Are you an enterprise or professional looking to buy/sell leftover materials? Join our b2b marketplace
Menu
Are you an enterprise or professional looking to buy/sell leftover materials? Join our b2b marketplace
Few Italian regions embody the history of fashion like Tuscany. With 11 textile districts it’s one of the biggest Italian and European hub for the production of textiles. One of the largest of them is Prato.
Prato is one of the areas in Central and Northeast Italy (the so-called “Third Italy”) where centuries-old craft skills have successfully merged with modern industrial growth. Originating between the 19th and 20th centuries, the industrialization process underwent a rapid acceleration after World War II and was definitely established by the 1970s.
Prato began to specialize in textiles in the 12th century, when garment manufacturing was regulated by the Wool Merchants’ Guild. The political and economic decline experienced in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries caused a drop in textile activities, which resumed in the late 18th century with the production of knitted caps made for Arab markets. The Prato district became thoroughly established during the 1970s.
The emerging of fashion as a mass phenomenon, together with the higher salaries and the revolution in customs, marked a historical division in the clothing market (and not only), and the demand became more fragmented, differentiated, unsteady and seasonal.
During time the Prato district underwent a fundamental transformation, from a product-oriented, wool-processing district to a market-oriented, fashion/textile district. The re-orientation of its competitive identity in terms of “satisfied needs” cleared the way for a considerable increase in the variety of products and production technologies.
During the seventies new possibilities were explored and developed, often with a pioneering spirit, in textiles (patterned combed yarns for knitwear, knitted fabrics, furs, coated fabrics, flock fabrics, etc.) and in non-wool fibres, both natural and synthetic. Since then, the fashion world (the world leaders in prêt-a-porter, the garment-makers for industrial brands, the large industrial retailers) would turn to Prato to find what other textile districts could not provide: constantly renewed collections of great variety and creativity and the ability to answer increasingly complex service requests; the district has been able to channel its strengths into increasingly innovative and sustainable techniques and processes, thus earning the appellation of “Recycling Capital.”
Bags of used clothing are arriving in Prato from all over Europe. An initial selection is made to remove the clothes that can be destined for second hand and those that are destined for recycling. A selection of materials is then made, discarding those that do not contain wool. At this point buttons, zippers, labels are removed. The material is selected by color and is sent to the recycling process. It is selected by color because another positive factor of this type of processing is that the dyeing phase is not carried out: the fiber is already dyed and therefore a very polluting phase of textile processing is saved.Used clothes become fiber again thanks to the so-called “carbonizzo” processing, which takes the name “mechanical wool” ready to become the protagonist of new creations.
Certainly the Prato district is a virtuous example to follow under any aspects. Don’t you agree?
Worldwide
shipping in 72h
Shipment
compensated in CO2
Return
free
Shipping time and costs depending on the product you are going to purchase especially if it is a product that is made to order.
We honor return requests made within 14 days after receiving the original purchase.
Zerow accepts returns of unworn, unwashed, and undamaged items, with no signs of use, for refund. Please note that customized, personalized and exchanged products cannot be returned.
Returns must be packaged in the Zerow box, which must be securely sealed with adhesive tape. In case our box is no longer available, you may use another type of packaging suitable for the shipment of our items.
If the original order was below the 150€ threshold for free shipping the shipping fee will be excluded from the refund. If a partial return brings the total amount paid below 150€, the shipping amount will be deducted from the refund according to your local shipping rate.
Did you buy a bag and over time it got damaged ?
Offering aftercare, post-purchase services has always been a priority for Zerow, that’s why if some of the products you bought on our platform deteriorate or break, Zero’s team is ready to pick up, reset and send them back to you.
Possible refunds and exchanges will be processed within 14 working days upon the arrival into our warehouse.
It means that there is no stock for that particular product. It will be manufactured only once the order is placed. This helps the reduction of wasted materials and resources.
You can find the ‘Crafting time’ in the description of the product.
How long is the lead time for a made-to-order product ?
It depends on each brand. If you want to know the specific lead time contact us we’ll let you know as soon as we can !
Do you want to sell in our marketplace or need more information?
Zerow stands for Zero Waste. We are a community of companies, artisans, designers and people who love sustainable products. We offer a marketplace where you can buy upcycled products and leftovers and a circular network made to connect companies and artisans for transforming waste into products.
Zerow is part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation community.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Zerow srl Via Isaac Newton 104, 50018 Scandicci (FI) P.IVA 07138020487 support@zerow.it