The lives of our fabrics

Lana – Wool, is the first in a promised series of ‘Textile Stories’ published by Savio Macchine Tessili. The starting point, explained in the book’s preface, was a conversation held at ITMA 2023, the International Textile Machinery Association’s four yearly event. Future books may cover denim, linen, silk, cotton and other materials.

The book’s art director is Gianluca Gruarin of D&Co. The clothbound, hardback book juxtaposes photos of machines and manufacturing methods with fashion shots of models wearing beautifully designed woollen garments. Some pictures focus closely on raw materials. Introductory texts about the nature of wool manufacture preface a series of illustrated chapters, case studies and interviews that present a deeper understanding of the businesses involved. Many of the family companies profiled go back several generations: some date back to 1880, earlier than Fedrigoni.

Gruarin deliberately highlights the publication’s underlying layout grid – fine lines against a cream coloured page – at the start of each chapter. He describes this as ‘a graphic cage conceived to evoke the refined weave of high fashion fabrics. Imagine warp and weft threads, horizontal and vertical elements that … intertwine in perfect harmony … an ode to synergy and collaboration.’ He is long-time user of Fedrigoni papers, and chose several weights of Arena for the volume. The elegant serif typeface is Bely, by award-winning French type designer Roxane Gataud, which, says Gruarin, ‘evokes the historical legacy and refinement of wool.’