The two founders of the exclusive made in Italy brand Fili Pari, Alice Zantedeschi and Francesca Pievani, tell us their story. A journey dedicated to research, design and innovation that takes us directly to a cool and much, much more sustainable future!
Every story has a beginning: what was yours? When did you feel within yourself the desire and the need to create your own brand?
"Fili Pari was born at the Politecnico di Milano, when we both attended the specialist degree in Design for the Fashion System. During the different work paths, the desire to give life to that graduation project was born more and more, which by now had become a reality for us to realize; so one day it was enough to meet our eyes to understand that we were both ready to start a new path of our own. Everything was born from the desire to create a link between the Italian territory and the fashion industry: marble is a natural element, the excellence of made in Italy, which communicates the territory, its history and its evolutions and represents the strong but little recognized industrial district."
Is there a moment, a memory linked to your path that you particularly care about?
"Thanks to our work we have been lucky enough to travel a lot: New York, China, Spain, London, Belgium, Holland, Berlin, Paris, all experiences that have enriched us professionally but above all personally. Each trip has also given us moments of sharing, laughter, misadventures.. all experiences that have united us more and more."
What are the fundamental values for you and for Fili Pari?
"We have always chosen garments that could last over time thanks to the type of workmanship but also garments that respect the territory. Our startup embraces the values of a circular economy, mixing research and innovation to improve the well-being of the Earth and its people, throughout the entire life cycle of the product. Fili Pari's goal is to transform waste into opportunities. From this comes MARM \ MORE®, a patented marble-based fabric coupled with recycled nylon that offers totally natural colors thanks to the type of marble powder used, which replaces up to 50% of synthetic elements in the coating.
Fili Pari promotes the responsible use of our planet's resources, with the aim of optimizing material consumption to ensure the least possible waste. Thanks to this zero waste philosophy, the waste resulting from the cutting of garments becomes opportunities and finds new life in small accessories.
Every day the fashion industry produces a quantity of garments far exceeding the needs of the population, and the time has come to stop this loop and close the circle. We firmly believe in the philosophy of reuse and recycling, which is why we recover and collect Fili Pari garments to be able to transform them into new products, curbing the negative impact that the textile sector has on our environment."
Fili Pari: would you like to reveal the meaning of the name?
"The name is the anagram of Fripi and Ali, our nicknames: an immediate reference to the yarn, the textile world, the overall vision that characterizes the brand."
One of the brand's keywords is certainly innovation: for your garments, use a patented fabric that hides a secret ingredient... Where does the intuition to use marble come from?
"During the university we researched and studied new materials until we arrived at the perfect solution for us: marble, a material capable of combining innovation, territory and sustainability. Fili Pari's goal is to transform waste into opportunities. From a simple by-product of processing, marble becomes the raw material of an innovative, waterproof, windproof but above all light fabric."
Lightweight, performing, eco-sustainable and cool: how did you manage to find the right mix of ethics, comfort and design to create your collections?
"The key was and still is curiosity. We study and try to get to know the textile world in depth and constantly in order to then be able to give our vision.
We have done a lot of research, collaborating with industry professionals who have helped us pursue our intent and transform our values into a collection of garments."
Choosing the right garment to wear is a bit, as it were, a question of chemistry: what we wear must please us thoroughly, for how it is, for how it fits, but above all for how it makes us feel. What element is never missing in your garments? And which one are you looking for?
"An element that is never lacking in our garments is versatility. Our garments are made to be suitable for different types of bodies, and express a casual-chic style that makes them suitable to be worn both in everyday situations and in more special moments. For us, the fundamental goal is to make every customer feel at ease, enhancing and expressing savoir faire."
But tell us some secrets ...
The fashion book you loved the most?
"Material Revolution, by Sasha Peters and Abitare il corpo, by Eleonora Fiorani."
The garment that can never be missing in your wardrobe?
"A must-have item in our wardrobe is the raincoat, always ready to protect us from sudden rains. What else could it be?"
What's in the future of Fili Pari?
"In the future of Fili Pari there is a great desire to grow and to transmit our values to more people. Our collections are growing and we try each time to create something different and functional."
A special thanks to the co-founders Alice Zantedeschi and Francesca Pievani for telling us the story of their exclusive Fili Pari brand: discover their collections now on Ob-Fashion.com