AlpTextyles Stand at Milano Unica 2025
The material roots
For a more sustainable industry and lifestyles
AlpTextyles cross-border fabric, Alpine Space | Fresh intertwinings
These items were created using a unique textile born from Alpine collaboration. Developed through AlpTextyles with — among others — wool from Montafoner Steinschaf (AT) and Bergamasca sheep (IT), and woven in Val Poschiavo (CH), this fabric is more than the sum of its parts: it’s a weave of landscapes, traditions, and shared intentions. The cushions of the meeting zone, along with selected items on display across the cubes, embody this new material culture: rooted in heritage, shaped by dialogue, and open to innovation. A fabric that connects fibers with communities, knowledge, and design across borders.
Regione Lombardia, Italy | Living heritage in practices
The pieces displayed here are the tangible outcome of the Alpine Icon Summer School, the program promoted by Regione Lombardia rooted in the living textile heritage of the Alps. Through hands-on work with local craftswomen, students engaged in spinning, weaving, dyeing, and embroidery — learning by doing. Each item reflects a rediscovered connection between past and present: traditional techniques reimagined through contemporary design thinking. The 2024 edition focused on Alpine iconography, inspiring students to translate historical symbols into new forms, materials, and functions. The result is a series of textile artefacts where heritage becomes a dynamic, wearable language — shaped by memory, craft, and experimentation.
Mediplant, Switzerland | Researching plants, cultivating change
Based in the Swiss Alps, Mediplant explores the potential of plant-based dyes for tomorrow’s textiles. Drawing on deep botanical knowledge, the center tests autochthonous species including indigo and larch bark to develop natural pigments that offer a visually rich and viable alternative to synthetic dyeing processes. While natural dyeing is regaining traction in artisanal contexts, the real challenge is scaling it up for industrial application. Through applied research and cross-border collaboration, Mediplant extracts the best out of nature to help build a more resilient and sustainable future for textile coloration.
RAS – Development Agency Sora, Slovenia | Cooperation for innovation
These samples are the result of a pilot project exploring natural dyes for contemporary textiles, carried out by Mediplant and the Development Agency Sora, in collaboration with the creative textile hub Kreativnice Škofja Loka. The initiative tested two plant-based dyes — woad (Isatis tinctoria) and larch bark (Larix decidua) — developed by Mediplant and applied to linen and wool using entirely natural, chemical-free methods. Led by textile expert Lili Panjtar (SI), the process focused on both material performance and color quality. The results, documented in a series of sample books, demonstrate the potential of plant-based dyes for broader application — and have sparked a shared commitment to continue this line of research and experimentation within the textile industry.
Stand Montafon, Austria | New weavings for designers
From the rare Montafon Stone Sheep comes a wool deeply rooted in Alpine culture — now reimagined through the hands of emerging designers. Once on the brink of disappearing, this native breed and its distinctive fleece are at the heart of a new generation’s approach to sustainable textile design. These pieces combine endangered heritage fibers with contemporary vision, demonstrating how innovation can emerge from care for place, memory, and craft. At Milano Unica, they stand as tactile stories of resilience — where tradition becomes material for the future.
©Photo: AlpTextyles
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Polo Poschiavo
ZRC SAZU – Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
emlyon business school
Razvojna agencija Sora
Regione Lombardia
Sistema Moda Italia
BELLISSIMO
Istituto Marangoni
TECHTERA
Stand Montafon
Mediplant
FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
