All posts by Ratti

Ratti’s green approach to production

The issue of sustainability has always been close to Ratti’s heart and the focus of continuous improvement. In the huge ‘machine’ of the fashion industry, the textile sector is at the forefront of promoting and safeguarding social, cultural and environmental initiatives. Starting from the choice of yarns and fabrics, through to business practices, Ratti works every day to be a greener company, admired and chosen by all those who believe in ecological and sustainable fashion.

Projects and initiatives for eco-friendly fashion

Nowadays there are many ways to help achieve a more sustainable fashion industry. In addition to sustainable textiles, Ratti’s choice includes social, cultural and innovative practices in the spinning, printing and dyeing of its fine fabrics.

Recycling is at the heart of many activities, particularly within the Second Life project, which was created with the intention of implementing the circular economy of recovering various materials, be they finished products or textile waste. The first initiative is called 2ndLife Fibers and proposes the creation of padding from recycled silk. Silk is an excellent fibre due to its thermal and breathable properties, which make it suitable for processing into wadding, thus becoming an innovative textile material.

Still on the subject of the circular economy and sustainable fashion, 2ndlife Hydro offers a waterproofing service for our favourite garments. As well as helping to reduce the number of garments that are thrown away because they no longer perform, the waterproofing process is environmentally friendly since it does not contain fluorocarbon substances.

The third project called 2ndLife Print follows the path of circularity and recycling, providing new life to unsold garments and leftover stock. In this case, Ratti’s creativity and his deep-rooted tradition come together to revive garments by reprinting fabrics with the old manual technique of “planche” printing.

Eco-friendly fashion: not just projects but concrete investments

Alongside these projects, the company’s environmental commitment is directed towards the careful management of the textile materials used in the production processes, such as the reduction of chemical agents in the dyes, which are gradually being replaced by natural dyes. This has a positive impact on wastewater management. Continuous routine checks and changes in the materials used in the production process mean that waste management is effective and always being improved.

It should also be added that environmental sustainability in eco-friendly fashion, comes not only from factories but also from offices. The investments made since 2014 have allowed the reduction of electricity and methane consumption, thanks to a series of upgrades on the electrical systems as well as the replacement of old machines and batteries that had lost their efficiency, with new generation models.

Ratti: when tradition and innovation come together to create excellence

Ratti’s fabric processing is the result of an art that is all-Italian. This is a mastery that is the result of attention to detail, respect for tradition and a new interpretation of fashion trends. The extreme finesse of the raw material is obtained through constant experimentation by the in-house research and development department, together with the most modern spinning, weaving and finishing techniques, to give the fabrics fluidity and a perfect balance between weights and surfaces.

Tradition and research come together to create a fabric that has been perfected over the decades, interpreting the needs of the leading fashion designers, and guaranteeing them a high quality fabric. In Ratti’s collections, classic fabrics, which are the result of weaving, can be found side-by-side with fabrics obtained using different printing techniques such as traditional table printing and digital inkjet printing.

They are all Ratti fabrics, the product of a Group that has made its spinning, weaving, finishing and printing departments the foundation of its success. Ratti fabrics are the skilful result of vast experience of a craftsmanship that aims for technological innovation in the processing of natural fibres. They represent the evolution of a company that chooses to continue manufacturing everything in Italy, directly monitoring the production chain.

Skilful craftsmanship and sustainable production

Ratti fabrics are designed and produced in such a way as to respect the harmony between quality and the production processes within the spinning, weaving and finishing departments. One of the Group’s distinguishing feature is its ‘green’ production, which harmoniously combines respect for the environment with the processing of over 5 million metres of fabric per year.

Ratti’s commitment to sustainability and its strong link with the local area is actually a hallmark of the company, which has always focused on preserving the quality of its fabric production processes. The search for new weaves and textures is inspired first and foremost by fashion trends, but also by nature, so that the collections can be enriched by new experimentation in patterns and designs, without abandonning the roots of elegant classicism that has always been the bedrock of the brand.

