The third edition of A Dress for Venice 2023 celebrates sustainable innovation and craftsmanship as values for the future of the planet
In May 2023, Venezia da Vivere presents a new edition of A Dress For Venice, a project that celebrates craftsmanship as a value for the future of the planet. The new 2023 edition connects designers, artisans, and schools with sustainable innovation of Bemberg™ fiber produced solely by Asahi Kasei, and certified for its biodegradability both in soil and water.
A limited-edition fashion capsule collection designed by eco-designer Tiziano Guardini and artist/designer Jacopo Ascari will be manufactured by artisanal companies in Venice and the Veneto region. The capsule will feature fabrics made from Bemberg™ yarn by Asahi Kasei for Martina Vidal Venezia, a Venetian brand that incorporates Burano lace into clothing and interior design, an ancient art craft that is a candidate to enter the UNESCO World Heritage List.
A Dress for Venice is a concept created by Venezia da Vivere in 2019 to talk about Venice through the themes of sustainability and craftsmanship, combining fashion with art and enhancing the role of Venice as a source of inspiration and an ideal place to live and create.
The sustainable outfit will debut in September during the Venice International Film Festival. It will be accompanied by a capsule collection made of Bemberg™ material that will be unveiled during the Venice Fashion Week, which will take place from October 19th to 28th, 2023, with the support of Camera Buyer Italia, the national association that brings together the best multi-brand stores of excellence.
For the creation of the capsule collection, Venezia da Vivere relies on a supply chain of excellence within the Veneto fashion system, characterised by the craftsmanship of the companies and a natural aptitude for sustainability, with the support of Tavolo Veneto della Moda, which represents Confartigianato, CNA, Confindustria, Confcommercio and Confesercenti of the Veneto Region.
A Dress For Venice is also a mentorship and training project: the companies and designers will meet students from fashion and communication schools in the Veneto region to convey their commitment to the environment in creating sustainable fashion collections, and the entire process will be narrated through social media.
The fabrics that will be used to create the collection will be created by two important Italian companies with great experience in Bemberg™ fashion fabrics: Infinity srl and Tessitura Grisotto. The textile printing will be carried out by Creazioni Digitali, a company that specialized in digital sublimation printing, which with the GreenDrop project will print on Bemberg™ fabrics with pigment inks with reduced water usage.
Lorenzo Cinotti and Laura Scarpa, founders of Venezia da Vivere and creators of A Dress For Venice, said: “A Dress for Venice brings together the manufacturing excellence of Veneto’s fashion supply chains, Asahi Kasei’s international research on sustainability, and the creativity of young talents. The network we have created brings together actors of the highest level around a virtuous fashion idea that updates and reaffirms the traditional Made in Italy style. The Veneto region is known for its textile production and craftsmanship, and it is home to many luxury and haute couture fabric companies.”
Koji Hamada, CEO of Asahi Kasei Fibers Italia, underlined: “”Thanks to A Dress for Venice project we have the opportunity to express once more our commitment: sustainable materials can generate fashionable yet conscious clothes. It’s crucial to highlight the values of Bemberg™ in terms of look and touch thus raising consumer awareness also for its environmental and social values.”
Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei is a unique material produced in Japan that represents an example of a circular economy because it’s made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linters, pre-consumer material converted through a traceable and transparent closed-loop process that guarantees certified sustainability credentials. An INNOVHUB report confirms its biodegradability in soil, and recently Bemberg™ obtained the OK biodegradable MARINE certification from TÜV AUSTRIA.
A Dress for Venice partners
The global platform C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy), which pursues the mission of making the fashion industry more conscious, is a partner of the A Dress for Venice project, and of which Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei is a member.
A Dress for Venice is sponsored by the Municipality of Venice, the Tavolo Veneto della Moda (Confindustria, CNA, Confartigianato, Confesercenti, Confcommercio), and Homo Faber – Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art, which promotes fine craftsmanship and savoir-faire worldwide.
The partners of the project are Camera Buyer Italia, Marina Iremonger, Creazioni Digitali, Garage Milano Marina Guidi.
Photo: Jacopo Ascari (cover), Pietro Gallina, Marta Formentello, and Settimo Cannatella.
