How is a sustainable sweater born?
When we talk about sustainability in fashion, we often think of slogans, certifications, recycled materials. But in reality, sustainability concerns what happens close to us. It means knowing who produces what we wear. It means choosing natural materials, artisanal craftsmanship, and short supply chains.
And it especially concerns wool.
In Italy, wool has a long, deep, almost forgotten history. For years it was undervalued, exported at low prices, or even discarded. Today it is experiencing a revival thanks to brands that decide to recover it and transform it into quality garments. Lanaioli is one of these brands: it uses Italian merino wool, coming from local farms, entirely processed in Italy in a true short supply chain at km0.
The hidden value of Italian wool
Wool has always been present in our territories. It is natural, renewable, durable, biodegradable. But its processing requires time, care, and skill. And over the years, with the spread of synthetic fibers, cheaper, faster to produce, often disposable, wool was set aside.
Today, those who choose a wool sweater choose something different: they choose a garment that breathes, that lasts, that adapts to the body, that does not pollute.
And if that wool is short supply chain merino wool, the value is not only in the garment but in the entire process that created it.
What does short supply chain mean?
“Short supply chain” is not a marketing term. It is a precise way of working.
For Lanaioli it means:
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taking the wool directly from local farms
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having it washed and spun in Italy
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transforming it into sweaters, jumpers, scarves in an artisanal workshop
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avoiding unnecessary steps
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reducing transportation
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giving value to those who live from this supply chain
An industrial sweater can cross oceans.
A Lanaioli sweater travels only a few kilometers, and this makes a huge difference in terms of sustainability and environmental impact.
How is a Lanaioli sweater born?
The story of every Lanaioli garment begins in the pastures where Italian merino sheep are raised. The sheep are sheared and the wool is collected, selected, and sent to Italian spinning mills that preserve the fiber quality.
From there it passes into the hands of artisans who transform it into a unique garment:
a plain crew neck sweater, a merino wool polo shirt, a ribbed sweater.
Every step is close, human, conscious.
Every garment is traceable, recognizable, rooted.
Comfort and quality
Those who wear a short supply chain merino wool sweater feel it immediately: the softness is different, the breathability is better, the sensation on the skin is natural.
And over time:
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the sweater does not lose its shape
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the jumper does not create early pilling
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the fiber remains elastic
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the softness increases
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the garment “lives” together with the wearer
The difference is made by slow, respectful, non-industrialized processes.
Sustainable fashion = natural materials + local work
Local merino wool is a perfect example of circular economy:
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it is born in Italy
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it is transformed in Italy
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it supports Italian farms and workshops
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it lasts for years
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it can be regenerated
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it does not release microplastics
Making sustainable fashion does not only mean choosing recycled fabrics: it means producing responsibly, respecting people, valuing the territory.
Choosing a Lanaioli garment means choosing a new way of seeing fashion: close, transparent, honest. A way that starts from wool, from the people who work it, from the territories that protect it.
A way that restores value to what the global market had forgotten.
The short supply chain is not just a production model. It is an act of care towards the environment, artisanal work, and what we wear every day. Be the change!
