Waiting for next inspiration to paint new picture.
PG Denim, a 100 per cent Made in Italy company, was founded by denim wizard Paolo Gnutti in 2018. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Gnutti gives a background of the brand, its product range and USP compared to other denim fabric brands.
From which geographies is the demand for your fabrics most from?
We have an extensive sales network that covers the whole world. Where there are requests, we reach there.
How does Italy score compared to rest of the world in denim fabric production in terms of sourcing, pricing, design, quality or anything else that you can think of? What are the main advantages of the region?
The Italian market remains a niche market to produce denim compared to the world. I am not able to compare ourselves with our "brothers" in Asia, Turkey, the Far East, North Africa, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, etc, in terms of quantity and prices. For some years now, we have focused our core business increasingly on ambitious projects not only in terms of research, product, sustainability, etc, but tailor-made outputs for the brands. The Italy project, and specifically the PG Denim project, becomes more and more of an active tool within the style offices of the brands. The close collaboration with them has led us to be creative partners in their collections. The project is no longer to sell a product but a service to make the product. These are the winning weapons that today make the difference in the market, not only visually cool collections, but real creative tools of targeted collaborations.
Like earlier times, the Made in Italy factor has a strong impact on the market, which, linked to our creative skills form a combination of excellence.
What made you found PG Denim? How much funding did you begin with?
After 2017 and the closure of ITV, I wanted to continue my vision of a denim fashion world and go out of the box. So, I decided to found PG denim in 2018, a 'company that produces pure energy, tools to stimulate the imagination of designers, not definitely a copy and paste'.
What percentage of your products is for the domestic market and how much do you export?
Today the distribution is 60 per cent for the domestic market and the rest for export.
Do the designs come from your clients or are you responsible for the same?
We collaborate closely with style offices and most of the time it is these synergies that create the product. We offer an idea or a proposal, and then the brands provide us with their suggestions.
What is the sourcing strategy at PG Denim? Where do you source the raw materials from?
We use only combed yarns produced by the spinning mill Erotessile in our production chain, which supplies most of the European cotton. All our production process is made in Italy and is produced in the plant of Bovolenta and Cavernago. All production waste is recycled in our production process and transformed into new fabrics. We are very attentive to studies on transformations and innovations for respect of the earth that surrounds us.
How many types of fabric varieties do you offer?
Our product range is wide to cover the needs of various customers. We have printing lines, and lines of flock, coating, foils, dye in the piece, 3D print, luxury, recycled and more.
With sustainability being the focus now than ever, how are you adhering to sustainability in your production process?
As I have always said that you are born sustainable and not become it. It is a cultural process that you cannot acquire by just buying a car that pollutes less or using solar panels etc. Until yesterday, everyone had in their collections organic cotton, without any problem of availability. Today you cannot find them more on the market, so what happened? Plastic is seen as "evil" but it is not the plastic that alone goes into the sea or rivers to pollute--someone throws it into the sea. Consumerism has led to having too much and too much if not used becomes superfluous and you have to think of how to dispose it off. Sustainability is not a production process but a way of life that you learn from an early age. It is part of your growth process, of the respect you give to your things and to those of others and to common things such as the earth. Buy only what you need and use it and if you do not use it anymore, recycle it.
What steps are you taking to build your brand? What are your proven strategies to reach your customers in the most effective and efficient way?
The construction of our brand is based on the service and product that we provide to our customers. Their satisfaction becomes the best growth for us, to be consolidated and increased every season.
What is your USP compared to other denim fabric manufacturers?
I don't think I'm better or worse than other producers, but I am certainly unique in my genre. My collections are very impactful--you either love them or hate them.
What is the composition of the fabrics? Are they 100 per cent cotton or blended?
The basic PG collections are 100 per cent cotton, but also stretch, super stretch, comfort stretch, bi stretch, mixed compositions with cashmere, wool, silk, linen, hemp etc. The important thing is that each fabric has a unique performance, a functional and aesthetically beautiful fabric.
Technology is proving to be a life-saving game changer in the time of the pandemic. How are you leveraging technology in current times?
Technology has made great strides for web presentations. We for example have our own virtual show room. Despite that, fabrics have a problem--they have to be touched to be understood and interpreted.
On an average, how many customised denim collections do you make in a year?
Not less than one capsule every two three months.
Which brands and retailers are you currently associated with?
We work with brands like Diesel, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Amiri, Guess, Armani, Gucci, Prada, Replay, Lemaire, Marc Cain, Brunello Cuccinelli, Margela, Versace etc.
Which colours, trims, fabric etc will dominate SS2021? What future trends do you foresee?
Trends are an art. Many times, it is like having a white painting in front of you ready to be drawn; the inspiration comes when you least expect it. It's a moment, an illumination that happens to me with my collections. The next capsule will be an inspiration that will come at the right moment. I do not follow a trend format; I try to create it.
What can be expected from you in terms of new product offerings and capacity expansions in 2021?
I hope the expansion will happen with the acquisition of new customers; every season we grow in small steps. I can't tell you the new offers yet. I am waiting for the next inspiration to paint a new picture. (PC)
