Terroir is the French term used in wine-making to describe the unique combination of soil, climate and sunlight that defines a bottle’s taste – one that’s entirely unique to a singular patch of ground, and unable to be replicated anywhere else in the world. It speaks to perhaps the truest marker of luxury, the knowledge of exactly where the things you purchase come from, all the way back to a single maker’s hand – whether that’s a glass of Champagne or a ceramic pot, a piece of furniture, or an haute couture gown.
It is something that the Italian fashion house Loro Piana – still best known for its work in the noble fibre of cashmere – knows all too well. Its history can be traced back to the early 1800s, when the Loro Piana family first began trading wool in Trivero, northern Italy, and the idea of origin has remained at its heart ever since: whether the rich, long-fibre cashmere of Mongolia or the finest merinos from sheep in Australia and New Zealand. In March 2023, the latter – a fibre they call ‘the gift of kings’ – was part of a launch whereby shoppers could follow the journey of a garment from field to factory to store using technology powered by the Aura Blockchain Consortium.
Field to yarn: Loro Piana launches traceable linen
Now, in time for summer, the brand has announced the relaunch of its André shirt – a classic linen shirt for men and women – which is now 100 per cent made in Europe, and fully traceable from the fields of flax it’s derived from to the finished garment (the new version is called the ‘Neo André’ shirt. This involves a journey from Normandy, France and Belgium – where the humid climate allows for the linen flax to grow its best – to the fibres being beaten for the plant’s soaked core (done by entirely by hand), combed and spun.
Like with their merino wool and cashmere, Loro Piana prides itself on the extraordinary lightness of their linen – the Nm110 threads are ‘the finest of their kind’, promising that if a single kilogram of thread was stretched to its full length it would extend over 100 kilometres. Their extensive research into the fabric has gained them a rare ‘Masters of Linen’ certification, centring on the Solbiati factory in Busto Arsizio, northern Italy.
The André shirt itself was first launched by Loro Piana in 1998, taking its design cues from traditional Neopolitan shirtmaking of the 1950s and ‘the gentlemen of that era, who exuded a perfect balance of sophistication and casual charm,’ says the brand. As such, a wide, unstructured collar meets a simple, classic fit with a single patch pocket on the chest for what Loro Piana say is ultimate versatility – featuring in both the brand’s mens and women’s collections, it can be worn under a jacket or jumper, or on its own during summer’s warmest months (fully breathable, it’s treated with aloe vera for both softness and its antibacterial qualities). It takes its name from André Piot, a Swiss artist and painter who often worked with textiles in his lifetime.
Like Loro Piana’s merino wool, the traceability service will be powered by the Aura Blockchain Consortium, allowing customers to be able to trace the garment’s lifespan via a QR code on the shirt’s label. Loro Piana also note the natural sustainability of the linen crop, which requires less water and pesticides than other equivalent crops which require extensive irrigation – part of the brand’s continuing environmental commitments.
Loro Piana’s traceable linen is available from loropiana.com.
