Sustainability that starts with clothing and embraces the world of little ones
Browsing Pitti Connect, alongside the established names there are also lots of brands that are still little known but are worth paying attention to.
One of these is Bianca&Noè which was set up in 2019 and is characterized by completely natural, high quality, very resistant fabrics and Made in Italy production.
A project devised in Spring 2019 when Erika Di Rocco (multimedia designer and mom to little Bianca and Noè, aged respectively six and two) was on maternity leave and, taking advantage of the forced break, started researching sustainable fabrics. “A magnificent journey” she says, “that continues every day and has led me to discover increasingly innovative materials, like seaweed, Lotus flower, pineapple and nettle fibers”.
A path that is in perfect harmony with her DNA. “I grew up in a family of creatives” she explains, “with my mother and my aunt who were both dressmakers, one out of passion and the other by profession. Dressmaking has an intrinsic magic: the fabrics take shape and come alive, dressing us for life”. Her training in design and contemporary art, in addition to her practical experience as a mother, did the rest.
The result is Bianca&Noé which, on an esthetic level, reflects Erika’s love for a minimal style, with colors inserted as little touches, details that surprise and are unexpected.
But there’s lots more, namely a commitment to raising the awareness of old and young through clothing in which the materials used are organic, certified, traceable, biodegradable, free from pesticides and chemical substances.
“I set myself an ambitious mission,” Erika maintains, “for which I also invented a hashtag, #startingfromchildren. I wanted to prepare the terrain for the adults of tomorrow through an education in which the garment becomes the method for passing on a key concept: dressing in a conscious way makes kids more sensitive from an early age to subjects such as care, respect and consideration for the planet, as well as for ourselves”.
With this in mind the designer has launched, for example, an illustrated story which can be downloaded for free from the Bianca&Noè website in which the little bird, Timo, the cat Blù, and the raccoon Mirto, playfully tell the story of the linen flower: “it is just the start of an educational path which, I hope, could one day even end up in schools”.
The collection, made up of products which are a little more expensive than usual but are more long-lasting seeing as they cover a couple of years of growth, arrived on the market through the e-commerce biancaandnoe.com website in April 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
A negative moment, from which, however, some positive factors have also emerged: “the situation partly helped us. For a new brand, probably the most complicated thing at the beginning is to organize yourself according to fashion’s tight schedules. The lockdown first and the restrictions afterwards actually permitted us to work very well and bring ourselves in line with other already established brands. Also, we should not forget that we came out with an online sales project, exactly when that was the only way to shop. And, last but not least, I am convinced that these special months have sparked in everyone a desire for authentic things and for getting closer to nature”.
As we have already said, the Bianca&Noè collections are produced entirely in Italy, through a network of collaborations in the Ticino Park, between Piedmont and Lombardy. “I am supported by a team of professional dressmakers who, in their workshops, collaborate with me during the prototype phase” explains Erika, “the production is entrusted to an historic company, which is also Italian, and that has worked in high-end fashion since the 1960s”.
With regard to the raw materials, “they come from preeminent Italian sector sources, like Maeko, Penta textiles services and Manifattura Sesia, all entities that are attentive to sustainability. Soon we would like to tell their stories on our portal”.
In the future we intend to extend our proposals to newborns and women, as we already did in the SoBe summer capsule collection inspired by Miami and designed by Valentina Fontana Castiglioni – a mother and entrepreneur, the founder and creative director of Altreforme - where, for the first time, we will introduce clothing for moms to match their kids’ attire.
The collaborations with professionals who make their work a unique experience will be expanded, including a designer from Trento who is well worth discovering. “Then,” Erika Di Rocco goes on, “we will continue to illustrate stories for children who want to know more about how we can dress ourselves with plants and flowers. And the collaboration will continue with Marco and Maddalena, the shoemakers who make footwear out of shoe factory rejects in their workshop on Lake Maggiore”.
We should also mention Giulia Gentilcore and Irene Lupia, in the province of Novara, who are the proprietors of the printing and graphic art laboratory, La Tana dei Lupi Gentili, which brings ancient printing techniques back to life, mixing them with contemporary techniques, the subject of artistic workshops for children.
With regard to the proposals for FW 21/22, showcased on Pitti Connect, the main theme is Little Planet Waves: “I imagined lots of small luminous waves spreading out from our planet, enveloping it, rocking it and bringing it alive. In terms of the fabrics, the choice mainly fell on hemp and linen, free from chemical pesticides throughout the production chain, biodegradable, the friends of sensitive skin and with hypoallergenic, temperature regulating, antibacterial, antistatic, UV protecting properties. The season is a hymn to friendship and kindness”, concludes Erika.
