part of Sioen Group, to supply a complete neXline needlepunch line for the production of geotextiles to its site in Romano d’Ezzelino, Italy. Start-up of the line is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022.

The ANDRITZ needlepunch line will cover all process steps from fiber opening to automatic packaging of the product. The line will also include the latest ProWin profiling technology to enhance web weight evenness on cards and crosslappers. Another important feature is waterproof roll packaging, which is increasingly in demand on the market. Thus, Manifattura Fontana will be one of the very few players in the world to deliver fabric rolls with waterproof protection.

This will be the second line in only three years to be supplied by ANDRITZ to Manifattura Fontana. Manifattura Fontana is part of the Belgian technical textile group Sioen Industries. It is a leading company in the global geotextile market and provides its customers with added-value geotextiles for many applications, such as the construction of roads, railways, reservoirs, dams, and tunnels, as well as for earthworks, foundations, erosion control, drainage, waste disposal, or containment.

The BOGNER High Summer 2022 collection is inspired by the life on the amalfi coast in Italy - luxurious comfort, understated glamour and the typical BOGNER loose elegance. High summer color shades meet new, natural materials for a cool look when it's hot outside. Colorful and comfortable for women in iconic blousons and jackets in memory nylon, a selection of sporty and luxurious shorts in leather, colored denim and terry or summer dresses with unique prints and silhouettes. For men, 100% merino wool jackets, loose suits, outdoor jackets and beach shirts are available for a cool look that conveys subtle glamour and sporty touch.

• Flat knitting is one of the most versatile textile forming technologies. What is possible here is shown by STOLL's regular trend collections.
• STOLL from the KARL MAYER Group launches its new "WONDERFUL" trend collection

The latest compilation of inspiring designer pieces is entitled "WONDERFUL". On display are wonderful products designed to make the viewer pause and marvel. "WONDERFUL" shows what it means to create wonderful knitted articles. In today's world, moments of true wonder seem rare, but with the right technology, creative visions become products that inspire and amaze. With STOLL's technological solutions, wonderful product ideas can be realized for everything that is important to us: our children, our home, our appearance and our well-being.

Accordingly, the new trend collection serves different areas of application: Extraordinary STOLL-knit and wear® products in the new gauge of E 10.2 and in established gauges, such as E 7.2, inspire the market for seamless articles. Extravagant combinations of intarsia, STOLL-weave-in® and STOLL-ikat plating® techniques create novel pattern possibilities, material usages and color impressions. The possibility of individualization is supported by selected products via STOLL-autocreate®.

The trend collection causes amazement, but also stands for responsibility and environmental awareness. One chapter presents a sustainable footwear fabric solution that was created in collaboration with renowned players in textile value creation.

"WONDERFUL" was launched in March 2022. The first presentations took place in front of customers in Italy and were a great success. "Our "WONDERFUL" designs were very well received. Some customers have adopted the new pattern options contained there directly into their current collection, and ordered the necessary technical kids to convert their machines," explains Jörg Hartmann, Head of Fashion & Technology at STOLL with satisfaction.