Behind Every Knitwear Garment, There Are People, Not Just Machines
From the customer's initial idea to the finished product: discover the professionals behind Made in Italy knitwear manufacturing.
When we talk about knitwear manufacturing, we often think about machines, yarns, and knitting techniques. Today, modern computerized knitting machines such as Shima Seiki allow manufacturers to create highly sophisticated garments, with structures, details, and techniques that would have been difficult to imagine just a few decades ago.
But even the most advanced machine cannot create a collection on its own.
Behind every sweater, cardigan, scarf, or accessory is a team of professionals with different skills and responsibilities. Some work directly with the machines, others develop knitting programs, while others coordinate production or manage customer relationships.
Let's discover who these professionals are and what they do.
1. Head of Knitting Operations: The Person Who Runs the Workshop
The Head of Knitting Operations is one of the key figures in a knitwear manufacturing company.
This professional oversees daily production activities, organizes machine workloads, plans manufacturing processes, and supervises the production team.
In Italian artisan workshops and small to medium-sized manufacturing companies, this role is often performed by one of the business owners.
The job involves much more than simply assigning work to a machine. It requires extensive knowledge of yarns, stitch structures, knitting gauges, machine capabilities, and the technical challenges that may arise during production.
Key responsibilities include:
Organizing production and allocating work across knitting machines.
Coordinating programmers and machine operators.
Evaluating the technical feasibility of new designs.
Optimizing production times, processes, and machine utilization.
Solving manufacturing problems.
Supervising production quality.
This role combines practical experience, organizational skills, and in-depth technical knowledge.
Because even with the most advanced knitting technology, experience still makes the difference.
2. Knitwear Programmer: Turning a Design into Machine Instructions
A computerized knitting machine does not produce a garment simply by pressing a button.
Before production can begin, someone must tell the machine exactly how to create the garment.
That is the job of the Knitwear Programmer.
Using specialized software, such as the systems developed by Shima Seiki, the programmer translates a garment's technical specifications into instructions that the knitting machine can execute.
This requires a thorough understanding of knitted structures, yarn behavior, shaping techniques, garment construction, and machine capabilities.
The programmer's responsibilities include developing and modifying knitting programs, optimizing manufacturing processes, and working closely with the production manager during the development of new styles.
For particularly complex constructions, including seamless and integral knitting, programming requires an exceptionally high level of expertise.
It is a profession that combines textile knowledge, logical thinking, precision, and problem-solving skills.
3. Knitting Machine Operator: Managing the Machines During Production
Once the knitting program has been developed and tested, the garment moves into production.
The Knitting Machine Operator is responsible for monitoring and operating the knitting machines throughout the manufacturing process.
Their duties include preparing the machines, loading the correct yarns, monitoring production, and responding to any problems that may occur.
Operators must be able to recognize defects, yarn breakages, irregular stitches, and other issues that could affect the quality of the finished garment.
An experienced operator is much more than someone who watches a machine.
They are a skilled professional capable of identifying problems that an untrained eye might easily miss.
4. Commercial & Product Development Director: Connecting Customers with Production
Another essential role in a knitwear manufacturing company is one that does not necessarily involve working directly with the machines.
The Commercial & Product Development Director manages commercial development and helps coordinate product development from the customer's and the market's perspective.
In manufacturing companies that also produce garments for other brands, this professional acts as the connection between customer expectations and the workshop's manufacturing capabilities.
They listen to ideas, evaluate projects, understand the customer's objectives, and collaborate with production managers to turn those requests into products that can actually be manufactured.
Their responsibilities include:
Managing commercial relationships with customers, boutiques, and fashion brands.
Providing customer support before, during, and after orders.
Collecting requests for customization and new product development.
Contributing to the creation of new catalogue collections.
Discussing technical feasibility with production managers.
Identifying suitable materials, product features, and manufacturing solutions.
Coordinating communication between customers and the workshop throughout development and production.
In some companies, this professional is also a business partner or shareholder, even without being directly involved in the daily management of knitting machines.
Their market knowledge and direct contact with customers bring valuable information into the workshop: which styles are in demand, which features customers appreciate most, which problems need to be solved, and which new opportunities are worth exploring.
A successful product also begins with understanding the people who will sell it and the people who will wear it.
5. Quality Control: Ensuring the Finished Product Meets Expectations
Before a garment reaches the customer, it must be carefully inspected.
Quality Control involves a series of checks covering measurements, stitch consistency, seams, finishing details, and the overall appearance of the product.
However, quality control should never be considered just the final stage of manufacturing.
Quality is built throughout the entire production process: from yarn selection and programming to machine knitting, washing, finishing, and packaging.
In smaller manufacturing companies, quality control responsibilities may be shared among several professionals, each checking the results of their particular stage of production.
6. Collaboration: Turning an Idea into a Finished Product
Imagine a customer who wants to develop a new cashmere sweater for their own brand.
The project might begin with a photograph, a drawing, a physical sample, or simply a description of the desired garment.
The commercial manager collects the necessary information, clarifies the customer's expectations, and discusses the project with the production manager.
The production manager evaluates the technical possibilities, garment construction, and manufacturing requirements.
The knitwear programmer develops the machine program, while the operators help produce the first sample.
The sample is then inspected, adjusted if necessary, and submitted to the customer for approval.
Only after this stage does the project move into production, followed by quality checks and finishing operations.
Every professional contributes a different set of skills to this process.
The commercial manager understands the customer's needs. The production manager understands the workshop's capabilities. The programmer translates the design into machine instructions. The operators manufacture the garment. Quality control verifies the result.
None of these skills is sufficient on its own.
7. Modern Technology, Italian Expertise
Italian knitwear manufacturing has undergone an extraordinary technological transformation.
Computerized knitting machines have changed the way garments are designed and manufactured, making increasingly precise and complex constructions possible.
But technology has not eliminated the importance of people. It has transformed the skills required.
Today, a modern knitwear workshop needs both traditional knitting expertise and advanced capabilities in programming, production management, product development, and customer relations.
In the textile district of Prato, Tuscany, where we operate, these skills represent a valuable heritage built through generations of experience and continuously updated through new technologies.
The Due Toscani Approach
At Due Toscani, we believe that the quality of a garment comes from collaboration between all these professionals.
We work closely with production workshops, programmers, and the people who operate knitting machines every day, connecting their technical expertise with our customers' requirements.
Our direct relationships with boutiques, retailers, and private label brands allow us to actively contribute to the development of new styles, both for our own collections and for customized projects.
Not every idea can be manufactured immediately, and not every request is compatible with production schedules, minimum quantities, or technical requirements.
