Rifò - regenerating noble textile fibers into timeless pieces of clothing

Rifò clothing
Type of organisation or company
Country
Italy
City
Prato
Language for original content
Project elaborated in partnership
Yes
Submitted by
ICESP, Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform
Start/End date
Ongoing
Yes
Type of funding
Description

The Rifò (meaning "I remake", in Italian) company was founded in October 2017, in the textile district of Prato in Tuscany, Italy. The company regenerates noble textile fibres, such as cashmere, using a proven technology developed in the Prato textile district over a hundred years ago.

The textile scraps are torn, reconverted into wool fibres and transformed into yarns, to be used for very fine products, with exceptional saving of natural resources.

In particular, dyes are not used in the production process, as the scraps are initially sorted according to their colour. The production and assembly techniques used for the garments ensure their durability and recyclability.

Main activity field
Identified challenge (s)
Main results
  • Rifò is a social project with AMIPrato, Fondazione Opera Santarita and Legambiente Prato.
  • Regenerated products can be regenerated two or three times more and are covered by a three-year warranty.
  • The goods are manufactured according to the artisan technique of the descent (flat knitting): this type of production safeguards the characteristics of craftsmanship and guarantees valuable garments and very minimal waste.
  • The production process is carried out in Prato's textile district, within a radius of 30 km (which implies fuel saving, local job opportunities, direct check of the quality and ethics of the production process).
  • The whole recycling process is carried out according to the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) certified by textile exchange.