“Fashion is not only garments to wear, but the expression of ourselves”.
And is there a better way to express ourselves than with on demand products tailor made for us?
This is the philosophy behind Aramù, a company based in Biella that produces tailor made and on demand blazers and jackets.
Each jacket is numbered and unique, because is produced out of a limited amount of fabric and is named after a city, to “travel with mind and should each time you wear an Aramù jacket“.
Can you describe Aramù, what does your company do, since when?
The idea of Aramù was born 3 years ago, and since December 2019 I decided to focus only on this project. I am based in Biella, Italy.
I go around my city collecting small quantities of fabric, 5-10 meters, from which I find the inspiration to produce jackets, a masterpiece for all wardrobes.
Due to the limited amount of cloth, all the blazers and jackets I create are limited edition.
Ph: Barcelona and Lyon Jackets.
Source: Aramù website https://aramu.bigcartel.com.
Which are the drivers that led you to found this company?
I have always been interested in fashion and textiles. I believe this is due to the fact that I come from Biella, which is one of the most important textile districts in the world.
I studied Management but I have always been curious about the making of garments, so I took a course in tailoring, to understand how they are made.
And believe me, they are not as easy to create as one may think!
I took a Master in Fashion Management, starting my career in a Luxury Fashion brand.
I then decided to have my own company, and I started producing jackets.
I decided to produce jackets and blazers, because these are that type of garment that make you feel elegant and strong in all situations. You are never wrong when wearing a jacket, because you can either decide to style it in an elegant way for a business look, or mix it in a casual style, for your free time.
It also embeds the excellence and experience of Italian tailors, because it is a garment that is quite complex to create.
How does sustainability apply to your business model?
Sustainability to me means valuing all the resources during production, from the workers to the fabric and the products.
To me it was key to create a company with a sustainable business model.
I apply sustainability by using fabrics that have been already produced, so no new resources are used for Aramù. The fabrics I use are few meters, leftover from other productions or trials of other brands, mainly from Luxury and therefore with a high quality.
In fact, when preparing new collections, brands produce different types of fabric, and then decide which fit best for their collection.
Therefore there are many amazing pieces of cloth that have been produced using a lot of resources, but that nobody uses or will ever use.
To my eyes, this makes them even more unique, because there are no other fabrics like those and, since these fabric are in limited quantity, only few items can be produced out of them.
Why do your products have cities names?
I find the inspiration in the fabric, in its patterns and texture.
In my opinion cities are collectors of culture, people, traditions and embed different feelings. Since the beginning I have always wanted to give a touch of personality to my products, because I think it is really interesting to tell the story behind it.
When I see a fabric, I try to link the feelings I have to a city that, in my mind, represents them.
For example the fabric of Oslo jacket reminds me of the minimal but chic style of Northern Europe countries. Or the Palermo one reminds me of the elegance and refinement of Sicily.
By giving cities names to the jackets, I want to transmit the taste of these cities through the garments.
I choose only those fabrics that inspire me and remind me of the style and the perception of a city.
When I choose a fabric, it’s because I already have in my mind the image of a finished jacket and of the emotions it will transmit.
Ph: Oslo and Palermo Jackets.
Source: Aramù website https://aramu.bigcartel.com.
Your products are on demand. How is production organised?
I design the jackets, and I compare myself on the products with the small atelier I partnered with. We produce only few items of a certain model, to take pictures and to have finished products to show during events.
All the other pieces are made only on demand, and we were able to create this business model because this atelier can focus on every detail and take care of the tailoring, to produce a unique jacket made for a person that really wants it.
The customer can choose some little details, like the style of the pocket, of the collar or of the cuff, which make the jacket unique and personal.
Why did you decide to produce on demand?
Due to the limited amount of fabric I have, I don’t want to produce jackets in different sizes, and then reduce their price to sell them. These textiles are unique, so I use them only for people who truly want them.
Perhaps it happens that I can create only 5 pieces out of a fabric and actually each jacket is numbered, because there are not many pieces of the same model!
So waiting 3 weeks to get an item made just for you, makes people really desire it and keep it as a small treasure.
I also want to promote Slow Fashion, and make people understand how much time is needed to produce a good quality item, and that there is a story behind it, made of people and resources.
How did the workshops adapt to your business model?
I started Aramù project when companies were not that sensitive towards sustainability.
When I started, I wanted to order only small quantities of fabric, but it was not possible, because usually suppliers ask brands to order huge quantities of cloth.
This is one of the reason why I decided to pick leftover fabric, because in this way I could get access to smaller quantities of cloth and start in an easier way, without the need to order meters and meters of a single type of fabric.
I also wanted to create unique products, to make them rare and desirable.
The highest difficulty was to make the workshop produce only small quantities of items, because they are used to work with numerous batches. I found a small atelier with which I work, and I built with the owners a true relationship. I work close with them, comparing myself on the garments and getting inspiration and advices.
How do you choose the raw materials/fabric for your collections?
I personally choose the fabrics, looking for these raw materials by the suppliers I selected.
Of course not all fabrics are suited for jackets. I usually pick fabrics in line with the season, for example made of linen, cotton and silk for summer.
It might happen that I spot a fabric made of wool and cashmere in summer and I pick it anyway, because I can use it in the FW season.
I want to know the composition and where the materials come from, since I want to use only high quality fabric. Of course my choice depends also on the touch feeling and the pattern of the fabric.
By watching a cloth I can understand whether it can be turned into one of my jackets or not.
How do you choose the design of your products?
The design is linked with the inspiration I get from the city and from the fabric. I also want to have a timeless taste, because a jacket should be a masterpiece in a closet, and therefore accompany its owner for many years.
I try to give a touch of modernity to my jackets, proposing some models with detachable collar. In this way it is possible to style it in different ways depending on the situation and the inspiration you have in that moment.
Ph: Vienna Jacket with detachable collar.
Source: Aramù website https://aramu.bigcartel.com.
What is your mission?
My mission is to deliver an elegant product, that can accompany a customer forever.
Aramù jackets are made by persons for people who really want them. This gives value to the jackets, because the customer can understand that behind a garment there is the work and the passion of people, and that it takes time to make a good quality item.
A brand is made not only by products, but especially by people, passion, feelings and hard work.
Here’s the link to Aramù website https://aramu.bigcartel.com.
You can watch the full video interview on the YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/opSp9c7s6qE.
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