An important part of our work is explaining these possibilities and limitations clearly, while offering practical solutions.
Because producing high-quality knitwear is not simply about owning modern machines or purchasing excellent yarns.
It is about bringing together the right people, with the right skills, who know how to work as a team.
And that remains one of the most important values of authentic Made in Italy manufacturing.
Due Toscani — Made in Italy knitwear and accessories. Virgin cashmere, recycled cashmere, and premium yarns. Manufacturing for boutiques, retailers, and private label brands.
Creating a knitwear brand means creating products.
And if you want to sell knitwear under your own brand, there is one fundamental decision you need to make before even discussing prices, quantities or production:
Do you want to start with styles that have already been developed by the manufacturer, or do you want to create your own?
Both are perfectly valid options, but they are very different paths.
And, above all, they require different levels of investment.
Two completely different ways to create a collection
If you want to create a knitwear brand, you essentially have two options.
The first is to use styles that have already been developed by the manufacturer.
You select the products you are interested in from the manufacturer’s catalogue and, where available, customise them with your own labels, hangtags, embroidery, logo or other branding elements.
In this case, most of the development work has already been done.
The manufacturer has already designed the garment, developed the machine program, produced prototypes, corrected any issues, defined the manufacturing processes, and calculated yarn consumption and production times.
You are starting from an existing product.
The second option is completely different:
you want to create your own styles.
You want a specific fit, a particular neckline, your own measurements, a specific knitting structure, a certain weight, particular details and, in general, a product developed according to your own concept.
This is where the development of a truly customised private-label collection begins.
If you want to create your own styles, there is therefore one fundamental investment you need to budget for from the beginning:
sampling.
Why do you have to pay for samples?
One of the most common misunderstandings when a new brand approaches knitwear manufacturing for the first time concerns the cost of samples.
The question is usually something like:
“If I am going to place a production order afterwards, why do I have to pay for the sample?”
Or:
“I would like to develop several styles, see the samples, and then decide which ones to produce.”
From the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the manufacturing process, this may sound reasonable.
But there is a fundamental misunderstanding.
A sample is not simply a garment. It is product development.
And developing a product requires time, expertise, machinery, materials and work.
An idea is not yet a product
You may approach a manufacturer with a drawing, a photograph, a rendering, a tech pack, a reference garment or simply an idea.
But none of these is yet an industrialised product.
A photograph of a beautiful sweater found online is not a machine program.
A drawing does not automatically define tensions, density or yarn consumption.
A rendering does not tell a knitting machine how to construct a neckline.
That idea has to be transformed into something that can actually be manufactured.
In knitwear, this means making a large number of technical decisions.
Which yarn should be used?
Which yarn count?
How many ends?
Which gauge?
Which machine?
Which stitch or knitting structure?
What density?
What measurements?
What fit?
How should the neckline, hem and cuffs be constructed?
How should increases and decreases be made?
How should the sleeve be constructed?
How should the garment be assembled?
How should it be washed and finished?
A photograph or drawing does not automatically answer all these questions.
It requires people who understand knitwear and know how to transform an idea into a product that can actually be manufactured.
Before the sample comes programming
This is probably one of the least visible parts of the entire process.
Before an electronic knitting machine can produce the garment, someone has to tell it exactly what to do.
Modern knitting machines are extremely sophisticated, but they do not simply look at a photograph and automatically produce a sweater.
The style has to be programmed.
Knitting structures, measurements, stitches, tensions, increases, decreases, trims, necklines and many other parameters have to be defined.
The appropriate machine and gauge also need to be selected according to the product we want to create.
The more complex the garment, the more development work may be required.
When the client finally receives the sample, they see a sweater.
What they do not see are all the hours of work required to get to that sweater.
Then we have to produce the first prototype
Once the program has been prepared, we move to the knitting machine.
But the fact that a program has been created does not mean that the first garment will automatically be perfect.
In fact, that is exactly why the first prototype exists: to see what happens in reality.
Measurements are checked.
Fit is evaluated.
We observe how the yarn behaves.
Tensions and density are checked.
The construction is assessed.
Any problems during knitting are identified.
And very often, the program has to be adjusted again.
Sampling means testing, measuring, correcting and testing again.
That is product development.
The garment then has to be assembled and finished
When the garment comes off the knitting machine, the work is not necessarily finished.
Depending on its construction, it may need to be assembled, linked or sewn.
It then has to be washed and finished.
And in knitwear, washing is not simply about cleaning the garment.
It is an integral part of the manufacturing process.
The yarn changes.
The knitted fabric settles.
Measurements may change.
The hand feel changes.
The garment takes on its final appearance and characteristics.
Only after finishing can we properly evaluate the result.
Pressing, measurement checks and quality control follow.
All of this work is carried out even for a single sample.
What if the first sample is not perfect?
That is completely normal.
This is exactly why samples exist.
The client may want to change the length.
Modify the neckline.
Make the body wider.
Make the sleeve narrower.
Change the hem.
Adjust the fit.
Or the manufacturer may identify a technical issue and recommend a different solution.
At that point, the product — and, when necessary, the machine program — has to be modified again.
This is the development stage.
The purpose of the sample is not to prove that the manufacturer knows how to make a sweater.
Its purpose is to develop the sweater that will later be manufactured in production quantities.
Why can a sample cost more than the production garment?
This is another very common question.
Let’s take a purely illustrative example.
Suppose that, once in production, a particular garment has a unit price of €70.
The client may wonder:
“Why do I have to pay €200 for the sample if the production garment costs €70?”
Because they are two completely different things.
In the €70 production garment, the development work has already been completed and the process is being repeated across dozens or hundreds of pieces.
The machine program already exists.
The style has been tested.
The construction has been defined.
Yarn consumption is known.
Machine times are known.
Assembly operations have been established.
Production has been organised.
With the sample, on the other hand, we have to cover the cost of creating all of this for the first time.
The value of the sample is therefore not simply the yarn contained in the garment.
It is primarily the work required to get there.
You are not buying a €200 sweater
This point deserves to be made very clearly.
When you pay €200 to develop a sample, you are not buying a sweater worth €200.
You are paying for a product-development service.
The physical garment you receive is the visible result of that service.
Behind it there is:
style analysis;
construction study;
selection of the appropriate manufacturing solution;
programming;
machine preparation;
yarn;
machine time;
testing when required;
assembly;
washing and finishing;
pressing;
quality control;
possible corrections.
You are not buying a sample. You are developing your product.
The sample is simply the part of this work that you can eventually put on a table, wear, measure and evaluate.
