Blint n° 75 - Enero 2016

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
in my intuition,” explained Lacroix, “and when I was approached
by the Aubade people with a proposal to create this capsule
collection, I jumped at the chance. I felt that we had a great deal
in common, that my passion for fashion would could flourish
in the context of the time-honored heritage of this venerable
company, a firm that represents the best of the French and Parisian
tradition.” The capsule collection, which is being presented in
the supremely appropriate setting of the Parisian Salon de la
Lingerie, brings together the signature Aubade elements and the
contemporary, audacious verve of Christian Lacroix, who imbues
the garments with a modern twist, but one that is tinged with an
alluring old-fashion charm, thanks to the distinctive colors – bold
touches of fuchsia and black and dashes of acid pastels – the
floral motifs inspired by the sumptuous decorative flourishes
of Versailles and it most distinguished female occupant, Maria
Antonietta, the dainty tassels that dangle voluptuously from the
push-up models, the thong bras that still manage to provide lots
of oomph and support. Sensual and exquisitely feminine the
corsets boast classic motifs of crossed laces, while the short
slips reveals a romantic allure. The lower items include French
knickers, a thong and bikini model. All absolutely heavenly.
ENCUENTROS/COMPANIES
OSCALITO
QUALITY AND NATURAL MATERIALS MADE IN ITALY
This year, the Italian company celebrates its 80 year anniversary,
and it has just landed in Spain with all the
quality and design of its knitted intimate apparel and
outwear.
In the early Thirties, in Turin, Osvaldo and Lino Casalini and
began to produce cotton and wool fabrics. As a natural evolution,
in 1936, the brand Oscalito was born, presenting a
collection of intimate and knitted outerwear for men, women
and children, using only high-quality natural fibers. After the
war, the Casalini brothers recovered two textile machines
from the rubble and placed them in a space along the river
Po, where they reembarked on the Oscalito adventure with
more enthusiasm than ever.
Some decades after, the children of Lino, Arrigo and Andrea
took over the family business with new ideas to promote the
brand and included a dose of creativity that resulted in new
designs and models using fibers and materials unknown until
that time.
The Oscalito collections were an immediate success, which
spread to the United States.
Since then, Oscalito has always accounted for a high sales
volume abroad, and if in 1980 it represented 40% of sales, it
has currently raised to 70%.
This interest in exports is linked to the company's policy,
which has kept all its production line in Italian territory, resisting
globalization and thus maintaining a genuine Made in
Italy product: all stages of production, from design to manufacture
including weaving and finishing, are carried out at
the company's plant in Via Asiago, Turin. In addition, an innovative
system allows for traceability of each product and
production stage. Oscalito uses natural yarns to create its
own fabrics. Materials such as pure Egyptian Mako cotton,
Scotish cotton yarn, a mix of 70% merino wool and 30%
silk, pure silk, merino wool, Sea Island Cotton, cashmere
and mixed micromodal and silk dominate this brand's proposals.
To manufacture these raw materials, Oscalito used
classical circular knitting machines, which work slowly in
order to respect quality and highlight the fibers and their natural
traits. The result is a fabric with the perfect balance between
softness and elasticity. After a slight matting phase,
the fabric is dried and the finishes are applied. The fabrics
are cut following two different procedures depending on
the type: they use used machine and computerized cutting
machine for smooth Jersey fabrics, while the ribbed tubular
fabric, signature of the company, follows a more delicate
procedure that preserves its natural elasticity. In the latter,
the fabric is hand-fed to the band saw, a job that requires
a lot of skill, finesse and precision. The lace is also cut by
hand, following the lines and the embroidery of the yarn.
After the sewing stage, which employs cutting-edge and
highly technological machines, the garments are subjected,
one by one, to a rigorous quality control, where the seams
and the smoothness of the fabric are regularly checked.
Each year, 400,000 garments leave the Oscalito factory,
a small percentage of which goes to the top brands that
dress celebrities such as Mick Jagger and Cameron Diaz.
Currently, the third generation of the Casalini family is vigilant
so not a bit of the quality that has made Oscalito's reputation
is lost. It is embarking on an international expansion
crusade by taking part in major trade fairs, and exploring new
foreign markets. As part of this strategy, the brand, which
this year celebrates its 80th anniversary, has announced it's
arrival in the Spanish market. In its two yearly collections,
male and female, Oscalito is reknowed for its great attention
to detail and its finishes: tubular tissue, elegant and comfortable
ribbed silk twine, crisp taffeta, lace, Leavers and Chantilly
bloom in original and elegant colours enriched by unique
and refined details. Oscalito proposals offer great outwearability.
The garments are designed to be worn as underwear,
they are very comfortable in contact with the body, but also
to be shown, for example under a jacket. Currently, Oscalito
garments can be found in about 1500 selected shops in over
30 countries. In addition to quality, the fashion content and
the 100% Italian production, the key to Oscalito accessing
international markets lays also in its logistics and distribution
network, which is fast, accurate and effective.
HYD
EXCELLENCE MADE IN EUROPE
A collection of eco-sustainable stockings, born in Spain
and 100% made in Europe, produced in Italy using only
high quality raw materials.
Italian by birth and Catalan by adoption, Claudio Gazzotti
has always shown a strong liking for art and design. While
studying marketing at Oxford, he decided to combine these
passions with his experience in the textile world and thus he
launched the Barcelona-born brand HYD, a tribute to London
(HYD comes from Hyde Park) and the good Italian work, for
all is pieces are manufactured in Lombardy.
The brand combines classic luxury and innovation creating
a complete universe where active and independent women
can find anything they could dream of.
In its exclusively European production, the firm uses high
quality raw materials from countries like Spain, United
States, Israel, Japan and Italy, and luxurious finishes. In addition,
HYD is higly committed to environmental sustainability
and all it only uses cutting edge technologies and machinery.
All HYD garments comply with the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard,
the European certificate that guarantees the absence
of harmful substances in textile products throughout all the
manufacturing stages.
HYD items are available at selected stores that can be found
in a wide sales network that includes Spain, Italy, Portugal,
Germany, France and Scandinavia. Plus, it also supplies to
Canada, Korea, England, Ireland, USA and Chile.
Last year, the company won the prestigious Golden Thimble
award. Among the jury members were renowned international
designers such as Francis Montesinos, Elio Berhanyer,
Javier Larraínzar, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, and Victorio
& Lucchino.