Rifò's 2022

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As we come to the end of this year, we would like, as usual, to take the opportunity to share with you a recap of Rifò’s past twelve months.

While 2021 was a year of transition, 2022 was a very busy one. A year full of transversal, circular, and meaningful projects for Rifò, whose engagement with people and our community raised significantly. New products and new challenges also enriched our year.

If you feel you missed some of our latest news, as well as the doubts and uncertainties we faced along the way as a young sustainable brand, don’t worry, here’s a recap for you.

Rifò’s 2022 in a nutshell

Back to live fairs

The pandemic hit at a very delicate moment for Rifò. Right as we were starting a path of growth, we were obliged to stop many live activities, for example renouncing to all the fairs in Italy and abroad.

In 2022 this sector set off again, which led Rifò to Florence for Pitti Uomo, to Berlin for Seek, to Frankfurt for Neonyt, but also to Amsterdam for Modefabriek and Paris for Maison&Objet.

At last! Traveling, looking for inspiration, knowing new people and looking beyond our country is fundamental for Rifò.. We are attached to our origins, but we want to bring them abroad, letting them grow all around the world.

Who knows where 2023 will lead us to. Just one little clue: we will cross the ocean.

Launching Nei Nostri Panni project

At the beginning of 2022 a very important project for Rifò got started: Nei Nostri Panni, Cenciaiolis to be.

From every purchase on our website, 2€ is donated to concrete and local social impact projects. This initiative joined the forces of many partners and companies of the territory, with the support of the Municipality of Prato. As a result, we have created a program that combines integration with the recovery of the ancient textile tradition of the cenciaioli.

Thanks to Nei nostri Panni, 5 people in a vulnerable situation completed a paid training course to become cenciaiolis (i.e. ragmen) and will be employed by the project’s partner companies.

Nei nostri panni is a concrete effort to offer people an opportunity for social inclusion and preserve our tradition from fading away at the same time.

What about 2023? Nei Nostri Panni goes on, stepping out of the recycling domain and involving other textile sectors of the Prato district. We will reveal everything soon, stay tuned!

A new material, recycled silk

Recycled silk was Rifò 2022's great news. We have to admit we were surprised by all the hype.

This twin set’s classic and clean design and its natural color really got it right and sold more than 1000 pieces (see  the cardigan, the top and the stole!)

Again, we didn’t stop. We are now thinking of new, low-impact, and natural ways to color this wonderful, recycled material.

The beginning of Textile Tours

In collaboration with Cap Viaggi travel agency, we organized a new tour format to let our community discover more about Prato’s textile recycling world.

In April 2022 Textile Tours got started, allowing visitors to see up close cenciaioli’s activity, who turn fibers into new yarns. Last but not least, a tour of our laboratory in Prato. 

For next year two dates are on schedule, one of which is already sold out, and we feel like they won’t be the only dates of
2023.

The birth of Rifò Circle

Rifò community is growing really big. Hence, we decided to make room for our creators-followers, in order to spread the Rifò project efficiently.

That’s how Rifò Circle was born. It is intended as a place of exchange of thoughts, ideas, experiences and real life photos of Rifò's products.

If you want to find out more about the Circle and how to join it, have a look at at this page.

A year of collaborations

During 2022, we opened up to a plenty of interesting collaborations, which led us to new audiences and connections.

VD news + Rifò

A friendship with VD news was born during an acceleration program at Nana Bianca. In summer 2022 this relationship turned into our first printed T-shirts capsule. The È tutto vero

T-shirts show three writings coming from the comments people left below VD news videos.

Collecting old jeans with Levis® and our first upcycling project

The collaboration between Levi's® and Rifò goes on. The collection of old jeans in the store in Via Orefici in Milan allowed us to produce an upcycled bucket hat. It's the social cooperative Flo concept that was involved for the manufacturing of the bucket instead. The proceeds deriving from the sale of these hats were donated to a work grant in the tailoring sector for people in fragile condition, aiming at enhancing their employment opportunities.

With Levi's® and Flo Concept, we also organized a live workshop in their pop-up store in Gae Aulenti to show participants how to make an upcycled hat.

Our aprons for the Mattei biscuit factory

That's another collaboration that filled us with pride and patriotism for the city we were born in.

For some months now, shop assistants of the historical, renowed Mattei biscuit factory have been wearing Rifò’s recycled cotton apron, which we specifically designed for Mattei, starting from our recycled denim fabric.

As local as it gets!

Rifò x Lebowski

Eventually, we linked up to another amazing regional project, the Centro Storico Lebowski of Florence, the only soccer team owned by its supporters.

The history of Centro Storico Lebowski immediately caught our attention, because it demonstrates everything is possible if you really believe in it. From the lowest level of the Italian league to a soccer cooperative with more than 1,800 members worldwide.