“I would like to make ten samples and then choose three styles”
This brings us to one of the most important points for anyone who wants to create a new brand.
It is understandable to want to see many products before making a decision.
But if these are custom styles that have to be developed specifically for you, someone has to cover the cost of that development.
If you ask a manufacturer to develop ten different styles, it means they have to analyse, program, sample and finish ten different products.
If you later decide to produce only three of them, the development work on the other seven has still been done.
Asking a manufacturer to develop ten styles free of charge and then deciding which ones you may eventually produce essentially means asking the manufacturer to finance the development of your collection.
That is not the manufacturer’s role.
If you want to develop ten custom styles, you need to budget for the investment required to develop ten styles.
Or you can take a much smarter approach:
start with a few carefully selected styles.
Develop them properly.
Test them.
Produce them.
Sell them.
Then expand the collection.
Creating a collection also means making choices
One of the most common mistakes new brands make is trying to launch with a very large collection immediately.
Ten sweaters.
Three cardigans.
Two polos.
Accessories.
Different yarns.
Many colours.
But every additional variation increases complexity, development work and investment.
A collection does not automatically become better simply because it contains more products.
For a new project, it may be far more effective to start, for example, with three or four strong styles, developed properly and designed to work together as a coherent collection.
Available capital can then be focused on product quality, production, communication and sales.
The collection can grow later.
And feedback from customers and the market will also help you understand which products are worth developing next.
The manufacturer is investing alongside the client
There is another aspect that is often overlooked.
Paying for sampling does not necessarily mean that the client is covering the full actual cost of development.
Very often, the price charged for a sample covers only part of the work that is actually carried out.
The manufacturer provides know-how, experience, technicians, machinery, organisation and time, with the expectation that the sample will eventually lead to production.
The manufacturer is therefore also investing in the relationship.
But for the collaboration to be sustainable, there needs to be commitment from both sides.
The manufacturer invests its know-how and production structure.
The brand must be prepared to invest in developing its own product.
The sample also protects the client
Sampling is not a cost invented to make the project more complicated.
Quite the opposite.
It reduces risk.
Imagine going directly into production with 100 sweaters without first producing and approving a prototype.
Then you discover that:
the neckline is too tight;
the sweater is too short;
the fit is not what you wanted;
you do not like the hand feel after washing;
the garment is too heavy;
the knitting structure does not look as expected.
At that point, the problem no longer concerns one sample.
It concerns 100 garments.
Investing in the proper development of a prototype therefore protects a much larger investment: the production order itself.
The sample also helps determine the real price
There is one final fundamental aspect.
With a completely new style, many production figures can only be estimated before development begins.
How much yarn will it actually consume?
How much machine time will it require?
How long will assembly take?
Which additional operations will be necessary?
As we explained when discussing how the price of a knitwear product is calculated, two sweaters made from the same material and weighing the same can have very different production costs.
Only after developing the product can we determine yarn consumption and production times with greater accuracy.
Sampling therefore also transforms a hypothetical price into a real industrial cost.
If you do not want to invest in development, there is another option
And this is worth repeating.
Not every brand needs to develop completely new styles.
If you want to start with a lower initial investment, you can select styles that have already been developed by the manufacturer.
The product already exists.
It has already been programmed.
It has already been sampled.
It has already been tested.
The manufacturer already knows its yarn consumption, production processes and costs.
Depending on the service offered, you can then customise it with your labels, hangtags, colours, embroidery, logo or other branding elements.
This is a perfectly valid solution and, for many new brands, it can be an excellent way to get started.
You simply need to understand the difference:
customising an existing product and developing a new product are not the same service.
In the first case, you are benefiting from the investment the manufacturer has already made to develop that style.
In the second case, you are asking the manufacturer to develop a product specifically for you.
And that development has a cost.
A sample is not an unnecessary cost. It is the first investment in your product
If you genuinely want to create your own collection, sampling is the point at which an idea begins to become a product.
Until then, you have photographs, drawings, references, moodboards and ideas.
After sampling, you have something you can touch.
You can wear it.
You can measure it.
You can photograph it.
You can show it to buyers.
You can present it to your customers.
You can modify it.
You can approve it.
And, most importantly, you can manufacture it.
That is why a brand that wants to develop its own products needs to include sampling in its budget from the very beginning.
Not as an unexpected expense.
Not as a cost to be avoided.
But as part of the investment required to transform an idea into a collection.
Ultimately, the choice is simple:
you can start with styles that the manufacturer has already developed and customise them with your own brand.
Or:
you can create your own styles and invest in developing them.
Both are valid approaches.
But if you choose the second, you need to be prepared to invest in the product you want to create.
Because before you invest in producing your collection, you need to invest in developing your collection.
One of the questions we receive most frequently from new clients and brands is:
“How much does it cost to produce a cashmere sweater?”
Or:
“I would like to produce a 100% extrafine merino wool knitted sweatshirt weighing approximately 250–350 grams. What would the price be?”
These are perfectly understandable questions. The problem is that, with this information alone, it is impossible to calculate even an approximate production price, let alone an accurate one.
In knitwear manufacturing, the cost of a garment does not depend solely on the yarn used and its weight. Two sweaters made from the same yarn, with the same weight and apparently very similar, can have significantly different production costs.
Let’s see why.
The yarn is only the starting point
Naturally, the yarn affects the price.
Virgin cashmere, recycled cashmere, extrafine merino wool, merino/silk and other fibres all have different costs. Even within the same fibre composition, there can be significant differences depending on quality, yarn count, supplier and technical characteristics.
Knowing the composition and approximate garment weight therefore allows us to make an initial assessment.
But it is still not enough to determine the actual cost.
Even the type of neckline changes the price
Let’s take a simple 100% extrafine merino wool sweater as an example.
It could be:
crew neck;
V-neck;
turtleneck;
mock neck;
polo;
zip polo;
button-neck sweater.
We could use exactly the same yarn and produce garments with a very similar final weight.
And yet, their production costs would be different.
Why?
Because the number of components, machine time, programming, assembly operations, finishing and the time required to complete the garment all change.
A turtleneck is not constructed in the same way as a crew neck. A polo requires operations that a crew neck does not. A zip introduces additional materials and manufacturing steps.
Every detail has an industrial cost.
Garment construction is fundamental
It is not enough to simply tell us that you want a “crewneck” or a “sweater”.
We need to know how it is constructed.
For example:
What kind of fit should it have? Regular, slim, oversized, boxy?
What type of sleeve? Set-in, raglan, dropped shoulder?
What are the measurements?
What is the garment length?
