Alberto, you had an international career as a DJ before you decided to devote yourself to the family business. What experiences did you take with you from that time?
My career as a DJ and producer has certainly contributed to a broader perspective on trends. Music events, festivals and clubs provide a platform for cultures and subcultures to meet, and sometimes even avant-gardists meet, which can be really inspiring.
It was fun. A lot of fun. But it was also an outstanding experience that helped me develop some of my professional skills and expertise.
My career as a DJ and touring with my band overlapped with my "normal" life in the textile business for quite a while, almost ten years. That made my life really interesting. I realized that the world was going to change - or at least that a big change was coming in terms of communication and digitalization. And above all, a more conscious approach to the topic of consumption.
Sustainability, both as a word and as a concept, was not yet established in the early 2000s. It was still evolving in its general meaning - and frankly, it still is. Indeed, sustainability is not a finished task. It is perhaps more accurate to define sustainability as a process that evolves over time and tries to perfect itself.
Since 2021, you have been leading Candiani in the fourth generation and are committed to taking an environmentally friendly path in denim production through sustainable innovations. Tell us about the green transformation that Candiani has undergone.
To be honest, I haven't really had to transform Candiani into a more environmentally friendly operation. I'm just trying to perfect it, fully aware that perfection doesn't exist, or at least isn't really achievable. But that's the challenge I love the most, and the struggle that keeps everything interesting.
Candiani is historically located in a national nature reserve (Parco Del Ticino), and this aspect has influenced the green transformation. Ever since my grandfather was in charge of the family business in the early 70s, we have been guided by strict environmental regulations. At that time, we could not operate like our competitors, but had to work much cleaner. This adaptation led us in a "greener direction" even then.
Just like my father, I am obsessed with innovation. Nowadays, significant innovations can only be sustainable or we can say that relevant sustainability only happens because we develop industrial processes and products in such a way that they can reduce or neutralize their environmental impact.
Candiani now has the reputation of being the “greenest weaving mill in Europe.” Are there still challenges for the future?
The future is about making the environmental impact, if possible, even positive. At Candiani we want to produce circular fabrics that are fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable, so that the waste in the production process or the product at the end of its life can be returned to nature to nourish the soil and enrich agriculture.