A state-of-the-art facility in the world of textiles

Ratti places great emphasis on the combination of traditional and manual craftsmanship in fabric printing techniques, and the specialisation, research and innovation in the spinning, weaving and finishing departments. In fact, the Guanzate plant is a state-of-the-art facility in which all departments are equipped with the most modern machinery in the sector. The Technical Development Centre focuses on innovation in production processes such as weaving, while the Research and Optimisation Centre (a team of chemical/textile engineers) is engaged in the research and application of new quality treatments on fabrics during the finishing process.

Antonio Ratti exhibition

Exhibition: Antonio’s Dream – A Journey Through Art and Textile

An exhibition tracing the work, life and passions of  our founder Antonio Ratti: art, culture and entrepreneurship return to the territory, reactivating and enhancing a public location of great interest for the city.

Knowledge of the past generates new ideas and creates new forms of beauty. — Antonio Ratti

In Como from October 10th 2021 until January 31st 2022, the Antonio Ratti Foundation presents the exhibition Antonio’s dream: a journey through art and textile, curated by Lorenzo Benedetti, Annie Ratti and Maddalena Terragni. An exhibition project which reunites the vision and history of Antonio Ratti from his place of origin, to the city where his idea of   business culture developed, leaving a precious legacy which is still very much alive. Intertwining ancient textile research, contemporary works of art and archival materials, the exhibition traces the life, work and vision of the industrialist and patron Antonio Ratti, one of the great entrepreneurs who, together with his company Ratti S.p.A. Società Benefit, reinvigorated industrial Italy. The third exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ratti – after the one at Palazzo Te in Mantova in 2017, and at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome in 2018 – Antonio’s dream: a journey through art and textile, further deepens the vision and history of the entrepreneur, expanding the project and communicating directly with the places where he lived and worked all his life. The journey through the exhibition is divided between public and private spaces of great interest and the headquarters of the Foundation, created by Ratti in 1985, where his textile collection is still kept today. Works created specifically for the occasion help to create a cohesive visual relationship between artistic research, ancient fabrics, the story of Antonio Ratti and the interior and exterior spaces of the exhibition. His idea comes alive again: that experience and knowledge, art and experimentation are fundamental tools to understand one’s time and generate new ideas. The exhibition is hosted in the halls of Villa Olmo and Villa Sucota, in their parks and in other places in the city, creating a network between focal points of the cultural fabric of Como.

The exhibition is an opportunity not only to tell the life and story of a visionary entrepreneur, but also to further the idea he sought and supported of the dissemination and sharing of cultural values.

10 October 2021 – 31 January 2022

Villa Olmo Villa del Grumello Villa Sucota –  Kilometer of Knowledge Como

Curated by  Lorenzo Benedetti, Annie Ratti and Maddalena Terragni

For further informations: www.fondazioneratti.org

Ratti – leading producer of italian fabrics

When it comes to fashion, style and fine fabrics, you cannot help but think of the Ratti Group. In producing its Italian fabrics, the Como-based company combines the talent of its master craftsmen with the best Made in Italy production practices, resulting in fabrics of refined elegance of which creativity and aesthetic taste are essential elements.

With its 5 million metres of fabric, the Ratti Group is one of the leading producers of fine Italian fabrics, making it an essential partner, not only of the major international fashion houses – who come to Ratti for its famous Italian fabrics, but also of all who are users of digital technologies and want to select their Italian fabric online.

Silk the italian fabric par excellence

Looking at specific product among the Italian fabrics for which Ratti is reknowned, the first example has to be silk with its variations in satin, chiffon or duchesse: all fine fabrics which, precisely because of their unique characteristics, are intended for the world of high fashion with its unique creations.

This is an exclusive world, in which the great tradition and experience of the Ratti group become essential elements for the creation of exclusive clothes in which Italian fabrics play a key role. With their lightness, three-dimensionality and, last but not least, with their patterns and colours, they enhance perfectly the female figure.