How should the cuffs and hem be constructed?
Are there side slits, ribs, special trims or other details?
Even a few centimetres of difference in measurements can change yarn consumption and production time.
For this reason, a photograph can be useful to understand the aesthetic concept, but a technical sheet or a physical reference sample is far more useful when preparing an accurate quotation.
The stitch and construction can completely change the cost
Another fundamental variable is the type of knitting structure.
Stockinette, rib, fisherman’s rib, cables or jacquard structures do not require the same production time.
Some structures can be knitted relatively quickly, while others require considerably more machine time.
And in industrial production, machine time has a cost.
The same applies to machine gauge, the number of yarn ends used and the density of the knitted fabric.
Simply saying “100% merino wool, 300 grams” therefore tells us very little about how long that garment will take to manufacture.
The actual garment weight is known after development
Another common issue concerns weight.
A client may provide a target, for example:
“I would like a sweater weighing between 250 and 350 grams.”
This is useful information, but it is a design target, not necessarily the final yarn consumption.
When developing the garment, we need to establish the yarn count, number of yarn ends, tensions, density, measurements and knitting structures. Based on these factors, we also determine which machine to use, as each machine has a specific gauge and range of applications.
Only after developing and producing the prototype can we determine more accurately how much yarn is actually required for that garment.
And actual yarn consumption is one of the fundamental elements used to calculate the price.
Then there is production time
Two garments weighing 300 grams may use a similar quantity of raw material but require completely different machine times.
If the first garment takes 20 minutes to knit and the second takes 50 minutes, they clearly cannot have the same production cost.
We must also consider all the other stages:
machine programming, knitting, assembly, linking or sewing when required, washing and finishing, pressing, quality control, application of labels and hangtags, embroidery or other customisations, and packaging.
The final price is the result of all these operations combined.
Why is the sample so important?
This is why, when we develop a new style for a client, the sample is not simply something that shows what the finished product will look like.
It is a genuine industrial product-development stage.
Starting from the client’s drawing, technical sheet or reference garment, we need to develop the machine program, determine the most appropriate construction, produce the first prototype, check measurements and fit, and assess the knitting structure and the behaviour of the yarn.
During this process, we can obtain essential production data such as:
actual yarn consumption + machine time + assembly and finishing time + additional operations = actual production cost.
The prototype therefore allows the client to see and touch the product, but it also allows the manufacturer to prepare an accurate and sustainable production quotation.
“But can you at least give me an indicative price?”
In some cases, yes.
If the requested garment is very similar to something we have already produced, we can use our experience and previous production data to provide an indicative price range.
However, it is important to distinguish between an estimate and a final quotation.
Saying that “a merino sweater costs X” without knowing its construction, measurements and knitting details may seem quick and easy, but it can create problems later.
We prefer to be transparent from the beginning.
What do we need for an initial evaluation?
The more information we receive, the more accurate we can be.
Ideally, the client should provide:
a photograph, drawing or rendering of the style;
a technical sheet, if available;
measurements or size chart;
desired fibre composition;
knitting structure;
desired fit;
details of neckline, cuffs and hem;
any zips, buttons, embroidery or other customisations;
expected quantity;
number of colours;
a physical reference sample, if available.
You do not need to have everything perfectly defined before contacting us.
We can also assist clients during product development.
However, it is important to understand that the more generic the request, the more indicative the price will necessarily be.
A knitted garment is not a commodity
This is perhaps the most important concept.
A Made in Italy knitted garment is not simply a certain quantity of cashmere or merino wool transformed into a sweater.
Behind every garment there is design, programming, technology, experience, machine time, manual work, finishing and quality control.
It is the combination of all these elements that determines its cost.
This is why two products that appear identical in a commercial description — for example, “unisex 100% extrafine merino wool sweater, 300 grams” — may actually be very different products with equally different prices.
Do you want to create your own brand? There are two different paths
Anyone who wants to sell knitwear under their own brand first needs to understand what kind of project they want to develop.
The first option is to start with styles already developed by the manufacturer.
In this case, the manufacturer has already carried out the development work: the garment exists, has been programmed, sampled, tested and produced. The client can select products from the manufacturer’s catalogue and, depending on the available options, customise them with their own labels, hangtags, embroidery, logo or other branding elements.
This is the simplest solution for those who want to create their own collection without immediately taking on the full development costs of entirely new styles.
The second option is completely different:
developing and manufacturing your own styles.
In this case, you are no longer simply purchasing an existing product and customising it. You are creating a new product.
And creating a new product requires an investment.
You need to decide which styles you genuinely intend to develop, define their characteristics, measurements, fit, yarns, knitting structures and details, and then invest in producing the samples.
It is not realistic to ask a manufacturer to develop numerous different styles and then decide afterwards which ones you might eventually put into production.
Every sample requires work: style analysis, programming, trials, yarn, machine time, assembly, washing, finishing, quality control and, very often, further adjustments.
A sample is not simply a garment purchased in advance. It is part of the investment required to develop your own product.
Before starting a truly customised private-label collection, a brand therefore needs to make a choice: identify the styles it wants to invest in and start with those.
This is the fundamental difference between choosing an already developed product and putting your brand on it and actually creating your own product.
We will explore this subject in a dedicated article, because understanding why sampling has a cost and why it should be considered an investment rather than an unnecessary expense is essential for anyone seriously planning to build their own knitwear collection.
From the project to the price
When a brand contacts us to develop a new product, our objective is not simply to reply with a number.
We first need to understand what actually has to be manufactured.
We can start from an idea, a photograph, a drawing, a technical sheet or an existing garment. Together with the client, we analyse materials, construction, knitting structures and details, and then develop the prototype.
At that point, we can calculate actual yarn consumption, production time and all the operations required.
And transform an idea into something much more concrete:
an industrially producible product, a real sample and a real price.
Because in professional knitwear manufacturing, the price is not guessed.
When you want a premium product without investing in a premium product
There is an old Italian expression that perfectly describes a situation we sometimes encounter in our business:
“Voler fare le nozze con i fichi secchi.”
Literally, it means:
“Wanting to have a wedding with dried figs.”
It comes from the idea of wanting to organise an important, elegant wedding celebration while offering your guests nothing more than a handful of dried figs.
In other words, wanting something ambitious, prestigious and expensive while being unwilling to invest the resources necessary to achieve it.
The closest English idea might be wanting champagne on a beer budget, although the Italian expression is perhaps even more colourful.
And in the world of fashion and knitwear, we see our own version of “weddings with dried figs” more often than you might imagine.
A company is looking for an Italian manufacturer.
