The mulberry, the silkworm, the yarn.
An ethical cooperation project for true Italian silk.
In 2014, thanks to a research conducted in order to renew our product lines with a collection of objects in gold and silk, we realised that true Italian silk doesn’t exist anymore. In Italy, those factories which up to about half a century ago were most important in silk production are now closed, and the twisting labs are risking extinction too. By partnering with industry experts and leading research centers – Silvia Cappellozza from CRA, Padua –, we embarked on a process that will allow us to bring the production of semi-finished silk products in Italy, in order to give weavers and artisans the chance to work with high quality authentic Italian yarns.
D’orica for true Italian silk:
- Complete chain – All operations to produce the semi-finished textile product are made in Italy.
- Recovery of the heritage – The Italian tradition of textile fibres processing inspires the production of the yarn.
- Cooperation ethics – Use of social cooperatives and exchange with local companies.
- Authenticity and territory – 100% Made in Italy for a pure and high quality textile fibre.
United in the exciting project to bring the chain of silk back in Italy, here at D’orica’s we have been looking for partners to start a business of mulberry and silk worms culture, or better said the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. In this project, we involved cooperatives of the territory offering job opportunities to disable people: Cooperativa Sociale Agricola “Campoverde”; Cooperativa Sociale Agricola “Ca’ Corniani” (project manager, Bruno Pozzobon); Cooperativa Sociale Onlus “Cantiere della Provvidenza” (director, Tiziana Martire, coordinator Angelo Paganin). We intend to pursue the project in an ethical way and preserve that kind of knowledge that in Italy risks being lost.
Our goal being not to restore an industrial sector, but rather pushing ourselves to the utmost quality, a value for which Italian products have been appreciated worldwide. For this purpose, we have chosen the best silk craftsmen, engineers and scholars, professional experts sharing our vision: we intend authentic Italian silk to be produced and recognised again in the market for its very quality and for its finesse. Our partners, experts in these disciplines, are Giustino Mezzalira, director of Veneto Agricoltura agricultural and woodlands research and management activities, and Ilario Tartaglia, researcher in the field of textile technology and engineering.Thanks to our preparation and our technical support, here at D’orica’s we are creating artifacts in gold and silk that inspired the birth of the project and the expressive value of both materials. The prototypes are still under development and some were presented in preview at VicenzaOro in Winter 2015.
Silk design is a new commercial outlet for D’orica that will also involve the e-commerce service of Energitismo, the network connecting art and business which values excellent craftsmanship and artistic talents of a certain territory. Energitismo is developing the construction of a nomadic corner/atelier presenting worldwide handcrafted items which are part of the platform, including the new gold and silk D’orica objects.