The world of wool of italian fabrics

As a further example of how extensive Ratti’s family of fine Italian fabrics is, one cannot overlook the famous fabrics from the world of wool or cashmere: they also are unique because of their type and excellence, and are perfect for the creation of men’s suits or, once again, for extremely sophisticated high fashion garments. Among the producers of Italian fabrics, Ratti’s high quality products for both the world of haute couture and the on-line world, has enabled it to build up a long history of providing a wide range of fine fabrics for a wardrobe that ‘speaks Italian’, regardless of location.

Ratti and the sustainable operation of its business

In these times when the topic of sustainable fabrics has become a central issue for the fashion industry, Ratti is aiming to operate its business in a more sustainable way in order to keep up with the expectations and demands of its customers. For these reasons, Ratti’s desire to improve its range of fine fabrics and sustainable Italian fabrics with new cutting-edge techniques and protocols has become more and more compelling.

NOT ONLY SUSTAINABLE FABRICS

The sustainable fabrics offering has expanded since the first Responsible Collection was launched in 2017 to such an extent that in 2020 the Responsible Collection was abolished with the announcement that all Ratti collections were now made of sustainable fabrics.

To date, Ratti has 200 articles among the different ecological and certified fibres including GOTS organic cotton and hemp, through to the most eco-sustainable of fabrics such as GOTS organic silk, fine Italian fabrics of the Lake Como basin, and linen.

There are two new additions to the corporate responsibility certifications: the Forest Stewardship Council FSC certification for viscose products made from sustainable forest materials and the GRS certification for high-quality polyester fabrics, nylon and recycled wool in accordance with the dictates of the Recycled Claim Standard RCS that have been extended to new compositions.

Among the new GOTS certifications, organic wool is carefully selected from non-intensive farms where the animals are sheared at the right times of the year and, above all, thanks to very strict standards, are fed natural feedstuffs.

FABRICS FOR ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION

As you can understand, the sustainable fabrics produced by Ratti move in step with the certifications that the group has obtained over the years to protect, not only the master craftsmens who work within the company, but also their experience and creativity, so that each season sees the creation of eco-friendly and sustainable fashion.

Design fabrics

Not forgetting Penelope’s shroud, woven during the day and unravelled at night to deceive her suitors, furnishing fabrics have for centuries been considered a synonym for comfort and luxury, exclusive beauty as well as practicality inside the home.

This is a world that, unlike fashion, is based on certainty, telling, from time to time, new stories through natural fibres such as linen, cotton, wool or velvet.

Furnishing fabrics that are not created simply to decorate but to emphasize the personality of a space, to make the room more precious, even if only through a sofa or armchair.

In this context, the furnishing fabrics of Ratti’s Domus division represent a cultured collection, born without any concrete inspiration other than colour itself, in all its variations, even the most subtle and hidden, through which the furnishing fabric assumes its most refined and elegant form.

Furnishing fabrics, classicism meets innovation

In addition to describing a journey with frequent references to classicism until leading to extreme minimalism, furnishing fabrics have a technological and eco-friendly inclination since nothing is left to chance: performance is a fundamental component in commercial choices.

This is why the Domus division at Ratti excels in research on textile materials with unprecedented results, giving furnishing fabrics new and three-dimensional textures that enhance the body and richness, between weft and warp. Jacquard furnishing fabrics become precious textiles thanks to metallic threads and laminations that restore unexpected brightness in an infinite interplay.

Natural fibres for furnishing fabrics

Furnishing fabrics by Ratti Domus favour natural fibres such as silk, wool and cotton in weights ranging from ultra light to ultra heavy. The collection features not only woven fabrics but also printed furnishing fabrics in shades ranging from mauve, to rose to blue, such as to find an affinity with everyone’s taste and not clash with the rest of the room.

