Candiani – this name should only have stumbled upon if you have read the composition of your jeans very carefully. Behind the Italian company is a weaving mill for denim fabrics. More precisely, it is now the only weaving mill for denim fabrics that has survived globalization in Europe and is now in the fourth generation.
There is a second reason why you should know Candiani: With the Coreva fiber, the company produces the first completely compostable stretch denim fabrics. Closed is already using the fiber, as is Stella McCartney and Denham. “In the end, the fiber can be used to grow cotton,” says Simon Giuliani from Candiani.
The idea comes from Alberto Candiani. The youngest descendant of the entrepreneurial family took over his father’s company at the turn of the millennium. He came straight from university, was in his early 20s and focused on innovation. In doing so, he continued the tradition of his family, because promoting innovations was the element that allowed Candiani to survive the migration of the European textile industry to low-wage countries. When the weaving mill was founded by Luigi Candiani in Robecchetto con Induno near Milan in 1938, its location seemed ideal: there was space in the small town, the proximity to Milan guaranteed quick connections to the transport infrastructure, and the nearby river Ticino provided a basic supply for the water-intensive Business.
Strict environmental requirements in the nature reserve
But in 1971 the area was placed under nature protection, the company was allowed to continue working, but had to adhere to strict environmental regulations. Alberto’s grandfather Primo Candiani was not happy about this, but in retrospect it ensured survival, because the manufacturer was able to make a name for itself as an environmentally friendly company early on. Candiani conquered the upscale jeans market in the eighties, when Californian fashion brands needed stretch jeans that did not lose their shape despite being stretchable.
Mint on jeans: to show how the stretch fabric is composted, plants have been planted on it in the Candiani store in Milan.
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Image: Candiani
This is where Alberto Candiani’s innovation comes in. For conventional stretch jeans, the petroleum-based chemical fiber elastane is spun into the denim. If the trousers have had their day, the fabric will not rot completely due to the elastane content, even in 100 years. But what should this practical fiber be replaced with?
Candiani got the idea in a delicatessen shop. He wanted to buy antipasti, but his gaze caught on salamis dangling on strings. These were elastic and they had to meet the strict requirements in the food industry. Candiani discovered that the cords got their elasticity from the rubber of the rubber tree. He took over the material. In 2019, the company applied for a patent for the fiber with the rubber component. “Coreva passed the laboratory tests and is biodegradable within six months,” says Giuliani.
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