In our launch article, we told you about our new partnership with Maeko Filati. Today, we’re going into detail and taking you on a journey through the natural fibers that, together with our short-supply-chain merino wool, will enrich Lanaioli’s fall-winter collection: Sicilian organic cotton, hemp, linen, and nettle.
Four materials differing in history and origin, but united by one principle: no compromise on naturalness—ever synthetic substitutes or materials of dubious origin.
Sicilian organic cotton
Let’s start with cotton, perhaps the best-known and most controversial fiber in the textile world. Conventional cotton is, in fact, among the thirstiest crops on the planet: according to estimates by the International Cotton Advisory Committee, producing just one kilogram of cotton—roughly what is needed for a T-shirt and a pair of jeans—requires an average of almost 8,000 liters of water between irrigation and rainfall, with much higher peaks in intensively irrigated crops in arid areas. The organic cotton we choose, grown in Sicily, comes instead from farming practices that drastically reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, favoring crop rotation and methods that respect the soil.
It is not a miraculous fiber, but it is a conscious choice compared with the conventional alternative, and it is kilometers, not oceans, away from us.
Hemp: an ancient fiber back in the spotlight
Hemp is probably the most surprising fiber on this journey. Grown in Italy for centuries before being almost forgotten in the twentieth century, it requires very little water, grows without pesticides, and even improves the quality of the soil in which it is planted. The yarn produced from it is durable and breathable, with a natural character that softens wash after wash, becoming more comfortable over time rather than losing its qualities—exactly as we love to see happen with our garments.
Linen: lightness and tradition
Linen shares with hemp a history of inherent sustainability: little water, few chemicals, and a fiber that works well both on its own and blended with other natural raw materials. Its ability to regulate moisture and its lightness make it perfect for transitional garments, those that accompany the months when summer gives way to autumn.
Nettle: the fiber you may not have known
If hemp and linen are rediscovered fibers, nettle is probably the true surprise of our new collection. Obtained from the plant’s stalk through a process similar to that used for hemp, nettle—in particular the Himalayan varieties processed by Maeko—creates a soft, durable yarn with pronounced breathable properties.
It is a fiber that requires very few agricultural inputs and that, until recently, was almost absent from the world of contemporary fashion: another demonstration that sustainable alternatives often already exist, waiting only to be rediscovered.
The comparison that matters
Why tell you all this in such detail? Because we believe that transparency about raw materials is the foundation of trust. In the fashion world, people often talk about “innovative” fibers such as viscose, which, however, has repeatedly been linked to deforestation in its industrial production: according to estimates by the Canopy organization, the clothing industry alone contributes to the felling of approximately one hundred million trees every year, some of them directly connected to the production of pulp for fibers such as viscose and rayon.
A figure that reminds us why, at Lanaioli, we choose to work only with certified natural fibers that we can trace back to their origin, without industrial shortcuts of dubious sustainability.
Organic cotton, hemp, linen, and nettle are therefore not merely different materials: they are equally consistent choices aligned with our philosophy. In the next article, we’ll tell you about the last—and perhaps most curious—of these choices: why we decided to blend yak fiber with our merino wool.