They want cashmere, extra-fine merino wool or other premium natural fibres.
They want genuine Made in Italy production.
They want small quantities.
They want attention to detail, flexibility, advice and direct communication with the manufacturer.
They may also want custom designs, private-label production, prototypes, modifications and assistance in developing an entire collection.
All perfectly reasonable requests.
Then comes one final requirement:
“But the price needs to be very low.”
Sometimes, the company is not even willing to invest in the development of the samples.
And this is where we have a contradiction.
Not because Italian manufacturers do not want to be competitive.
But because you cannot ask for a premium product while removing all the costs that make that product premium.
A sweater is not simply a sweater
In a photograph, two sweaters may look relatively similar.
One may be made from synthetic fibres and manufactured in tens or hundreds of thousands of units in a highly industrialised supply chain designed primarily around price.
The other may be knitted in Italy from cashmere or extra-fine merino wool, produced in relatively small quantities and made by specialised workers within a local manufacturing district.
Both are sweaters.
But from a manufacturing and economic perspective, they are two completely different products.
It is like comparing a mass-produced car with a vehicle made in small series by specialised manufacturers.
Their basic function may be similar.
The product is not.
And neither is the cost structure behind it.
What is really behind a Made in Italy garment?
When you purchase an Italian knitted garment, you are not simply paying for yarn and a few minutes of machine time.
There is an entire chain of expertise behind that garment.
The yarn has to be selected.
The design has to be interpreted and transformed into something that can actually be knitted.
The knitting machine has to be programmed.
Tests have to be carried out.
The individual parts — or the complete garment in the case of seamless technology — have to be knitted.
Depending on the construction, there may be linking, assembly and finishing.
Then come washing and fulling, measurement checks, finishing and quality control.
And behind all these processes are people who have spent years, sometimes decades, learning how to do this work properly.
Made in Italy is not simply a label sewn inside a sweater.
It is a manufacturing ecosystem.
It is knowledge.
It is experience.
And all of that has value.
“Can you make a sample first?”
Of course.
In fact, when we develop a new style for a customer, the sample is an essential part of the process.
But there is a common misunderstanding that needs to be addressed.
A sample is not a free sweater supplied by the manufacturer.
Before the first prototype exists, somebody has to study the design.
The knitting machine has to be programmed.
The construction has to be tested.
Yarn has to be used.
The garment has to be knitted, finished, washed and checked.
And very often it has to be corrected and produced again.
When 100 pieces of the same style are manufactured, much of this initial development work is spread across the entire production run.
When you make one prototype, the development work still has to be done.
That is why the first sample can appear expensive when compared with the eventual unit price of the production order.
You are not simply paying for one sweater.
You are paying for the development of a product.
Who should take the risk?
This becomes particularly important when we work with new and emerging brands.
We completely understand the need to control the initial investment.
A new brand does not yet know how much it will sell.
It wants to test the market.
It wants to protect its cash flow.
It wants to minimise risk.
That is perfectly understandable.
But reducing your own risk cannot simply mean transferring that risk to the manufacturer.
If a company asks a manufacturer to develop its designs for free, produce samples at no cost, manufacture very small quantities and at the same time offer prices comparable with large-scale industrial production, someone still has to finance all that work.
And that someone becomes the manufacturer.
That is not a sustainable partnership.
A healthy business relationship has to make economic sense for both sides.
Small quantities? Yes — but with a different strategy
None of this means that a small brand necessarily needs to invest tens of thousands of euros before selling its first garment.
There are other ways to start.
For example, a new brand or retailer can begin with products that have already been developed and are available from stock.
It can test different materials, colours and styles.
It can start with a carefully selected range rather than immediately developing an entire custom collection.
It can understand what its customers actually want.
And once the market has been tested, it can begin investing in exclusive designs and private-label development.
This is a strategy we often recommend ourselves:
Test the market first. Build the collection afterwards.
It reduces the customer's risk without asking the manufacturer to finance the project.
Looking for a better price is not the problem
Negotiation is part of business.
Comparing manufacturers is sensible.
Optimising costs is good management.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that.
The problem begins when prices are compared between products that belong to completely different categories.
If your primary purchasing criterion is the lowest possible price, there are global manufacturing supply chains that are extremely efficient at providing exactly that.
There is nothing inherently wrong with choosing them.
It is a business model.
But if you are looking for cashmere and premium natural fibres, genuine Italian manufacturing, relatively small quantities, custom development, flexibility, direct assistance and a high level of workmanship, you cannot realistically expect the price of a mass-produced synthetic garment.
The comparison itself is wrong.
It is not simply a question of whether one manufacturer is expensive and another is cheap.
It is a question of what you are actually buying.
Before asking about price, ask another question
Naturally, every buyer needs to know:
“How much does it cost?”
But there is another question that should come first:
“What exactly am I receiving for that price?”
What fibre is being used?
Where is the yarn produced?
Where is the garment actually manufactured?
What quantities are being produced?
What level of workmanship is involved?
Who develops the product?
What kind of assistance will I receive?
Can I communicate directly with the manufacturer?
Can the manufacturer help me develop my own designs in the future?
And finally:
What is genuine Made in Italy production worth to my brand and to my customers?
Only after answering these questions does it make sense to compare two prices.
Because price and value are not the same thing.
So, can you have a wedding with dried figs?
Of course you can.
But perhaps it will not be the wedding you imagined.
We believe in Italian manufacturing.
We believe in cashmere, premium natural fibres and the extraordinary manufacturing knowledge that exists within the Italian textile districts.
We also believe in small companies, independent retailers and new brands.
Some of today's small projects can become tomorrow's successful businesses, and we are happy to grow alongside them.
But we believe even more strongly in transparent and sustainable partnerships.
We can work together to reduce the initial investment.
We can start with products that have already been developed.
We can build a collection gradually.
We can choose yarns, constructions and processes that make sense for the available budget.
We can find many different solutions.
What we cannot do is promise premium fibres, Italian manufacturing, custom development, small quantities, personal assistance and premium workmanship at the price of a mass-produced synthetic garment.
Because quality has a cost.
Expertise has a cost.
Service has a cost.
Made in Italy has a cost.
But more importantly:
they have value.
And price and value are two very different things.
So when you are planning your next premium collection, remember the old Italian saying:
For a boutique, choosing an Italian cashmere supplier is not simply about finding high-quality products to add to a collection. It means finding a partner capable of providing consistency, quality materials, flexible quantities and, above all, products that are aligned with the positioning of the store.
