The Creative Denim Label to Look For – “Meidea in Italy”
The places to get denim inspiration are manyfold, but for Lucia Rosin, it’s looking to and learning about what innovative brands in the space are doing—both with style and sustainability.
Rosin, founder of Italy’s Meidea, a creative studio consultancy drawing on its expertise in denim to supply new ideas for products and processes, has been in the industry since the 90s. Knowing there was an opportunity to share denim knowledge with others in the industry, Rosin launched Meidea in 2004 in answer to that need. Now the group of skilled apparel industry professionals provide made-to-measure consultancy to brands that need it.
And they’ve done it all with sustainability in mind. Rosin has woven more eco-friendly ways through everything she’s done in her career and now using it to inform the consultancy.
Carved in Blue caught up with Rosin to get a better idea about what Meidea’s doing and what it’s bringing to the denim space.
Carved in Blue: Can you tell us a little bit about Meidea? What does the name mean?
Lucia: Meidea is a creative studio that brings together different skilled professionals with international experience in textile, fashion, design, photography, graphic and architecture. We provide made-to-measure consultancy in developments of product, image and innovation. The name Meidea comes from the English words “me” and “idea,” that sound like “my idea” in Venetian dialect—something both international and linked to our tradition.
Carved in Blue: What is your background in the industry?
Lucia: I have been working in fashion and textile business for 30 years and as a consultant since 1998. As an indigo lover, denim is a big passion that I have followed and developed in many years of work for brands, mills, laundries and technology industries. Sustainability enthusiast since early ‘90s, I have pursued an ecological approach in every project since the beginning of my career.
Carved in Blue: Meidea hosts events—Can you tell us about them?
Lucia: When in 2016 we moved to Meidea Atelier, a restored factory building in Castelfranco Veneto, we had the aim to create a polyfunctional space, where art installations, conferences and workshops blend together with the fashion atelier and the consultancy studio. Since then we’ve held art installations of artists from all over the world, happenings and workshops with professionals and artisans, training meetings and conferences. Just a few weeks ago we held a conference about the slow fashion movement and its connection with our industrial area.
Carved in Blue: Tell us a little more about your garment archive.
Lucia: Our garment archive is one of our prides. I have been collecting garments since I was 16, now we have an archive of more than 4,000 pieces of clothing as well as vintage, new and experimental. The denim sector is the biggest indeed, almost half of my collection, carefully archived and stored. It’s in our archive that was stored a ‘90s Levi’s jean with TENCEL® branded lyocell fibers, one of the first of its kind.
Carved in Blue: When did you first work with fabrics using TENCEL® fibers?
Lucia: My first work using TENCEL® fibers was in 1994, while I was working in Benetton Company. I fell in love with the fabrics using TENCEL® fibers because of the drapey aspect, freshness and breathability, thus I decided to apply it in the“Blue Family” denim collection I designed.
Carved in Blue: What is the greatest challenge for the denim industry regarding sustainability?
Lucia: I think the greatest challenge for the denim industry is to truly and thoroughly apply sustainable ethics, materials and methods. Sustainability needs to be felt more like a present need than a marketing tool. I also believe that the biggest challenge is in the hands of new generations, we now have the duty to share our knowledge with them, trying to be honest and transparent about the dangers and damages of this industry. We have to do better every single day.
Carved in Blue: What inspires you?
Lucia: I’m a research traveller and photography passionate, I believe that the world is full of wonders to discover if you have the guts to get out and find them. Keep curious and never stop, train your eye and you’ll find the inspiration in places you would never have believed.
Carved in Blue: What about hobbies…what are yours?
Lucia: Besides traveling, photography and hiking in the nature, I have great love for antique roses and their breed. I get a great energy from gardening, working with my hands in the soil, it’s a good method to recharge batteries.
Carved in Blue: What is the next denim frontier?
Lucia: I dream of (and I am working for) jeans that need less care, breathable, durable, extremely comfortable, with natural feeling but performant in the mean time. Future denim will be less vintage and more creative. Denim is like a sheet of paper on which we can draw, why do we keep doing things that are seen before?
And we definitely need to to take care of the way we produce it : less water, less chemicals, less pollution.
Carved in Blue: When does a jean stop being a jean?
Lucia: When it does not play its primary function: freedom of movement, extreme versatility and great comfort. No matter if is Indigo or colored, jeans are a state of mind, a kind of uniform without age or gender, it needs special care in materials, details and finishings.
Carved in Blue: What does “Carved in Blue” mean to you?
Lucia: I like to learn from people and companies that have my same passion for BLUE. Share their stories in Carved in Blue, starting from different perspectives and experiences, is a great way to widen knowledge about innovation and sustainable processes.