At a time when the Florentine leather goods district is experiencing a notable slowdown in production activity, caused by the economic crisis that has also hit the luxury fashion houses, KUOYO, Fabio Fatarella’s Scandicci-based company, producer of bags and wallets for the big fashion brands, accelerates its investments and acquires another leather goods company, joining Fior di Pelle, acquired last July. This time, it is Tifariti, a company owned by the Tirinnanzi family, founded in 2010 and specialised in the production of bags, including those made from precious leathers, and small luggage. Thanks to its long experience with the most important brands in the fashion industry, including Gucci, Pelletterie Tifariti has developed a constant growth, up to the expansion in 2014 and the relocation to the current 400 square metre plant in Rufina.

KUOYO therefore continues its strategy of progressively integrating all production phases to establish itself in a highly competitive market, offering value-added services and guaranteeing a qualitative and sustainable supply chain. In fact, according to Fatarella, “if, on the one hand, to obtain a top quality product and protect the image of the most prestigious customers there is no other way than to carefully control it, on the other hand, it is necessary to secure part of the production capacity, in order to face the inevitable shortage of specialised resources expected in the coming years”. The plan for KUOYO LAB is to reach 100 employees by 2025 through the cooperation already initiated with some top brands in the industry.

Sneaknit, a new company concept that uses the best knitting technologies to produce uppers and panels for shoes and bags in a sustainable manner, has been able to distinguish itself in successfully managing complex jobs and meeting the multiple needs of its customers. And this is thanks to the combination of a number of elements, including experience, the use of state-of-the-art machinery and the specific skills of its highly qualified team.

The company’s Research and Development laboratory in Civitanova Marche (MC) is constantly engaged in innovation and the development of materials and technologies that redefine the standards of performance and sustainability.

Behind every Sneaknit product is, in fact, a design process that is carefully studied and perfected in detail. By monitoring the work processes on a daily basis, the company is able to guarantee reliable, high-quality production. Every Sneaknit upper reflects an impeccable production process and attention to detail, so as to meet even the highest standards.

Gruppo Mastrotto’s collection for next summer is inspired by the beauty and variety of nature, with nuances that evoke feelings of calm, adventure and exploration. The two lines that characterise it, Core and Blending, include a diverse range of leathers that can satisfy the needs of both enthusiasts with more classic tastes and lovers of innovation.

Lineapelle was also the occasion to launch the ABSOLUTE article in Gruppo Mastrotto Express, the innovative service of premium leather in prompt delivery that includes more than 1,500 colours ready to be shipped within 48 hours from the order. ABSOLUTE – The Suede Revolution is an exclusive product with a luxury positioning, aimed at high-end footwear and leather goods, which integrates into the production process the recovery of shavings, a waste that originates during the processing of leather. A perfect example of circular economy that is realised in a leather with exclusive characteristics: saturated and intense colours, a soft hand and a silky touch.

Finally, the exhibition also featured the installation realised in collaboration with Kreoo, a premium brand of marble furniture and design accessories, for the exclusive business culture exhibition Leather Duets organised within Lineapelle Interiors.

Cuoio di Toscana, the leading international consortium in the production of sole leather obtained by slow vegetable tanning, presented, with an exclusive event at Pitti Uomo, the two new insoles designed to protect the health of consumers and the environment. Thanks to the processing of the vegetable tanning in the tank and the use of tannins, in fact, the shoe with vegetable leather insole and lining maintains a fresh and dry environment that inhibits the development of bacteria responsible for bad odour. The new insoles are also biodegradable, low environmental impact, metal free, breathable and 100% natural, in keeping with the tradition of the tanning consortium.

“The principles of sustainability and traceability constitute the heritage of the Cuoio di Toscana brand, which today adds a further piece to the consortium’s green values and does so with the talent of two young Italian designers, Federico Cina and Marco Rambaldi, and in collaboration with the Italian Podiatrists’ Association,” said Antonio Quirici, president of the consortium.

Reinforcing the consortium’s lifestyle concept was a fashion show featuring the iconic green sole Cuoio di Toscana total looks by Don The Fuller, a Made in Italy excellence that espouses the same principles of sustainability.

