Marco Rambaldi x Twinset, when capsule collections arise from shared values

Marco Rambaldi x Twinset: The most beautiful objects in the capsule collection and an interview with its backers.

Marco Rambaldi is one of the leading voices of a new generation of Italian fashion. Her eponymous brand is now a fixed presence on the Milan Fashion Week calendar and her creative sensibility has earned her recognition as one of the most inclusive and eco-conscious designers out there. Today he is also the author of a capsule collection for Twinset.A brand that was born in the early 90s and is now owned by the American The Carlyle Group.

Read also: Marco Rambaldi’s latest show proves truly inclusive casting is possible

See more

Sixteen tops, miniskirts, trousers and sweaters that feature motifs from Emilia Romagna tradition on a contemporary fit. But there is much more behind it: a thread made from production waste and a reflection on the need for change in the fashion system. We talked about it with Marco Rambaldi and Alessandro Varisco, CEOs of Twinset, on the occasion of the presentation of the collection, organized by Alba Bathrooms in Forte dei Marmi and with an artistic (and sustainable) setting by the sea.

Marco Rambaldi x Twinset, the most beautiful item in the collection

How did the idea for this collection come about?

AV: Twinset is on the road to sustainability. I say this without much fanfare, we know we are a little behind, but before focusing on marketing we wanted to measure the effective impact of our production. We found that one kilogram of wool produces 7.5 kilograms of emissions. For us, knitwear is a fundamental category, and that is why we wanted to work on it with a project that is important from a conceptual as well as a product point of view. The first result is TreeBlond, our new yarn manufactured by an Italian company, in which twinset weaving yields energy savings and waste processing through CO2 emission reduction processes. The second was the decision to include Marco: he’s from Bologna and we’re from Carpi, we immediately felt like a lot, really for his sensitivity to the issue of sustainability, but also to the issue of inclusivity, a subject that’s dear to us forever. Again we believe a lot in the kindness and humanitarian side of this work and he’s really setting himself apart for this.

As a creative person, how do you create a capsule collection for others, bringing your own values ​​but separating it from what you do for your brand?

MR: When we talk about knitwear we are talking about a yarn which is a starting point and then a path in which we never stop learning by interacting with the artisans and programmers of the knit on the machine Are. You can never be sure of the end result. Thus it was important to start from the intersection of values ​​rather than aesthetics: from the tradition of our region, from the magical hands of the peasant tradition that handmade the tablecloths for the party with natural dyes and graphic representations of vines. , And, of course, from Croatia, which always comes back to my work.

And then, I imagine, the direction of the knitwear factory.

MR: Exactly! The constant exchange with people involved in the development of knitwear at Twinset is one of the most inspiring phases of the work.

There is probably a lot to learn from them.

MR: Interacting with a tailor, a pattern maker, a knitter is a creative act. It’s not just a technical figure, it helps you reach the result you want to achieve and I, as a designer, project only at a theoretical level. There must be a spirit and their skill is fundamental, an Italian knowledge that starts from afar and that remains essential with new technologies.

Is it a challenge to create a new generation of these professionals?

AV: It is. if before the devil Wears Prada He laid emphasis on fashion and hence many aspired to enter this world, today out of 100 youngsters, most want to become chefs (laughs). We need to create continuity of this craftsmanship which is an intrinsic value of our industry. We do a lot of training internally, young people come from schools in neighboring areas but we need to be visionary and persuade them to stay here, maybe also grow this creative side of the profession.

How important is sustainability to your customers?

MR: That’s because it’s really for the brand, there is no Marco Rambaldi without a sustainable approach and so do the people who buy it and above all to share this value. I see that the concept of mix and match is fundamental to the new generation as well, especially because of the issue of environmental sensitivity as they want to have completely interchangeable clothing and accessories. This is the concept I wanted to apply to this capsule, which is composed of associations whose parts, however, also co-exist with other combinations.

Twinset showed a very early interest in another permanent practice, the rental practice. How is the project that was launched in 2019 progressing?

AV: Obviously the pandemic has had a negative impact on this project. But then he recovered and today I wonder how it attracted more adult targets than we could ever imagine. For this reason we are thinking about how to implement it, to include secondhand in our offer: we are studying how to build the platform and working with people who are experts in it . On the other hand, the real issue is that transport today still represents a constraint, in the sense that it is still an extremely polluting commodity and no one has found an alternative that can be implemented on a large scale. For this we have to wait.

The discourse of fashion production is increasingly polarizing, with fast fashion giants reaching unimaginable numbers and smaller brands that work almost exclusively to order.

AV: From an economic point of view, they don’t know entrepreneurs who say ‘no’ to a request today. If they do, it is only for marketing purposes, to create anticipation. I think this is a fundamental issue on which the whole system is still far behind.

MR: We’re trying to take things slowly. We have prepared a small pre-collection for the first time, but in terms of communication, we will combine it with the main one. We will always strive to focus on quality over quantity. We may have some small delay, but we know that the result will be good.

Waiting to see the results of this first collaboration, are there any plans to continue it?

AV: Yeah, because there was an alchemy and when that happens it’s okay to have continuity, otherwise we’re not sustainable even conceptually.

Read also: “Fashion Panorama – Italian New Wave” brings to the world a new generation of Made in Italy