Just got a glimpse of how the future of men elegance looks like and it is more about comfort than anything else.
The elegance is to be felt. Something like that. If you don’t feel elegant then you won’t be able to send your confidence to the people in front of you. Funny as it might seem, elegance is first about comfort and then about accessories. Just looking at how the men style evolved during these last 70 years and you’ll see a lot of comfort going on around. For sure there are some principles of elegance established one century ago. Still, we’re talking about a general trend towards relaxation and the proofs are everywhere around us.
When looking at the sartorial world of Made In Italy, you might think there is almost impossible to innovate. You have the universal suit worn naturally with a shirt and serious shoes. And it is a suit so it won’t allow you to feel as comfortable as in jeans or sports wear. So get used to it and make sure to feel elegant so that you send your confidence to the world. There are 10 years since I am among people shaping men style and I was almost sure I won’t witness another revolution as great as when men around the world gave up the formal attires for the ”functional” suits.
Then, one day, I happened to meet Giovanni and Lincoln Germanetti, two of the three brothers who own one of the most important fabrics factory in Italy. They manage a story established in Biella since 1900 and feed the clothing industry with all kind of fabrics and yarns. They are present from mass production to the more exclusive stores and even in the arms of the British Royal family, as the blankets for the Royal babies are made with their high-quality ultra fine merino wool. Behind the fashion catwalks where designers shake hands with the journalists, Germanetti brothers keep the business of famous labels alive and everything seems perfect for the next 100 years. But once they take you inside their vision you get a glimpse of the future of men dressed in suit. And the suit is not a space suit. It is that elegant attire you know. Nevertheless, what you see is just a part of what you get. Because deep within the structure of the fabrics the story is changed. During the last years, they invested in a modern technology that allows the insertion of micro fibres of Lycra. That Lycra as in women socks you might ask. Maybe, but this time we are talking about a magic treatment impossible to see. On the other hand, the comfort felt when wearing a fabric able to stretch as much as 18% is amazing.
Looking at the two brothers it seems logic they developed this type of fabric. They are almost two metres high and the bigger you are the more you risk suffering when wearing rigid suits. Not anymore. After one day of meetings and office work, they show me how the fabric stretches. This means comfort and also less wrinkles compared to a classic fabric. Somehow this also justifies the name they chose for their revolution – 3D WOOL. For the beginning the look of the fabrics are mainly classic but, once the future has started, for sure there is no limit to the designers’ imagination.
Back in Milan, one evening at the top floor of La Rinascente, we’re facing Il Duomo and smile. The classic just found a way to look at the future in modern terms. The Classic suit is and will continue to embody the men elegance but, from now on, with a higher dose of comfort.
The 3D WOOL Collection is launched in collaboration with Alessandro Martorana.