Made in Italy cashmere continues to represent significant value for boutiques, concept stores and independent retailers around the world. However, not all suppliers work in the same way, and before starting a partnership it is important to understand exactly who manufactures the products, where they are made and which services the supplier can provide.
Why Choose an Italian Cashmere Supplier?
Italy has one of the world's most important textile and manufacturing supply chains. Within this tradition, Prato is one of Europe's leading textile districts, with a network of yarn manufacturers, knitwear factories, dye houses, finishing companies and specialized businesses that makes it possible to manage the entire production process.
For an international boutique, working directly with an Italian manufacturer means being able to offer customers not simply a cashmere garment, but a product with a recognizable story, origin and manufacturing expertise.
However, Made in Italy should be genuine and verifiable. This is why it is always important to ask your supplier where the garments are actually manufactured and which stages of production are carried out in Italy.
Virgin Cashmere or Recycled Cashmere?
One of the first decisions concerns the material.
There is no absolute answer to the question of which is better between virgin cashmere and recycled cashmere. They are two different materials, both interesting when used correctly.
Virgin cashmere is particularly suitable for premium and luxury collections where exceptional softness, lightness and refinement are required.
Recycled cashmere, on the other hand, makes it possible to create products with different characteristics and positioning by recovering cashmere fibres and returning them to a new production cycle.
At Due Toscani, we work with both types. For recycled cashmere, we use yarn that we have produced by one of our partners in the Prato textile district who is GRS certified. The certification applies to the yarn produced by the certified partner; we do not present the finished Due Toscani garment as GRS certified because our entire manufacturing supply chain is not GRS certified.
For a buyer, this distinction is important. Whenever a supplier refers to certified materials, it is always advisable to ask what exactly is certified: the fibre, the yarn, the manufacturing process or the finished garment.
Stock Service or Dedicated Production?
A boutique may have very different requirements from those of a large fashion brand.
An independent store may initially want to purchase only a few pieces to test customer response. Another boutique may want to develop specific colours or styles. A brand may want to create an entire private-label collection.
This is why it is important to distinguish between two different services.
Stock Service
A stock service allows retailers to purchase products that are already available without starting a new production run.
This option can be particularly interesting for:
independent boutiques;
concept stores;
new online stores;
retailers wanting to test cashmere products;
customers requiring faster replenishment.
Due Toscani offers a stock service consisting mainly of accessories and selected basic cashmere knitwear styles, with availability changing according to current inventory.
For products available from stock, customers can purchase very small quantities, even a single garment, to evaluate the quality, feel and fit before placing a larger order.
Production for Boutiques and Brands
When specific colours, quantities or styles are required, dedicated production becomes the appropriate solution.
Due Toscani manufactures knitwear and accessories in:
virgin cashmere;
recycled cashmere;
extrafine merino wool;
merino/silk.
We can manufacture styles from our existing collections or develop products based on the customer's specifications, photographs, samples or design references.
For dedicated production, our MOQ is generally 50 pieces per style, allowing boutiques and smaller brands to develop relatively limited collections.
Private Label: When a Boutique Wants to Create Its Own Brand
More and more boutiques are looking beyond simply reselling existing brands.
Some retailers want to create an exclusive capsule collection under their own name, offering products that cannot be found in competing stores.
In this case, Made in Italy private-label production becomes particularly interesting.
Due Toscani can develop styles starting from:
photographs;
sketches;
technical specifications;
existing samples;
modifications to our own styles.
Fit, garment length, necklines, proportions, colours and other elements can be customized, depending on the technical construction of the garment.
Custom labels and hangtags are supplied by the customer and applied during production.
This allows boutiques to present their customers with their own knitwear collection manufactured in Italy in the Prato textile district.
Technology Matters as Much as the Material
When choosing a cashmere manufacturer, it is natural to focus primarily on the yarn. However, manufacturing technology is equally important.
Due Toscani works with Shima Seiki electronic knitting machines, including technology for integral and seamless knitwear production.
This allows us to manufacture different types and structures of knitwear, from traditional constructions to more technically advanced garments, while maintaining control over the construction of each piece.
The quality of a cashmere sweater does not depend solely on the price or quality of the yarn. It is the result of many different factors: yarn count, machine gauge, programming, knitting tension, garment construction, treatment, washing, fulling and finishing.
What Should a Boutique Ask Its Cashmere Supplier?
Before starting a B2B partnership, we always recommend clarifying several important points.
Where is the garment manufactured? “Designed in Italy” and “Made in Italy” do not mean the same thing.
What is the exact fibre composition? The term cashmere may be used for products with very different compositions.
What is the MOQ? It is important to distinguish between the minimum quantity required for a new production run and the quantities available through a stock service.
Can I purchase a sample? Before placing a significant order, it is always advisable to evaluate the quality and fit personally.
Does the manufacturer offer private-label production? If the long-term objective is to develop your own collection, it makes sense to choose from the beginning a manufacturing partner capable of supporting its development.
What are the production lead times? Cashmere is a highly seasonal business. Planning orders well in advance is particularly important for autumn/winter collections.
Due Toscani: Italian Cashmere Manufacturer and Supplier for Boutiques
Due Toscani is an Italian manufacturer of cashmere knitwear and accessories based in the Prato textile district in Tuscany.
We work primarily B2B with boutiques, concept stores, retailers and brands looking for a direct relationship with the manufacturer.
We offer three main options:
purchasing products available through our stock service;
producing styles from our existing collections;
developing a private-label collection based on the customer's own designs and ideas.
We work mainly with virgin and recycled cashmere, as well as extrafine merino wool and merino/silk.
Our goal is not simply to sell a product, but to build long-term relationships with customers looking for quality, manufacturing flexibility and authentic Italian production.
Looking for an Italian Cashmere Supplier for Your Boutique?
If you run a boutique, concept store or online shop, or if you are developing a new fashion brand, we can show you the different production and purchasing options available.
We can send you our complete catalogue, production terms, price lists and current stock-service availability, allowing you to evaluate which solution best suits your business.
If you would rather discuss your project directly with us, we can also arrange an introductory call to talk about your market, the products you are looking for and the quantities you require.
Due Toscani – Cashmere & Knitwear Made in Italy Prato, Tuscany, Italy
Recycled cashmere has become an increasingly interesting raw material for brands, boutiques, and fashion companies looking to combine the quality of cashmere with an approach focused on recovering and giving new value to existing resources.
But sourcing recycled cashmere is not simply a matter of asking a supplier: “Do you offer recycled cashmere?”
A professional buyer should be asking many more questions.
