Casagin creates clothing in biodegradable vegetable fibres

Awarded as one of the most innovative startups in 2019, Casagin uses natural and recycled fabrics to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion sector.

1,900 kilograms of carbon dioxide, 10 million liters of water and 21 thousand square meters of land.This is what he managed to save in 2020 Casagin, the made in Italy brand of sustainable clothing, awarded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Mit) of Boston as one of the most innovative startups of 2019.Through the use of natural and recycled fabrics, Casagin offers lines of underwear, loungewear And activewear 100 percent green, made in biodegradable plant fibres.

The brand was born in a context in which, according to the Sustainable fashion survey, edited by Ipsos mori on behalf of Changing markets foundation And Clean clothes campaign, 72 percent of people think that a clothing brand should be responsible for its production choices, supporting the adoption of ethically sustainable processes that are not harmful to the environment.And it is precisely from this fact that Casagin gave rise to a company with the ambitious objective of bringing sustainability within everyone's reach.

What is Casagin

Daniela Prandin founded Casagin in 2017, after several experiences related to the world of fashion in some important fashion houses which, however, contributed to making the sector one of the most polluting in the world.In that period, the idea of ​​creating a brand capable of bringing about change also in Italy began to germinate, where the theme of sustainability was slowly starting to make headway.

And so Casagin was born, thanks also to the meeting of people who believed in a project dedicated to ethical and sustainable clothing.The idea behind it is all contained in name, which arises from the union of two concepts:“Home represents the mood – Prandin tells us – and we want anyone who becomes part of our world to experience a feeling of well-being like that which only our home offers.Gin is the acronym for genuine, innovative, natural and represents in a certain way the mission, that is, what moves us."

The result is a brand that combines well-being and a lifestyle that is conscious and attentive to the environment and people.The suppliers Prandin collaborates with are certified, reliable and demonstrate that they have the same vision oriented towards ethics and sustainability.The goal is to make the supply chain as transparent as possible, but also pursue a broader purpose such as support the local economy creating a solid business network.

“One of the cornerstones of Casagin, but also the greatest difficulty – continues Prandin – is communicating the research of biodegradable, regenerated and natural fabrics with the craftsmanship of specialized companies, unite tradition and innovation, updating manufacturing techniques and combining new ideas with historical processes.This is why we have chosen to process our fibers in small Italian companies where textile work is still a manufacturing art."

The materials

At the basis of Casagin's work is the constant search for natural fabrics, produced according to eco-sustainable processes.The first line was that of underwear, which first and most of all comes into contact with our skin and therefore requires particular attention;then it was the turn of leggings and t-shirts.“We used Tencel modal for these two ranges of garments Lyocell:two completely vegetable fibers obtained from the processing of beech and of theeucalyptus, which we purchase from the only company in the world that guarantees the sustainability cycle of the manufacturing process".All in full respect of the environment, therefore.

“The garment is made in Italy, respecting the ethics and conditions of the workers, by small artisan businesses which in turn aim for sustainability, using renewable energy sources, recycling and recovering everything possible.What we get out of it are fabrics with antibacterial, hypoallergenic, extremely soft and breathable properties”.The t-shirts are made from certified organic cotton Gots and 10 percent of the proceeds are donated to Wwf for koala, polar bear and whale protection projects.

But that's not all:among the ecological innovations used by the brand for the creation of underwear and part of the swimwear line there is also the nylon regenerated Econyl, potentially infinitely recyclable material, which derives from recovery of abandoned fishing nets in oceans around the world, from fabric waste from mills and carpets destined for landfill.

“For us, being attentive to sustainability means this: reduce pollution and resource consumption, offer quality products capable of transmitting well-being, be attentive to every stage of the value chain and guarantee good working conditions for all the people who make our reality possible.And to certify all this, on the site it is possible to view, in correspondence with each product sheet, how much each garment we produce contributes to reducing the impact on the environment in terms of resources saved.We have also created a page dedicated to transparency, thanks to which it is possible to know which laboratories and companies we collaborate with, where they are located, what certifications they have, how many employees and what guarantees they offer towards them".

Future projects

Casagin is constantly growing and evolving:from the company blog to the new one compostable packaging, up to the line dedicated to plus sizes.There are many initiatives and all oriented towards a healthy and conscious lifestyle.In the plans there is also that of expand the product range outside the sphere of clothing, aiming to become a real point of reference in the ethical-sustainable world.

“Among future projects there is certainly the aim of evolving into a concept store dedicated to ethics and sustainability.The idea is to start from footwear, making our own the local, Venetian and more generally Italian know-how, but we would also like to expand to cosmetics and beauty sector”.In short, the ideas are there and the desire is there too.It's just a matter of putting them into practice, but Casagin is on the right track.