From this point of view, the aesthetic of furnishing fabrics is characterised by moments and allusions that enhance the consistency between form and the material in which each element takes shape, in a combination that creates harmony between functionality of use and the aesthetic of the style offices. This blend of technical and creative aspects gives rise to a new perfect balance, the right recipe for a successful design fabric.

Furnishing fabrics: cotton velvet, wool, linen and brocade

Among furnishing fabrics, cotton velvet definitely stands out as a favourite. This fabric is created through the careful selection of the softest and strongest mercerised cotton to obtain comfortable and resistant high-quality Italian velvet. In addition, it is a particularly versatile furnishing fabric thanks to special finishes that optimise anti-drip and stain-resistant treatments, making it suitable for every room in the home. Captivating, with a soft and full-bodied hand, the velvet of the Ratti Domus collection has character and personality, not only from an aesthetic standpoint but above all for the performance offered.

Wool, the famous Golden Fleece that Jason traded with the kingdom of Iolcos, is still considered a fabric symbolic of wealth in the world or furniture as well as in fashion. In fact, tradition has it that wool was used to stuff and line the cushion on which the monarchs of Spain have been crowned since 1429, and even today the cushions and vestments of the House of Lords are decorated with the same fabric when the queen is present. Today, as then, wool is a strong point in collections for its simple coolness and its graphic and textile linearity, which never goes out of fashion.

Other furnishing fabrics worthy of mention include linen and brocade, for the upholstery of sofas and armchairs as well as for curtains. Speaking of these fabrics, there is no risk of slipping back into the classic, nor into Baroque patterns, because the colours and motifs proposed by Ratti Domus feature fresh shades combined with geometries and designs that are delicate in their simplicity.

The furnishing fabrics of the Ratti Domus collection are designed for the contemporary home, pervaded by a touch of culture and personality, mixing style with the aesthetics of good taste in the constant pursuit of authenticity and uniqueness.

tessuti per foulard

Fabrics for foulards

When we talk about fabrics for foulards linked to the Ratti brand, we are talking about a history that unfolds along yards of  printed silk, cotton and viscose. Elements that tell of pure creativity, technological and productive innovation as well as the beauty hidden behind every fold of fabric, gradually revealing the very soul of the collection.

The fabrics produced for these accessories at the Guanzate plant come in a large number of variations with a strong expressive personality, thanks to the fluidity of the material, the full-bodied liquidity of the colours and the creative movement of the prints, tangible signs of the constant search for beauty.

Foulard fabrics

The rhythm of fabrics for foulards and for women’s accessories in general has a more intense beat. The patterns, graphics and colours always originate from books and drawings in the historical archives, the starting point of classic elegance aimed at seeking a new interpretation of the most current trends.

The designs of the Ratti foulard fabrics encourage admirers to take a closer look and fully appreciate the printing techniques where each sign, with an animated a lively graphic stroke, translates the beauty of this art. These material proposals resonate with the body of the fabric, united with the impact colour has on them in an endless multiplication.

Creativity and quality

In Ratti’s collections of foulard fabrics, the chromatic lexicon evolves from chromatism, bringing desire closer to wonder in order to surprise. This is precisely what it means to know how to create. In this whirlwind of colour, we move from primary colours, that evoke vintage atmospheres, such as powder pink, Bordeaux, blue, and even shades of blue-green. We then reach a creative hyperbole, also touching on fluorescent shades that break the rules in a flash.

A clever mix of fabrics for foulards

The watchwords of these collections of fabrics  are creativity and quality, juxtaposed and mixed together in silk, cotton and wool. All different materials, each enhanced by their own intrinsic features and greatest potential. A wide range of accessories, all created to express different lifestyles, from the most classic to the most transgressive, always interpreted and lived with a free spirit. Each accessory is designed to encourage people to run with their imagination.

The aesthetic of the collections of fabrics for foulards  is characterised by moments and allusions that enhance the consistency between form and material, in a harmonious combination of functionality and aesthetic, of creative and technical aspects, always searching for the right recipe to make the perfect fabric.