Columbia’s thermal insulation technology, used in outdoor apparel, will be applied on the Nova-C lunar lander, enhancing and supporting the advancement of new technologies and innovative materials and laying the groundwork for a sustainable human presence on the Moon. This is all thanks to an unprecedented partnership between Columbia Sportswear, a world leader in innovative outdoor, sports and lifestyle products, and Intuitive Machines, a pioneering space exploration company specialising in the early commercial development of the Moon. Omni-Heat™ Infinity, Columbia Sportswear’s patented thermo-reflective technology, is ready to go into space with the upcoming launch of Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar module. During laboratory testing, Intuitive Machines researchers found that the gold part of Columbia’s Omni-Heat Infinity technology will provide benefits in insulating the lunar lander from the temperatures of space, which can vary between -250° and 250° Fahrenheit.

“As a clothing company that develops all-weather, all-activity outdoor products, it is important for us to test our technologies in the most extreme conditions and find ways to innovate beyond our customers’ current needs,” said Haskell Beckham, Vice President of Innovation at Columbia Sportswear”.

A leading player in the luxury leather sector for haute couture for over 60 years, Conceria Superior took part in Lineapelle Milano with a collection that stylistically reinterprets a revolutionary decade, such as the 1990s, characterised by experimentation, grunge and pop, and great innovation in materials.

The collection is characterised by a chromatic choice made up of contrasts, bright and vibrant colours contrasting with pastel shades: ochre, reds, corals meet powder pink, lavender and water green. Silver returns as a protagonist, albeit in its most delicate version. Superior’s precious and exclusive skins – lambskins, calves, half calves – translate two distinct atmospheres, soft, natural, sometimes impalpable on the one hand, or unrestrained, silky, shiny, flashy skins on the other. Wrinkles, creases, strong degradation on the one hand contrast with silky, flawless, linear, pure and simple on the other.

Sustainability aspects remain at the heart of Tannery Superior’s corporate strategy and are reflected in the product. In addition to the transversal certifications (e.g. ISO 14001, Traceability, Ethics), the company management devotes great attention and resources to the LWG, which encompasses all aspects of sustainability, grouped under a single, globally recognised standard, and has been engaged in a complex plan towards Carbon Neutrality for several years. Superior has been an “audited” member of LWG since 2019 and in January 2023 received the LWG Silver Medal, an award that recognises companies in the tanning industry that manage Quality, Environment, Safety and Ethics in a system-wide perspective.

A world leader in the production and sale of leather, fabrics and high value-added services for haute couture, automotive and interior design, Rino Mastrotto presented at the last edition of Lineapelle in Milan not only its new proposals for leather articles, but also a project resulting from the synergies created within the company for the textile sector. It is ‘In The Making Atto II’, an invitation to cross the threshold of imagination and embark on a journey of experimentation into the infinite possibilities of a material as ductile and versatile as leather. Almost a dreamlike journey, capable of stimulating the five senses and inspiring designers, buyers, professionals and young talents in the sector.

At the fair, Rino Mastrotto took up these concepts through soft shapes, proposed in several elements within the exhibition space. Also illustrated were the milestones achieved by the group’s companies and future objectives, as well as an important project resulting from synergies with Mapel Group and Tessitura Oreste Mariani, two excellences that represent the textile soul of Rino Mastrotto.

“We are delighted to have presented ourselves for the first time at Lineapelle with all the capabilities we can offer haute couture brands and an expanded portfolio of services and products that allow us to better support our customers’ creativity,” said Matteo Mastrotto. In addition to the new leather goods proposals, we presented a project resulting from the synergies created within the company for the textile sector.

For the restyling of the stand, Rino Mastrotto collaborated with the companies Ditre Italia and London Art. Ditre Italia, with its products, tells almost 50 years of history linked to the artisan tradition of upholstery, which was started by the De Marchi brothers in 1976 in San Martino di Colle Umberto (TV). For the stand, it has created the sofas in its Papilo model, which blends well with the more sinuous lines of the exhibition space, using Jaquard fabrics by Imatex, a company that is part of Rino Mastrotto and a leader in the production of these specific materials. London Art – a company founded by Nicola Bottegal, world leader in exclusive wallpapers and considered one of the most prestigious references in the world of design – on the other hand, supplied the wallpapers for the external and internal coverings of the stand.