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One of these is Bianca&Noè which was set up in 2019 and is characterized by completely natural, high quality, very resistant fabrics and Made in Italy production.
A project devised in Spring 2019 when Erika Di Rocco (multimedia designer and mom to little Bianca and Noè, aged respectively six and two) was on maternity leave and, taking advantage of the forced break, started researching sustainable fabrics. “A magnificent journey” she says, “that continues every day and has led me to discover increasingly innovative materials, like seaweed, Lotus flower, pineapple and nettle fibers”.
A path that is in perfect harmony with her DNA. “I grew up in a family of creatives” she explains, “with my mother and my aunt who were both dressmakers, one out of passion and the other by profession. Dressmaking has an intrinsic magic: the fabrics take shape and come alive, dressing us for life”. Her training in design and contemporary art, in addition to her practical experience as a mother, did the rest.
The result is Bianca&Noé which, on an esthetic level, reflects Erika’s love for a minimal style, with colors inserted as little touches, details that surprise and are unexpected.
But there’s lots more, namely a commitment to raising the awareness of old and young through clothing in which the materials used are organic, certified, traceable, biodegradable, free from pesticides and chemical substances.
“I set myself an ambitious mission,” Erika maintains, “for which I also invented a hashtag, #startingfromchildren. I wanted to prepare the terrain for the adults of tomorrow through an education in which the garment becomes the method for passing on a key concept: dressing in a conscious way makes kids more sensitive from an early age to subjects such as care, respect and consideration for the planet, as well as for ourselves”.
With this in mind the designer has launched, for example, an illustrated story which can be downloaded for free from the Bianca&Noè website in which the little bird, Timo, the cat Blù, and the raccoon Mirto, playfully tell the story of the linen flower: “it is just the start of an educational path which, I hope, could one day even end up in schools”.
The collection, made up of products which are a little more expensive than usual but are more long-lasting seeing as they cover a couple of years of growth, arrived on the market through the e-commerce biancaandnoe.com website in April 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
A negative moment, from which, however, some positive factors have also emerged: “the situation partly helped us. For a new brand, probably the most complicated thing at the beginning is to organize yourself according to fashion’s tight schedules. The lockdown first and the restrictions afterwards actually permitted us to work very well and bring ourselves in line with other already established brands. Also, we should not forget that we came out with an online sales project, exactly when that was the only way to shop. And, last but not least, I am convinced that these special months have sparked in everyone a desire for authentic things and for getting closer to nature”.
As we have already said, the Bianca&Noè collections are produced entirely in Italy, through a network of collaborations in the Ticino Park, between Piedmont and Lombardy. “I am supported by a team of professional dressmakers who, in their workshops, collaborate with me during the prototype phase” explains Erika, “the production is entrusted to an historic company, which is also Italian, and that has worked in high-end fashion since the 1960s”.
With regard to the raw materials, “they come from preeminent Italian sector sources, like Maeko, Penta textiles services and Manifattura Sesia, all entities that are attentive to sustainability. Soon we would like to tell their stories on our portal”.
In the future we intend to extend our proposals to newborns and women, as we already did in the SoBe summer capsule collection inspired by Miami and designed by Valentina Fontana Castiglioni – a mother and entrepreneur, the founder and creative director of Altreforme - where, for the first time, we will introduce clothing for moms to match their kids’ attire.
The collaborations with professionals who make their work a unique experience will be expanded, including a designer from Trento who is well worth discovering. “Then,” Erika Di Rocco goes on, “we will continue to illustrate stories for children who want to know more about how we can dress ourselves with plants and flowers. And the collaboration will continue with Marco and Maddalena, the shoemakers who make footwear out of shoe factory rejects in their workshop on Lake Maggiore”.
We should also mention Giulia Gentilcore and Irene Lupia, in the province of Novara, who are the proprietors of the printing and graphic art laboratory, La Tana dei Lupi Gentili, which brings ancient printing techniques back to life, mixing them with contemporary techniques, the subject of artistic workshops for children.
With regard to the proposals for FW 21/22, showcased on Pitti Connect, the main theme is Little Planet Waves: “I imagined lots of small luminous waves spreading out from our planet, enveloping it, rocking it and bringing it alive. In terms of the fabrics, the choice mainly fell on hemp and linen, free from chemical pesticides throughout the production chain, biodegradable, the friends of sensitive skin and with hypoallergenic, temperature regulating, antibacterial, antistatic, UV protecting properties. The season is a hymn to friendship and kindness”, concludes Erika.
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