Florence, Italy
A further edition marked by growth for 94th Pitti Immagine Filati: 115 exhibitors and over 3000 buyers.
Pitti Immagine Filati in Florence presented luxury, versatility, and responsibility as main themes for Summer 2025, with imaginative colours and designs.
The Fortezza da Basso saw an invigorated exhibition revealing yarns for Summer 2025 from 24-26th January. Visitor numbers both domestic and international increased to 3,000, up 3% from January last at this 94th edition. This was pleasing, after a shaky beginning for retail all over Europe.
The main story was a coherent and attractive approach to the positioning of high-value luxury yarns for knitwear and fashion. Designers went for it unequivocally, built round principles of sustainability and quality, increasing certification and evaluation of fibres, dyes and production methods. It resulted in surprising colour mixes and juxtapositions.
CEO of Pitti Immagine Rafaello Napoleone added another positive aspect in his comment that: “We are not just about fashion in the strict sense but also visited by prestigious brands for interiors and the automotive industry.”
The Research Area, where often startling ideas for new yarn and fabrics are suggested and displayed by Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller, took the Pitti theme of Time as an aesthetic signpost, the milestone whimsically setting the different sections. ‘A journey through time and space’ presented contemporary narratives using colour and yarns. AI (artificial Intelligence) peppered people’s conversations. Lanificio dell’ Olivo welcomed AI as meaning wider horizons, combining reality and fantasy, stating ‘manipulation leads to improvement’.
Knit Club features knitwear producers, many connected with the top-drawer spinners at Pitti Filati. Focus is on the increasingly global and advanced production chain synergy. The companies participating carry out tailoring and finishing for a variety of brands, including couture Italian and French fashion, following the sustainable pathway which is vital to this level of the market. Knitwear moves easily from summer to early winter, with semi-transparent looks and ribbed garments in blends and ornate constructions.
Linea Piu’s Knit Art showed inspiring designs including patterned yarns, metallic effects and organic fibres as well as all viscose yarn and recycled, printed and yarn dyed effects hollow light and fluffy yarns, culminating in huge lightshade balls covered with crochet.
Luxury or appearances of luxury complemented the phrase. Eco, Bio, Techno, summing up the 2025 approach. Including fancy shiny metallic elements, stretch and many recyclables.
The trend for yarn for all seasons had been predicted and guided by The Wool Lab, The Woolmark Company working extensively with spinners, weavers and knitters. Zegna Baruffa’s cool frothy white Merino being an example of summer to autumn, .
International emphasis: The Shima Seiki yarnbank web service has developed to widen the brief internationally. It was presented to buyers offering access to yarns and their data worldwide to create virtual samples, targeting brands, students and various departments, aiming at creating accurate virtual samples worldwide. A move described as a game changer.
Innovation at Hasegawa of Japan showed interesting yarns specifically for knitwear, metallic, stretch Lurex, cotton worsted wool yarn-dyed polyester, polyamide and viscose.
Cashmere at Pitti Filati continues its pivotal role in fashion, enhanced by the emphasis on luxury for 2025, Consignee Chinese cashmere, dyeing and spinning 20% of the world’s automated cashmere and specialists with extremely long experience of the trade, including Z. Hinchliffe, Loro Piana, Zegna Baruffa demonstrating the power of soft fine yarn to signify luxury,
Lineapiu’s regular treat, Knit Art featured delicate, pastel shades contrasted with bright coloured textured designs.
Colour choices at Todd & Duncan included multiple shades working together. Linen Blush variegated linen twisted with cashmere and a ‘blush of colour’. New tinted whites ‘that ooze luxury’ have luxe tints twisted through and a collection of new brights.
In the same way soft pastel cashmere designs and naturals at Cariaggi epitomised their iconic fine yarns collections, fitting into environmentally balanced luxurious production.
Goodbye seasons?
Non-seasonal collections was a buzz term. They are bound up with eco principles, in this case the wish to cut waste and make the most of luxury fibres and fabrics to respond to current expectations. It results in suggestions that summer designs will transfer over to early winter, as areas of the world experience the effects of global warming.
Most collections anticipated the segueing into the next season as giving them greater scope. A more homogenous approach rather than strict seasonality was described as ‘quiet luxury’ by Lanificio dell’Olivo Tactile effects came here with new yarns involving mercerised cotton, stretch elements, soft handle boucle cotton and linen, new alpaca yarns saw versions with mohair and silk. Fancy knitwear features included fashionable transparency, recycled synthetics, many with GRS and GOTS.
Eco means reviewing
Pitti Filati showed an embedded commitment to sustainability among participants. Tradition and Innovation summed up Botto Giuseppe’s approach. Aiming for complete sustainability, the company-initiated concepts of Slow Fiber and Naturalis Fibra and carries out continuous review, awaiting publication of its 4th sustainability report. Newest yarns include extremely soft wool for knitwear e.g. its new Butter yarn. Soft experimental techniques led to cloudlike yarns in silk/ cotton or cashmere, hyper-luminous bright coral and yellow or emerald and lime. In contrast a silk polyamide and metallic fibre for light highlights dark violet shades or slate greys.
Marchi & Fildi, long-time eco pioneers, are currently redefining collections; choosing their iconic and best sellers, opening them to wider colour and stock arrangements, called a Micro/ Macro project. Filidea included different blends, fine and very fine linen, for textured looks with a natural hand, also Bemberg Cupro regenerated cellulose, with silk and Supima cotton.
Biella Yarns, Suedwolle Group, enjoys a reputation for experimentation. Drawing inspiration from edible flowers adorning culinary creations, the latest Biella Yarns Spring/Summer ‘25 collections uses fine yarns and vivid colours where MRC Knitwear Research Lab added touches of petal colours to white garments, featuring fine weight ribs knitted in Brisbane Nm 2/60 (100% Merino Wool Superfine Super 120’S, 17.5 µ, anti-shrinkage).
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