Milano Unica: Honoring Wool’s Past, Spearheading Its Future

Milano Unica welcomed more than 700 exhibitors to Milan last week for the Italian trade show’s 39th edition, showcasing Fall/Winer 2025-2026 collections of high-end textiles and accessories for womenswear, menswear and kidswear. Of those exhibitors, 454 were local to Italy—up 18 percent from the show’s July 2023 edition.

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“Milano Unica continues to grow, demonstrating that exports of made-in-Italy textiles and apparel represent a very important boost for the Italian economy , contributing significantly to the country’s GDP (64 billion euro in 2023),” said Barbara Cimmino, vice president of Confindustria, the General Confederation of Italian Industry. “To support the industry, it is necessary to ensure that the European dimension and global competitiveness are held together, reconciling the dual transition with the support of industrial policies and a level playing field.”

Of the local textile mills, wool and cashmere were in focus, as the Italian market has seen an emphasis on post-pandemic comfort . But, of course, this is Italy: luxury fibers —chiefly cashmere —were championed to keep the relaxed fits elevated and transitional.

The Biella-based wool mill established in 1865, Reda , “reinterpreted” cashmere via the Goat collection. Inspired by the acronym “greatest of all time,” the double entendre performance-wear capsule was presented at the fair with a contemporary, complete look (featuring a turtleneck, a T-shirt, a fleece, an overshirt, a pair of wide pants and a baseball cap) unlike the material’s traditional polished presentations , expanding cashmere beyond the concept of being a luxury fiber toward “new horizons of style.”

“This is a new chapter; when you’re looking for the next chapter, you have to change direction,” Ercole Botto Poala , Reda’s CEO, told Sourcing Journal, noting that introducing synthetic fibers was never an option on the table for the mill. “So we thought that, if we’re going to introduce cashmere with performance meeting luxury , we [wanted to] offer a totally new concept.”

Meanwhile, Manteco took attendees on a visual journey through the family-run businesses’ operations and showcased its new Noble collection and Bi Gala fabric.

Noble, a collection of luxurious and premium wool and cashmere fabrics exclusively crafted with Casentino Lane yarns, is a “tribute” to elegance and luxury. The collection is spun in the heart of the Casentino area—a UNESCO World Heritage site and “unique biodiversity hotspot” home to the textile arts since the 1300s. Featuring a patented double weave, Bi Gala is the “ultimate wool fabric,” offering comfort, adaptability and durability ideal for the outerwear market.

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“The fabrics we design and produce are deeply rooted in the centuries-long textile tradition of the territory we live in and the profound relationship between people and nature,” Matteo Mantellassi, co-CEO of Manteco, said. “Everything is carefully done by thousands of skillful artisans , which we have always preserved by never ever delocalizing our production processes and always maintaining them in our homeland, Tuscany .”

Vitale Barberis Canonico (VBC), one of the oldest wool mills in the world, dedicated its stand at Milano Unica entirely to Saxon merino wool with its Saxon Club range. As the progenitor of the modern Australian merino sheep, this wool is known for its “outstanding quality” and regal history dating back to the European courts before Eliza Forlonge discovered it in the mid-1800s, who introduced a small flock of the animals to Australia, which had ideal conditions to develop the breed.

“[The collection] is all about the Saxon merino breed, which is the ancestor of the Australian merino sheep,” Francesco Barberis Canonico, creative director of the family-operated Italian textile mill, said. “These sheep are actually the same breed of the [sheep] important in the mid-18th century. Same blood, same DNA.”

The Saxon sheep, VBC said, are smaller and produce less fleece than other sheep. They’ve declined in population numbers throughout the years, as their management is “more complex,” requiring constant care and attention because they “lack the same robustness” compared to more modern breeds. Thus, the breeders supplying VBC willingly comply with the Integrity Animal Welfare protocols that stipulate the care of both the animals and the environment.

The resulting Saxon wool is characterized by being highly crimped, similar to a spring, thus giving the fiber itself more body and structure. The Saxon Club utilizes this for three styles: a Saxony fabric created in pure Saxon wool with a compact, soft hand feel with a weight designed for draping, a lightweight worsted flannel and a double Melton created for raw cut garments.

“The inspiration was to protect this animal, basically give incentive to the growers to continue the great history of [the] animals and animal welfare and also product,” Barberis Canonico said. “We have an arrangement for exclusivity, so we will look after and protect it.”

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