We created a 100% recycled wool beanie + scarf set for them, whose proceedswill fund the purchase of footballs for Francesco Bollo Orlando soccer school, run by soccer cooperative Lebowski and free for all boys and girls.

Co-design experiments and greater community involvment

In 2022, we also started new co-design experiments. In a nutshell, we wanted to involve people as much as possible in our creative processes.

First of all, we let people have a say in the creation of specific capsule collections. With the help of questionnaires, we got closer to their actual needs and expectations.

It was not that easy to conjugate the creation of nearly made-to-measure garments with production requirements. But we made it. These projects have finally come to life!

The curvy collection:

And recycled cashmere clothing for children aged 4 to 10:

This was not enough for us, as we really wanted to get in touch with people and be a brand with a human face. That’s why we organized two events of this kind.

On one side, the Open Casting, gave us the opportunity to find models that could embody Rifò’s idea of real people. What excited us the most that day was welcoming people who had come from far and wide for the occasion. WOW!

Finally, few weeks ago the Co-Rifò, event took place in collaboration with the guys from Co-Design Toscana. This face-to-face meeting actually made us know a group of Rifò customers, playing gamified activities to learn their tastes and needs.

The sustainable table

Another first time in this very intense year was our sustainable collection for the table. 

Table linens made of recycled + organic cotton composition and recycled denim too.

The new, unknown market segment of home textiles that is still pretty unfamiliar to sustainability.

Well, we at Rifò have just landed in this world and are waiting for you here!

The new F/W 22-23 sustainable materials

We can’t wrap up this recap without mentioning the new materials of our F/W 22-23 collection.

A 100% recycled wool collection

For the first time, we were able to use a completely recycled wool yarn to create products for an even more competitive price.

For this first experiment, we created bright-colored unisex sweaters, and warm home blankets.

Super fine light cashmere, with a greater virgin fibers presence.

70% recycled cashmere, 5% recycled wool and 25% virgin cashmere. This is the only way to obtain a finer yarn to create lightweight, soft and heat-insulating garments.

We can’t deny we initially were a little bit concerned about how people would have welcomed this new virgin component.

We now see our fears were almost unfounded and there was tolerance on this level, as people’s reaction is always positive when things are done transparently. Tolerance is also due to the fact that this material’s characteristics are improved.

Both this materials are recycled in Prato according to cenciaioli’s tradition, and will be reintroduced in F/W 23-24 collection as well, with some beautiful novelties. Ready?

Fluffypack

We were a bit tired of disposable cardboard packaging, so we tried to literally think outside the box and we created a customised solution for our packaging. After months of considerations and testing, Fluffypack came to life. This was possible thanks to the collaboration with a local company, Manifattura Maiano, specialized in the recycling process. Fluffypack is now a registered trademark.

It’s a reusable packaging for e-commerce shippings made of mixed recycled fibers that can only be downcycled.

We care so much about this project and hope to make it our standard shipping packaging in 2023 in order to reduce paper use and create a new supply chain for the recycling and collection of those textile fibers that cannot be transformed into new yarn.

Our natural detergent for delicate garments

We named it Fiori di Olivo. We wanted it to smell of clean laundry and to be natural at the same time. We found the perfect match in a local company which helped us in the creation of our detergent for delicate garments such as wool, cashmere and silk garments. It is vegan, biodegradable, anti-waste and you can use it for hand-washing or in the washing machine.

Give it a try!

The Rifò team is growing big

In a year, the Rifò family welcomed 10 new members. Last year our team counted 15 members, which now have turned into 25! Not to mention the ones who stayed with us for a limited timespan to do an internship or the foreigners who chose Rifò to have an experience abroad.

For next year, we expect a similar growth. Specifically we are currently looking for:

- A senior merchandiser

- A HR specialist intern

- A digital marketer intern

- A B2B sales manager

Here you can find all our open positions.

Thank you for this year together

We want to end the year by thanking all the people who followed us and supported our project. Specifically, we want to say thank you to those who helped spread the Rifolution.

The most meaningful moment for the Rifò team are:

Eleonora taking part to the the italian program Geo as a guest.

The italian TV news (TG1) coming to visit us for a service on textile recycling made in Prato.

Niccolò and Claudia at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan for the Sustainable Fashion Award.

Our participation to the job community Wwworkers to the Chamber of deputies, dedicated to companies investing in innovation and circular economy.

Niccolò receiving the award for the best growth strategy to the MF Supply Chain Awards in Milan.

The i-D magazine interviewing Niccolò.

And these are just a few...

Our wishes🥂

For 2023, we wish you to take your time for reflecting and becoming more and more aware as people, citizens and buyers.

We wish you to continue making little big revolutions. The smaller they are, the more important they are.

Best wishes from the Rifò team!