Ratti and different fabric printing techniques: quality, tradition and innovation

The culture and specialisation of local artisans, in terms of printing techniques, is the most authentic distinguishing feature of the Ratti quality and style. Elements that have led the company to become, from the very beginning, one of the world’s largest producers of printed fabrics for clothing, ties, shirts, beachwear and furniture.

At Ratti, fabric printing techniques are the synthesis of heritage and innovation, as well as mastery and dedication, allowing the Group to last through time. Generations of passionate workers specialised in this art, as well as in the knowledge of different natural and composite fibres, including the most innovative.

Ratti manages and oversees the entire production cycle: from the creative idea developed around a design, to the design of the fabric to the finishing phase, it boasts several internal departments dedicated to fabric printing. Here all techniques are used, from the most traditional to the most cutting-edge. 

Fabric printing, colour and dye

At the basis of every dyeing process or printing technique, Ratti creates a strong bond between the textile fibre and the dye. More specifically: in exhaustion dying, the colour passes from the solution to the fibre, where it spreads. In printing, on the other hand, the dye is mechanically applied to the points that need to be coloured. In summary, the colour is applied as if it were a normal editorial print or illustration. 

Among the fabric printing techniques used at Ratti, direct printing is the simplest case, in which the colour is only applied to the areas of the fabric where the motif is required and is fixed at a later time. 

Usually the dye is applied starting from a concentrated aqueous solution that is thickened with particular starches or glues, until it reaches the consistency of a more or less dense fluid called printing paste. This is spread across the whole fabric according to a pre-determined pattern, dictated by the motif. The thickeners used in the printing paste have the function of increasing its viscosity without gluing the colour onto the fibre, so that they are eliminated during the washing phase of the fabric. In the case of direct digital printing, the dye has a more liquid appearance, the same as ink that is printed on the fabric through a colour jet. 

The discharge printing technique starts from an already uniformly dyed fabric. The dye is then removed by printing a chemical agent. Supposing we start with a fabric dyed in a dark colour, the motif of the print will have a lighter colour on a uniform background. In this case the printing paste will only contain bleaching or colour-destroying agents; if instead the paste contains colours resistant to chemical treatment, we simply obtain coloured motifs.

With the resist printing technique, we start from a paste containing a wax or resin capable of making the fabric (temporarily) waterproof, printing the motif in negative. The fabric is uniformly dyed or printed with the required dyes and immediately after fixation the resisting agent is eliminated. The colour in the “resistant” areas is not fixed and these keep the original colour.

The last fabric printing technqiue used by Ratti is heat transfer printing. The procedure consists in placing the print paste on a “means of transport” (at Ratti a special paper is used), which subsequently, with the aid of a hot calender, transfers the pattern to the fabric. It is a printing technique that uses the sublimation process, i.e. the dye is transformed into a gas that penetrates the fibre. This technique is generally used on polyester fabrics.

All of these printing techniques are carried out using different technologies, including traditional table printing, whether hand, trolley or rotary, and digital ink-jet printing. The excellence achieved by Ratti in the world of fabric printing is the result of constant work as well as way of being and thinking. For these reasons, the company continues to believe and invest in both traditional printing as well as its most innovative technical expressions.

The ancient but ever new art of silk

Living silk is an art, today as always,” this is the goal of the Ratti group. An intuition that has been transformed into decades of work: silk is a vocation for beauty, which becomes a daily commitment and involves everyone working inside the gates of the Guanzate plant. 

Here, this noble fabric finds a balance between innovation and practicality, always with total respect for the mastery of its professionals, environmental protection and, last but not least, Ratti’s founding values and principles.

Silk: elegance in a fabric

In a world built on the pursuit of beauty, in which elegance is a behavioural quality that transforms the greatest magnitude of being, Ratti continues its work of care and enhancement in the use a precious material such a silk.

The silk itself drives this passion, which starts from an extreme attention to detail meaning that every detail is viewed through the eyes of someone who autonomously gathers formulas, codes and aesthetic graphic elements with a strong Italian imprint.