Where does the fibre come from? How is it recovered? Where is it turned into yarn? What is the actual percentage of cashmere? Is the yarn certified? What does GRS certification really mean? Does the certification apply only to the yarn or also to the finished garment? What are the minimum order quantities?
In the Prato textile district, textile fibre recovery has been part of the local industrial culture for generations. Due Toscani operates within this district and manufactures Made in Italy knitwear and accessories using, among other materials, recycled cashmere yarn that we have produced by a specialised GRS-certified partner in Prato.
However, it is important to clarify one fundamental point from the outset: the GRS certification applies to the recycled cashmere yarn that we have produced by our GRS-certified partner. Due Toscani and the subsequent knitwear production supply chain are not GRS certified. Consequently, we do not present or market our finished knitwear and accessories as GRS-certified products.
This distinction is important not only to describe our products correctly, but also to understand what a buyer should actually verify when a supplier talks about certified recycled cashmere.
What Does “Recycled Cashmere” Really Mean?
The first point to clarify is the meaning of the word recycled.
In the textile industry, buyers frequently encounter terms such as:
recycled cashmere;
regenerated cashmere;
reclaimed cashmere;
pre-consumer recycled;
post-consumer recycled.
These terms are not necessarily perfect synonyms.
Recovered material can come from different waste streams. Pre-consumer material is recovered before a product reaches the consumer, while post-consumer material comes from products that have already been used and are subsequently collected for recycling.
For this reason, the simple description “recycled cashmere” does not tell the whole story of the material.
A buyer should understand not only whether the cashmere is recycled, but also how it is recovered, processed, traced, and spun into yarn again.
How Is Recycled Cashmere Yarn Made?
Producing high-quality recycled cashmere yarn is considerably more complex than it may appear.
The process begins with the selection of the material to be recovered. This is a crucial stage because the quality of the incoming material will inevitably influence the quality of the finished yarn.
The selected material is prepared and mechanically processed to return it to a fibrous state. Fabrics and knitted garments are progressively opened and pulled apart until usable fibres can be recovered.
This process, however, has an important technical consequence: recovered fibres tend to be shorter than virgin fibres.
This is one of the main characteristics that differentiates recycled cashmere from virgin cashmere.
Producing a quality yarn therefore requires experience in raw-material selection, a deep understanding of fibres, and the ability to correctly manage spinning, yarn count, twist, and the subsequent knitting process.
This is also one of the reasons why Prato is historically one of the world's most important textile recycling districts. For generations, the area has developed an industrial supply chain specialised in sorting, recovering, and regenerating textile fibres.
Due Toscani's Recycled Cashmere
For Due Toscani, recycled cashmere is not simply a yarn selected from a supplier's catalogue.
We have our recycled cashmere yarn produced by a specialised GRS-certified partner in the Prato textile district.
This is an important distinction.
Our direct relationship with the company producing the yarn allows us to have a much closer understanding of the material we subsequently use to manufacture knitwear and accessories for both our own collections and our private-label customers.
We therefore understand not only the finished product, but also how the yarn behaves during production. This is particularly important with recycled cashmere, where the characteristics of the recovered fibre require experience and appropriate manufacturing parameters.
The garments are subsequently manufactured entirely in Italy through our production network, and we directly follow the different stages, from yarn selection and development through to the finished garment.
For a brand, this means working with a manufacturer that understands both the raw material and the processes required to transform it into knitwear.
What Does GRS Certification Really Mean?
One common mistake is to consider GRS – Global Recycled Standard as a generic certification stating that a product is simply “eco-friendly” or “sustainable”.
The concept is much more specific.
GRS is a voluntary international standard that includes verification of recycled content and its traceability throughout the supply chain, together with specific requirements established by the standard relating to social, environmental, and chemical practices.
One of its fundamental concepts is the chain of custody.
This means that simply using a certified raw material does not automatically allow every product manufactured from that material to be declared GRS certified.
And this brings us to one of the most important distinctions a buyer needs to understand.
A GRS-Certified Yarn Does Not Automatically Make a Sweater GRS Certified
Suppose a manufacturer uses a GRS-certified recycled cashmere yarn.
That yarn can be covered by the documentation provided within the yarn manufacturer's certified supply chain.
The yarn must then be transformed into a finished knitted garment.
Depending on the style, this process can involve numerous stages:
programming, knitting, linking or assembly, washing and finishing treatments, drying, pressing, quality control, and final finishing.
In order to maintain certification and the corresponding traceability through to the finished product, the relevant organisations and stages within the chain of custody must fall within the certification system required by the standard.
Therefore, the certification of the raw material cannot simply be transferred to the finished sweater.
There is a substantial difference between saying:
“This garment is made using GRS-certified recycled cashmere yarn.”
and saying:
“This garment is GRS certified.”
These are two very different statements, and a buyer should always ask the supplier which one actually applies.
The Due Toscani Case: Certified Yarn, Non-Certified Finished Garment
Due Toscani provides a practical example of this distinction.
We have our recycled cashmere yarn produced by a specialised GRS-certified partner in Prato, and the certification applies to the yarn manufactured by our partner within its certified supply chain.
The subsequent transformation of the yarn into knitwear and accessories takes place through Due Toscani's production network.
Due Toscani is not currently GRS certified, and some of the companies performing subsequent manufacturing processes within our production supply chain are not GRS certified.
For this reason, we do not declare or market our knitwear and accessories as GRS-certified finished products.
We believe it is important to communicate this distinction to our customers with complete transparency.
For Due Toscani, at least for the time being, obtaining certification for our company alone would have limited practical value if all the relevant external manufacturing stages required to produce the finished garment could not also be included within the certified chain.
Our approach is therefore straightforward:
we highlight the GRS certification of the recycled cashmere yarn that we have produced by our certified partner, but we do not extend that certification claim to the finished knitwear and accessories.
One Essential Question to Ask Any Supplier
When a manufacturer claims to use certified recycled cashmere, a buyer should ask one very precise question:
“Is the yarn you use GRS certified, or is the finished product you are selling me also GRS certified?”
The difference is fundamental.
If the supplier claims that the finished garment is also certified, the buyer should ask which certification applies and what documentation can be provided to support that claim.
The presence of a certified raw material within a production process should not be confused with certification of the entire finished product.
A serious supplier should be able to clearly explain to the buyer where the certified supply chain begins and where it ends.
GRS Does Not Automatically Mean “100% Recycled”
Another common misunderstanding concerns the percentage of recycled material.
The presence of GRS certification does not necessarily mean that a material consists of 100% recycled fibre.
For this reason, when purchasing yarn or finished garments, do not simply ask:
“Is it GRS certified?”
