The excellence of the Italian textile industry is something that no fashion enthusiast can ignore. Today’s interview is about a brand that managed to bring the city of Biella to everyone’s attention. Biella is located at the foothills of the Alps, the perfect position for booming wool (and later on silk) production and manufacturing. The textile mills in Biella were considered of the highest quality and they have preserved their industrial heritage, still producing high-end fabrics and garments. This is where Elisa Aramu was born, and where she came back to build her brand. Here’s our chat with her.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Elisa Aramù, I’m 30 years old and I was born and raised in Biella, a noth-western Italian city, famous for its booming textile industry. I graduated in Business Economics from the University of Turin. From Turin, I briefly moved to Canada to study and after that I made my way to Paris, where I stayed for a few years. While in France I continued my studies and worked in marketing and retail. In 2018 I made the decision of going back to Italy to work on Aramù and other projects. I dedicate myself to Aramù full-time since 2020. I also recently moved to Milan.
How was Aramù born?
Aramù was born out of my desire of tying together my academic and work experience and my passion for textiles. I had the ambition of creating a high quality, artisanal product that could stand the test of time.
With Aramù I make garments, especially outerwear, created using fabrics that come from the deadstocks of textile producers (especially located in Biella). Our collections are always available in limited quantities, the designs are always elegant, timeless and have their own story to tell.
What inspired your brand’s circular and sustainable philosophy?
My goal with Aramù is to broadcast the Italian sartorial ability, by showing the garments’ manufacturing and fabrics quality, especially the ones from the area I grew up in.
I decided to use deadstock fabrics because I believe not finding a purpose for high quality materials is a true waste. The textiles we use are not faulty, so many resources were already used for their production, so why not repurposing them? I also believe they add more value to the finished product: we can manufacture high quality items with limited availability, by increasing their uniqueness.
My choice of working with a smaller sewing laboratory in Piedmont allows me to follow and fulfill the customers’ needs closely, granting them high artisanal quality while remaining ethical and sustainable.
How does Aramù work?
To reduce waste and optimize production efficiency we opted for an on-demand model. All of our garments need to be pre-ordered. Once a client places an order it takes about 4 weeks before their coat is ready to be delivered. This way we never create garments without knowing our customers’ true needs, avoiding overproduction.
Words by Mara Bande