Innovatio - Gruppo Florence

IN–

NOVA–

TIO

WERE WE EXPLORE

GOING BEYOND, AS A FOUNDING PRINCIPLE.

INNOVATIO IS THE SOUL OF GRUPPO FLORENCE DEDICATED TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, WHERE WE REVOLUTIONISE PROCESSES, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

A principle inscribed in the Group’s DNA since its foundation. When a laboratory joins Gruppo Florence, its entrepreneurs become partners, bringing with them capabilities, machinery and expertise that integrate with those of the others. A radical mindset shift takes place: the focus is no longer solely on one’s own reality, and one becomes a co-protagonist of a collective destiny, united in the co-creation of solutions and in collaboration on complex projects.

A sign of how “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO

BUILD A FUTURE

IN WHICH WE INNOVATE

MADE IN ITALY

MANUFACTURING

BY UNITING

ENTREPRENEURS,

TECHNOLOGY

AND TRADITION.

We believe that innovation is never purely technological.

It is a new way of collaborating, of integrating expertise, of transforming individual entrepreneurial culture into collective strength.

WE BELIEVE IN SYNERGY

AS A GENERATIVE FORCE:

WHEN LABORATORIES

COME TOGETHER,

THEY SHAPE

AN INDUSTRY THAT

IS MORE EVOLVED,

MORE SUSTAINABLE,

MORE RESPONSIBLE.

We are committed to investing in pure research, to open new paths and respond to increasingly complex and demanding challenges.

In processes,
with integrated models and continuous growth.

In products,
transforming ideas into concrete solutions.

In services,
with shared expertise and speed.

WE INNOVATE TOGETHER

TO MAKE POSSIBLE

WHAT YESTERDAY

SEEMED

UNTHINKABLE.

THE PILLARS OF INNOVATIO

Gruppo Florence’s journey expresses itself through three interconnected dimensions that feed one another and that together define our way of working.

PROCESS INNOVATION

Through intercompany integration we develop new models of collaboration that transform the way laboratories work together. Operations that were once separate now dialogue with one another, generating productive solutions unthinkable in an originally fragmented system.

New economic and financial models
Supply chain control and verticalisation systems
Advanced environmental and social sustainability processes
Training programmes and generational transmission of knowledge
Shared platforms for product development

PRODUCT INNOVATION

The Group’s philosophy invests in pure research to develop highly innovative solutions. Industrial synergy, through the cross-pollination of expertise across different product categories, makes it possible to develop products that were previously unrealisable.

Development of proprietary patents with high manufacturing value
Transfer of technologies and knowledge from adjacent sectors and disciplines
Recovery and reinterpretation of traditional techniques and materials
Development of sustainable alternatives to conventional processes and materials

SERVICE INNOVATION

Being an integrated Group means offering maisons not just manufacturing, but a solid and well-organised system. We are not merely a sum of companies, but a structured industrial partner, capable of accompanying the client from research to final production.

Greater shared research and development capacity
Integrated product development along the entire supply chain
Vertical control and traceability
Speed of problem solving thanks to intercompany expertise

WHERE INNOVATION TAKES SHAPE

These three dimensions never act in isolation. From their intersection emerge the Group’s concrete projects: research, patents and solutions that demonstrate every day how to transform pure research into concrete innovation.

FELTHOS®

A proprietary patent of Gruppo Florence, Felthos is a noble regenerated felt, traceable and cruelty-free. Unlike other regenerated materials, it retains full aesthetics, softness and versatility in treatments.

Felthos is the next-generation felt, produced from carefully selected and traced industrial offcuts from the luxury supply chain, alongside virgin materials of the highest quality. Born from an industrial alliance between Italian and European centres of excellence, it meets the needs of the most sustainability-conscious luxury clients while delivering the same qualitative performance as traditional felt in terms of touch and workability.

Felthos is not a material like any other. It is regenerated, not created from scratch. It is noble, yet conscious. It is circular, traceable, authentic. Designed for those who create responsibly.

Regenerated from luxury materials: production offcuts transformed into a valuable new raw material.
Traceable: from the origin of the offcut to the finished product, every stage is documented.
Cruelty-free: regenerated precious fibres and virgin raw materials from responsible sourcing, with no materials of animal origin from lethal practices.
Aesthetics and performance: soft, light, resistant, breathable, thermal, water-repellent, versatile.
Chemical compliant: guaranteed chemical compliance thanks to its origin from pre-consumer offcuts of high-end productions.
Made in Europe: a short, ethical and transparent supply chain between Italy and Portugal.

Felthos is made through four distinct phases:

Selection of production offcuts: collection and selection of noble fibres from the supply chain (cashmere, merino wool and high-end blends) traceable and guaranteed for quality and origin.
Creation of the raw material: the fibres are opened and loosened within Gruppo Florence to obtain a regenerated flock, which can be combined with other fibres to create a customised raw material.
Felt production: Felthos takes shape through carding, cone formation, felting and finishing, carried out according to the highest quality standards.
Design and application: Felthos is ready to become a finished product, from accessories, hats, linings to interior solutions and sustainable packaging.

