Fortunale, the Apulian brand of organic wool knitwear that renews fashion

It all started with the birth of his son in 2012:on that touching and profound occasion, Ivan Aloisio looked to the future and the world in which little Jacopo would have to live.Ivan, with a family tradition of wool spinners behind him, grew up in a knitwear factory in a very small town in the province of Potenza

It all started with the birth of his son in 2012:on that touching and profound occasion, Ivan Aloisio looked to the future and the world in which little Jacopo would have to live.Ivan, one family tradition of wool spinners behind him, growing up in a knitwear factory in a very small town in the province of Potenza and then moving to Puglia, he saw the company grow and with it his awareness ofpollution that the textile industry produces.Hence the belief in having to create different knitwear, which respects nature and the environment and is committed to protecting the health of workers and consumers.

From that first intuition the project grew and in 2018, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, it was officially born Fortunate, a knitwear factory that uses organic and natural wool, with special attention to circularity and sustainability.In 2021 Fortunale becomes benefit company and pursuing all-round sustainability objectives, it enters the LifeGate Way ecosystem, the LifeGate subsidiary dedicated to naturally sustainable startups.

Fortunale, the wind that changes fashion

The choice of the name Fortunale, an atmospheric disturbance of exceptional intensity, is significant with regard to the startup's approach, which aims to be a wind of change that is disruptive in changing the state of things and renew the fashion industry through a natural, organic and circular approach.To do this we need to project ourselves into the future without losing identity and tradition.

It starts with sheep, raised respectfully, on meadows that do not use chemical substances and without pesticides.In fact, Fortunale purchases high quality yarn pure organic certified virgin wool and coming from cruelty-free farms, which comes next dyed with natural colors using more than two hundred ingredients including roots, plants and flowers, and without using chemicals.Reseda, madder and indigo are used as in centuries-old recipes, with traditional processing methods adapted to the industrial process which give life to soft and pleasantly imperfect colours.The leaders, natural and hypoallergenic, are made by local artisans and are individually hand finished and checked before shipping.They embody the expression of made in Italy original, high quality.

The circularity of the process 

Respect for the circular economy materializes in many ways.First of all Fortunale assures that each shirt will be recycled up to 80 percent.To encourage this virtuous circle, it guarantees a 30 percent discount on the next purchase of knitwear to every customer who returns their item at the end of its life.

Also the packaging of knitwear, strictly plastic-free, is designed to be reused in its entirety and have a new life:from the label on the shirts around which you can wrap the earphones, to the cardboard box, with a design that encourages you to reuse it.Furthermore, each item inside the package is wrapped in tissue paper with awork of art made by Francesco Ferrulli, an artist from Gravina di Puglia, in the province of Bari, which can be framed and become a painting.The strong lines and bright colors of his drawings communicate the explosive energy of the storm.In this way Fortunale, reality strongly rooted in the territory, thought of promoting local art and culture, just as it participated in an initiative to valorise native Apulian wool, the Plauto Project, together with the University of Bari.

The Fortunale forest 

Fortunale has decided to invest part of its profits in environmental protection projects:for each item purchased plant a tree of pomegranate in a land confiscated from the mafia in the province of Bari, making use of the collaboration of the agricultural social cooperative Semi di vita which deals with the reintegration of young people in difficulty.The choice fell on the pomegranate for its symbolic value of fertility and prosperity and because it would have allowed the non-profit organization to have fruit to use for its activities.The idea is to give something back to the local community and add social value to the project.

The code corresponding to the planted tree is embroidered on each Fortunale garment.In this way, the bond between those who have chosen to support the startup, embracing its philosophy, and the concrete result that it produces is strengthened.To date, over 900 trees have been exceeded, of which 600 have already been planted, while we wait until next spring to plant the others.The choice to use confiscated land is also a sign of circularity on a broader level:what was previously used for illegal purposes is now returned to legality and nature in a virtuous process that creates value, first and foremost for the community.