Lanificio Rogna: Dare To Be Different
For years, Leonardo Rogna has been designing and producing textiles for menswear with a distinct soul and style. He worked side-by-side with Ermenegildo Zegna from 1981 to 2007, as chief textile designer for many famous brands such as Gucci, Versace, YSL and others.
In 2007, Leonardo opened his studio “Leonardo Rogna Laboratorio Tessile”. His son, Filippo, joined him in this new venture and, working with his father, gained invaluable experience and knowledge. Together they worked on numerous projects with well-known brands and houses such as Tom Ford.
Lanificio Rogna was created in 2019 to provide selected tailors and fashion houses with limited, curated fabric collections. The company's unique approach combines the best British style and sophistication with Italian craftsmanship, which is unmatched and inimitable.
Proud to offer full selection of Rogna fabrics in our MTM collection, we sat down with Filippo Rogna and Andrea Perino of Lanificio Rogna, to ask and understand the creativity, craftsmanship, production and why daring to be different is important.
Mr. Leonardo Rogna started many years ago working side-by-side with some of the most knowledgeable designers and finest brands in the world, what can we expect from Lanificio Rogna in terms of new product lines with all this experience?
Leonardo's expertise is our inspiration, covering everything from the creative development of the fabric collections to the production process. He is also our mentor when it comes to colour schemes, thanks to his textile design experience at Lanifico Zegna in Biella province. In a constantly evolving market, his experience increases our capacity to adapt our collections to the latest trends.
Being a small company with flexible and highly adaptable skills, we can anticipate trends and move swiftly in advance of seasons to come, addressing the needs and the demands of the ever-changing market.
You work with some of the finest fabrics in the world such as cashmere and Australian Merino. Tell us about your design process and production details.
Our mill produces world-class top-quality fabrics, including a range of precious blends combining wool with silk, Mongolian cashmere, and linen with unique features.
THE MERINO WOOL
Merino wool derives from Merino sheep, ancestrally coming from Spain and later on brought to Australia and New Zealand where nowadays are carefully bred for their increased high-quality wool. It is prized for its exceptional softness, fine texture, breathability and warmth. Compared to regular wool, merino is finer and softer, making the touch more comfortable against the skin. Here is our process from fibre to fabric:
Shearing
The shearing wool is harvested through shearing, where skilled shearers carefully remove the fleece from the sheep without causing any harm.
Grading and sorting
After shearing, the wool is graded and sorted, based on its quality, fineness, and lengths of fibres. This process is held by experienced staff, called Classers, who can recognize the different grades of fibres with a quick touch of their hands.
Cleaning
The raw wool undergoes cleaning processes to remove impurities such as dirt, grease, and excess lanolin. Lanolin is then delivered to the cosmetic industry as a basic ingredient in lipstick, soap, etc. Hence, nothing from the wool goes wasted.
Spinning
The clean fibres are spun into yarns using various spinning techniques, determining the texture and thickness of the final fabric.
Weaving
The spun yarn is then woven into merino fabric, where different textures, and weights can be achieved.
Our merino wool is elastic, moisture-wicking, and has excellent insulating properties in cold and warm weather. Therefore, we strongly recommend wearing merino wool in summer as well.
THE CASHMERE WOOL
Cashmere comes from the fine undercoat hair of Cashmere goat, primarily found in regions like Kashmere, Mongolia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan. Cashmere is incredibly soft, lightweight, and provides excellent insulation. It is known for its luxurious feel, exceptional warmth and delicate texture.
The process from fibre to fabric differs from the merino wool process, as the cashmere wool is collected during moulting season when the goats shed their winter undercoat naturally. Additionally, the cashmere goats are gently combed, not sheared as merino sheep, to leave the animals some fleece to protect them from the cold nights.
Sorting and dehairing
Collected fibres go through a sorting process where coarser hairs are removed. Dehairing involves separating the soft undercoat from the coarser guard hairs.
Cleaning
The raw cashmere fibres are washed to remove dirt, oils, and impurities.
Spinning
This process is very similar to Merino wool. However, different spinning techniques are used to produce various thicknesses and textures.
Weaving
The cashmere yarn is then woven into the fabric, creating luxurious garments known for their softness and warmth.
Both merino wool and cashmere involve meticulous processes from sourcing the raw material to the creation of the final fabric. The quality of the fibres, along with the expertise in spinning and weaving, contributes to the luxurious feel and performance of these fabrics. Key in this process is the fine selection of the fibres at their origin. At Rogna, we select the best fibres to produce the best fabrics possible.
What is the story behind the latest fabric collection from Lanificio Rogna and where do you find inspiration?
We draw inspiration from various sources such as nature and architecture. When you live in Biella, it is easy to translate nature into fabric design and colour. Architecture is also part of our inspiration. If you visit Biella Old Town and Biella Piazzo, where our headquarters are located, you will understand where our brick-red, taupe, and cream colours come from.
The initial spark behind each collection can come from everywhere, be it a painting from the past, a modern building, or a song. It is then combined with the inspirational fabrics from our extensive archive, to create something new and contemporary.
If you had to choose one fabric from your latest collection, what would it be and why?
Whoever has children cannot say that one is better than the other. Humans are different and alive. So are the fabrics, wool and cashmere, they are in a way different and alive too. Each of us, as well as each fabric, has his personality and style. How can we then choose between our “children“?
Lanificio Rogna’s museum archive is unrivalled. How did the idea come about and what does it mean to you personally?
Leonardo's passion for fabric dates to the time of the largest expansion of Italian brands like Armani, Ferre, Versace, and of course Ermenegildo Zegna among many others.
Creativity in fabric development was at that time at its best and Leonardo has been so clever to put apart all the precious British and Italian fabrics that he selected and sorted to create his ready-to-wear collections for Zegna.
Dozens of thousands of fabrics have been kept apart in his villa in Biella Piazzo's old town. Then COVID came with plenty of time, no travel, no friends to visit and nothing to do. Together with his son Filippo, Leonardo then started sorting out all those fabrics and the final result was so beautiful that he started to develop an MTM collection taking the best of the best from his huge archive.
Lanificio Rogna’s museum is a "living archive", evolving and growing with time. We created this place, not only to find inspiration for ourselves but to share with fellow designers in the textile industry, from luxury brands to textile designers. A special collection of more than 5.000 different designs from Italy and the United Kingdom, starting from the 1950s to today to celebrate the creativity and the genuine beauty of textiles.
Finally, what’s your personal philosophy on style?
Style is the fingerprint of one's personality expressed through fabric, fit and colour choices. It is not just about what you wear or how you present yourself, it is about the message you wish to convey. Authenticity, versatility, and confidence are at the heart of style. It is not merely following trends but embracing what resonates with you and allows you to feel your best.
Style is not confined by rules, it’s a canvas where you paint your individuality. If you need a rule, use one rule only – keep it simple.
Explore our Made-to-Measure collection made with the Lanificio Rogna fabrics
