From the land, the uniqueness of our garments

According to CNR's latest research, the most sustainable nets for the production of Taranto mussels, which have recently managed to become certified as a Slow Food and thus an axis along which to measure the economic and social development of the area, should be produced from sisal; a fibre extracted from the agave, a plant that was alien in Apulia until recently but which has become more widespread due to climate change. Sisal fibre combines resistance and sustainability -  and is the best solution, according to researchers, to continue producing high-quality mussels and not impact the increasingly fragile ecosystem of our seas.

The Taranto mussel affair offers an opportunity to frame the direction in which Apulian manufacturing must move, rediscovering and renewing a symbiotic relationship with the territory. Industry, in its artisan declination, understood as the productive dimension of a community, takes from the territory (raw materials, intelligence, opportunities, spaces, incentives) and gives back (products, services, visibility, stories). Each of our garments is the synthesis of the territory where it is produced. It is necessary to make these connections clear and highlight this radical system. This is the real novelty compared to what happened almost twenty years ago, when the famous ‘multi-fibre agreement’ was passed, which opened the (exit) doors for production abroad - in emerging countries - leaving only rubble in Puglia. However, we overcame that moment thanks to the entrepreneurs who decided to focus not on quantity, but on quality. On their uniqueness.

We need to invest in this direction, in a strategy that combines our production and design capacity, our creativity, the territory from which we take our nectar, and our tradition, but with an eye on a horizon that is the whole world. We can and must do this. And if we still have doubts, we should look to the great luxury brands that have already set their sights on our region, and not only as a setting for fashion shows, but also for our productive, creative, entrepreneurial capacity. If Apulia works as a system, it can also face the challenges that today’s market poses. We deserve it.