Also ask:
“What is the exact fibre composition of the yarn?”
A yarn may contain recycled cashmere together with other fibres. Buyers should therefore know precisely the composition and percentage of each component.
This is important regardless of certification.
What GRS Certification Does NOT Mean
GRS should not be interpreted as a universal certification covering every possible environmental characteristic of a product.
A serious certification system is primarily a tool for verification, control, and traceability according to defined requirements, rather than a marketing slogan.
Terms such as:
GRS certified, recycled, sustainable, responsible, or circular
should therefore be used accurately.
For a B2B buyer, it is important to look beyond the marketing claim and ask:
What exactly is certified? Who holds the certification? How far through the supply chain does the certification extend? Is the finished product actually certified?
Recycled Cashmere or Virgin Cashmere: Which Is Better?
Due Toscani's answer is very simple:
both.
They are two different materials, and we do not believe that one should automatically be considered superior to the other.
Virgin cashmere starts with new and generally longer fibres. It can offer exceptional softness, consistency, strength, and lightness and remains a fundamental raw material for high-end knitwear.
Recycled cashmere, on the other hand, starts with existing cashmere that is recovered and given a new life.
After the recovery process, the fibre has different characteristics and requires specific processing. The result can be an extremely pleasant, soft, high-quality garment, but it does not necessarily need to imitate a garment made from virgin cashmere in every respect.
They are two products with different characteristics and different stories.
For Due Toscani, therefore, the right question is not:
“Which one is better?”
but:
“Which material is best suited to the product, price point, and market positioning we want to achieve?”
The Price of Recycled Cashmere
There is another common misconception:
recycled means inexpensive.
Not necessarily.
Producing a quality recycled yarn requires collection, sorting, processing, fibre recovery, spinning, and quality control.
When a certified supply chain is involved, procedures, controls, documentation, and certification-related costs must also be considered.
The quality of the recovered raw material, fibre composition, yarn count, colour, quantities, and type of processing all influence the final cost.
For this reason, comparing two offers simply on the basis of the yarn price per kilogram — or the final price of a sweater — can be misleading.
First, a buyer needs to understand what is actually being compared.
MOQ: How Much Do You Need to Order?
MOQ – Minimum Order Quantity is one of the most important issues for small brands and new collections.
However, it is important to distinguish between at least two different levels:
yarn MOQ and finished garment production MOQ.
Producing a custom yarn colour may require different minimum quantities compared with using an existing colour.
Similarly, developing a completely new style involves different costs and production requirements compared with selecting a style that has already been developed.
For this reason, a buyer should provide the manufacturer with the following information from the beginning:
expected quantity;
number of styles;
number of colours;
size range;
desired fibre composition;
target price range;
destination market;
any certification requirements;
need for custom colours.
At Due Toscani, we work both with our own collections and with private-label production, including the development of styles supplied or designed directly by our customers.
Understanding the project before discussing MOQ alone often makes it possible to identify a much more efficient production solution.
Questions a Buyer Should Ask a Recycled Cashmere Supplier
Before choosing a recycled cashmere knitwear manufacturer, we recommend asking at least the following questions:
What is the exact fibre composition of the yarn?
What percentage is actually recycled cashmere?
Is the recycled material pre-consumer, post-consumer, or a combination of both?
Where is the raw material recovered and processed?
Where is the yarn produced?
Is the yarn GRS certified?
Who actually holds the GRS certification?
Does the certification apply to the yarn or also to the finished product?
How far through the supply chain is the certification maintained?
Can you provide the relevant documentation for the supply?
Which yarn counts and knitting gauges are available?
Which colours are already available?
Can custom colours be developed, and what is the MOQ?
What is the MOQ per style and colour for knitwear production?
Does the manufacturer have specific experience working with recycled cashmere?
Where are knitting, assembly, washing/finishing, and pressing carried out?
Can a prototype be developed before production?
What are the sampling and production lead times?
Can you provide private-label production with the customer's own labels and packaging?
What documentation will accompany the finished product?
The answers to these questions tell a buyer far more than price alone.
Traceability Before Marketing
Recycled cashmere represents an important opportunity for the fashion industry, but the increasing attention given to sustainability and recycling also makes accuracy in product claims more important than ever.
Terms such as recycled, sustainable, circular, and responsible should not be used simply as marketing tools.
For a B2B buyer, the priority should be understanding the actual supply chain behind the product.
Who produced the yarn? Where was it produced? What material was used? What is its composition? Who holds the certification? Which part of the supply chain is certified? Does the certification extend to the finished product, or does it stop at the raw material or yarn stage?
These questions are far more important than any slogan.
This is also why Due Toscani prefers to state exactly what we can document:
we have our recycled cashmere yarn produced by a GRS-certified partner in Prato, but we do not claim that our knitwear and accessories are GRS certified because Due Toscani and the subsequent production supply chain are not entirely GRS certified.
For us, transparency towards the buyer comes before the marketing claim.
Due Toscani: Recycled Cashmere and Knitwear Manufacturing in Prato, Italy
For Due Toscani, working with recycled cashmere means combining a tradition deeply rooted in the Prato textile district with the requirements of today's international fashion brands.
We have our recycled cashmere yarn produced by a specialised GRS-certified partner in Prato and use this yarn to manufacture Made in Italy knitwear and accessories.
We can work with styles from our own collections or develop private-label productions, starting from an existing garment, a technical specification, a photograph, a physical sample, or a customer's original design.
This gives buyers access to a manufacturing partner that understands both the finished product and the behaviour of the raw material used to create it.
Most importantly, it allows the buyer to understand precisely what is certified and what is not.
Because sourcing recycled cashmere should not simply mean purchasing a yarn or a sweater.
It means understanding the raw material, the manufacturing process, and the supply chain behind the product.
And in Prato, the recovery and transformation of textile fibres is not a recent trend: it is part of a manufacturing culture built over generations.
The recycled cashmere yarn is produced by a GRS-certified partner in Prato. Due Toscani's finished knitwear is not GRS-certified, so we do not market the garments as GRS-certified products.
Does a GRS-certified yarn make the finished sweater GRS-certified?
No. Certification follows a chain of custody. A certified yarn does not automatically make the finished garment certified unless every manufacturing stage is within the certified system.
Does GRS certification mean 100% recycled?
No. GRS verifies recycled content and traceability, but the material is not necessarily 100% recycled. Always ask for the exact fibre composition.
What should a buyer ask a recycled cashmere supplier?
Ask for the exact fibre composition, the recycled percentage, where the yarn is produced, who holds the GRS certificate, and whether it covers only the yarn or also the finished product.
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