Feature: WRÅD x Slowear
In a world where speed reigns supreme, conditioning – among other things – our daily routines, Slowear and WRÅD are launching a new collaboration defined by a desire to rediscover the beauty that can come from valuing and respecting the time needed to produce quality. Also part of this collaboration is the launch of a new capsule under the banner of environmental and social responsibility, the result of production processes and creative choices dictated by the rhythms of nature.
The WRÅD x Slowear mini capsule-collection features the launch of an exclusive limited-edition of 100 T-shirts and 20 sweatshirts, made with the time and care that the handcrafted expertise and original botanical printing techniques selected require.
The fabric of the T-shirts – which are made entirely in Italy between Tuscany and Lombardy – is a jersey made with jacquard looms using GOTS-certified organic cotton yarn. The sweatshirts, on the other hand, made of recovered cotton, are all one-of-a-kind pieces featuring a natural type of botanical print. This printing process, handcrafted on each garment by Evelina Marconi and Nicoletta Piazza (Textile Anthropology founders), is based on the principle of the migration of the natural pigment contained in plants to the fabric to give life to unique graphic marks and impressions. The plant used for the botanical print of the first 20 sweatshirts in this capsule is the wild bramble (Rubus ulmifolius), a thorny, weedy shrub known primarily for its edible fruit, the blackberry.
"Our first contact with Slowear was back in late 2019, but we are only now launching a limited-edition capsule – we literally took our time to give the word "collaboration" a meaning that was concrete and relevant to both of us," says Matteo Ward, CEO of WRÅD. "In the name and manifesto of the Slowear brand, we found the physiological starting point to structure this path of sharing between our businesses, leading to the creation of design objects resulting from processes whose "slowness" was the creative force behind everything. Objects designed for those who, like us, are looking to rediscover the pleasure of using and enjoying an item of clothing, and who no longer want to limit themselves to mere consumption".
The collaboration between WRÅD and SLOWEAR is part of a grander journey that goes far beyond the development of the capsule. In fact, training sessions on diversity and inclusion – taught by the WRÅD team – were created in parallel for all Slowear employees and managers. A training project with an amplified social impact thanks to the WRÅD Education x Slowear program that allows, for every Slowear employee trained, the free provision of a sustainability workshop to students in Italy and around the world starting in September 2022.
The WRÅD x Slowear limited edition collection will be available in select Slowear stores and online at slowear.com.
Photos Courtesy of WRÅD x Slowear
Instagram: Slowear
Official Website: Slowear Online