Silk: tradition meets innovation

The Ratti collections use silk to tell the story of dreams, roots and the future in which heritage is not only found in the stylistic choices adopted, but also in the immense knowledge of this natural material as the concrete basis of talent.

Ratti silk embraces painting, embroidery and, obviously, printing, in order to create fabrics that are the fruit of a creative project that not only emphasises the liveliness of the designs, but also the craft behind each creation.

An intangible material, a hyphen between the classicism that recalls archival motifs and the rebellion marked by geometric designs or a new interpretation of the floral theme that takes shape on ethereal cady. Thus interpreted, silk tells the story of the romantic woman, who winks at the narcissism of haute couture without losing her modern and dynamic essence, or the eagerness to express her personality.

Silk fabrics for clothing and men’s fashion

As for the masculine interpretation of silk, the Ratti style office has made headway in the world of fashion and ties, designing fabrics that symbolically break the existing limits between construction and deconstruction. In doing so, silk becomes the medium to express a new beauty, alternating moments of pure creation with the desire to keep experimenting.

Silk becomes the ideal canvas for experimenting with new colours, until achieving a fragmentation of tones similar to the melange effect that crosses the boundary between the classic tie fabric and infinite creative nuances.

The classic motifs of tie fabrics find a new twist in silk, dictated by the vibrant vivacity of alternating chains or, further still, by the presence of modern geometries, iconic objects or simple numbers. Silk prints that enhance the industrial potential of the group, while still showing artisan excellence.

Eco-friendly fabrics for clothing

Ratti has always been careful not to disregard what, for their customers, are becoming the priorities in choosing a fabric, a service or more generally a brand. A new economy increasingly reliant on renewable energy and production processes that respect the environment. These are the new mantras of the modern consumer and they are the cornerstones of the Ratti Group with its offering of eco-friendly fabrics for clothing.

Ratti’s eco-friendly fabrics, while having a full feel to them, have a soft touch, tastefully respecting the tradition for a relaxed elegance in which every style rule is reshaped and reconciled with the composure that distinguishes the brand. Then the graphic lines together with the colours enhance the excellence of the brand’s research into these environmentally friendly fabrics and its obsessive pursuit of quality.

This family of eco-friendly fabrics, in addition to emphasising the new cutting-edge techniques being employed in the world of textiles, formulates new rules to bring to the fore new sustainable aspects of fashion within a pathway being pursued with great determination.

Eco-friendly fabrics for a sustainable choice

The choice adopted by Ratti with regard to eco-friendly fabrics derives primarily from the intention to continue to offer new and innovative fabrics balancing the need not to betray its own tradition with the need to satisfy new expectations in terms of sustainability. It is in this dichotomy that the meaning of the sustainable nature of the Ratti Group must be sought: a clear intention to offer the market an environmentally friendly product, a new hallmark of the brand.

The eco-friendly fabric offering

The prince of ecological fabrics is GOTS certified organic cotton, cultivated using methods and products that have a low environmental impact, without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilisers. A fabric intended for everyday use having a timeless charm, adopted and reinterpreted by the most famous fashion houses of the world.

Alongside cotton, we have to include linen for the warmer weather. Its properties have always led to it being considered a noble ecological fabric. Linen can be grown using just rainwater for irrigation and, when incorporated in a system of crop rotation, it contributes to the regeneration of the soil.

Another of its eco-friendly fabrics that Ratti recommends for the summer season is GOTS certified organic silk. In this case the mulberry bushes are grown without the use of harmful substances and the silkworms are not treated in any way with drugs or antibiotics. Ratti’s eco-friendly silk is, by its constitution, a material emblem of the brand, a fabric that feeds on the past to give life to new creations of the present.

To maintain customer confidence, Ratti has decided to produce new eco-friendly fabrics, continuing to ensure the quality and stylistic excellence of its products, and thus providing a guarantee of its responsibility as a brand.