Felthos is defined by a composition and supply chain that shape its identity: traceable, responsible and of superior quality.

Origin: precious fibres from industrial luxury surplus (merino wool, cashmere and noble blends) and virgin material selected according to social and environmental responsibility criteria.
Composition: 70% regenerated cashmere from selected Gruppo Florence offcuts, 30% virgin wool from ethical suppliers.
Supply chain: Made in Europe between Italy and Portugal, fully traced and transparent.
Cruelty-free: no materials of animal origin from lethal practices.
Texture: natural softness, lightness, structural stability, excellent aesthetic performance.

Felthos is ready to become a finished product: hats, accessories, rigid packaging and interior solutions. Every product is unique, every batch documented.

Felthos Heritage is the custom line that transforms deadstock and unused client inventory into an exclusive, circular and fully traceable felt. The material is created using exclusively the brand’s surplus, in a bespoke project that gives new value to residual materials in keeping with the brand’s values.

NEF — NATURAL ETHIC FUR

NEF is a natural fur crafted from animal hair using a technique drawn from the knitwear world, processed to achieve a fur effect. It requires no synthetic fibres derived from petroleum and speaks to the growing contemporary sensibility around environmental and animal welfare, without compromising on manufacturing quality.

Born from the expertise of Ciemmeci Fashion, NEF is a concrete response to the demand for sustainability in luxury, one that does not sacrifice versatility. More than a textile innovation, it is a solution applicable across multiple categories: from clothing to accessories and footwear, from leather goods to furnishings.

NEF is made exclusively from noble animal fibres obtained through shearing: wool, alpaca, camel, mohair, cashmere. It comes in variable pile lengths, with a matt or shiny finish, and surface effects ranging from smooth to curly. Soft, light, warm, authentic: NEF gives brands a real opportunity to rethink the future of fur in a responsible way.

GUADO

Guado is an ancient natural dye that Gruppo Florence has studied and reintroduced into the denim production process. A revival of Italian dyeing tradition, aimed at developing more sustainable processes and proving that the past can be a genuine source of innovation.

Blue has been fashion’s most commercially dominant colour for over 800 years, yet today almost all denim production relies on synthetic indigo. Ideal Blue, one of the Group’s laboratories, spent years researching a natural and authentic alternative, ultimately rediscovering Guado, the dye plant that coloured Europe blue for centuries. Unlike synthetic indigo, Guado yields a vivid, one-of-a-kind colour that cannot be replicated at an industrial scale. That discovery sparked the reconstruction of an entire agricultural supply chain, from seed to pigment.

The process follows the rhythms and quantities of nature, with no forced intensive production. The plant’s leaves are harvested and immersed in water, which draws out the colouring agent. The pigment separates naturally, is filtered and dried into a powder: a pure colour, ready to be applied. Respecting the natural pace of things is central to the project’s philosophy, and every dye produced is, by its very nature, unique.

Guado pigment is now used across the Group’s various divisions: from denim dyeing to t-shirts, from prints to shoe soles. An open project, constantly evolving, welcoming brands that want to explore this direction.

LASER ON DENIM

Ideal Blue, one of the Group’s laboratories, was the first to bring laser technology into denim manufacturing. A choice driven by a question: how to make the production process more sustainable by reducing water, energy and chemical use in fabric treatment. The result is a technique applied directly to the fabric before the garment is assembled, delivering significant resource savings compared to traditional methods.

The project grew out of a collaboration with a machinery manufacturer that, through Ideal Blue, found an entirely new market opening up. The machine was developed to the laboratory’s precise specifications, with parameters and features tailored to manufacturing needs. From the start, Ideal Blue took an open approach: sharing the process, making it visible, encouraging others to adopt it. Laundries and competitors followed suit, confirming that the goal was always to improve the process for the benefit of the whole industry.

The laser has unlocked unexpected possibilities for brands: from the extreme personalisation of garments with logos and lettering applied with millimetric accuracy to the ability to develop multiple versions of the same base fabric, expanding collection options without changing the raw material. A single base can yield completely different looks, with the same performance and a reduced environmental footprint.

Years of research have led Ideal Blue to develop three distinct directions:

Ennobling: using specific techniques, the laser goes beyond engraving to transform the fabric itself — raising the pile, creating breaks, hollowing out the weave — giving it an entirely new character and value.
Combini: a 3D design technique that enables graphics to wrap seamlessly around a garment at 360°, achieved with a single prototype and a level of precision previously only possible through artisanal methods.
Vintage: reproducing the washes and surface effects of historical garments through laser, recreating the look of age without chemical treatments.

Three distinct approaches to meet different creative needs, always with the same commitment to the highest quality.

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