Interview with ZEROBARRACENTO: Zero-waste, Made in Italy, Knowledge

Camilla Carrara is the Founder and zero-waste Designer of ZEROBARRACENTO, an outerwear brand born in Milan in 2016. After a degree in Fashion Design from Politecnico di Milano and a master's degree in Sustainable Fashion at ESMOD in Berlin, Camilla won a scholarship for a research program offered by Salvatore Ferragamo and the Foundation for Climate and Sustainability. 

Cikis partnered with ZEROBARRACENTO to release their sustainability passport. Through this tool, Cikis analyzes each stage of the value chain and rewards brands like Zerobarracento, which make a 360-degree commitment versus those that are only sustainable on one aspect and are good at storytelling.

We chose to interview her because her company excels in fabric production, both in terms of raw material and chemical processes, as well as in the use of zero waste.

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The name ZEROBARRACENTO is composed of two numbers that hold significant meaning: zero stands for zero waste and ageless, while "one hundred" signifies the brand's commitment to 100% Made in Italy production.

When we talk about zero-waste, the link to the zero-waste technique is immediate. Zero-waste is a crucial aspect and a defining characteristic of ZEROBARRACENTO: Camilla describes this approach as holistic, including both pattern-making and the choice of recycled materials, preferring monofiber scraps and avoiding the use of embellishments to facilitate the recycling of the clothing.

Regarding the pattern-making stage, the technique enables waste elimination in the design phase of a garment, which typically accounts for around 15% of the fabric. Thus, this approach not only allows a reduction in environmental impact, but also in business costs, especially if the company uses high-quality materials or fabrics.

Unlike traditional garment design processes, where the pattern is created first and then the material is chosen, the zero-waste technique operates in reverse. The initial step is to select the material and determine its dimensions, followed by the development of the pattern and pattern paper.

So the role of the designer today becomes crucial: his or her decisions can optimize a production with focus on sustainability, according to the founder. Furthermore, thanks to the designer, aesthetics and sustainability can safely coexist.

Moreover, sustainability has helped the brand to be competitive. The values that ZEROBARRACENTO continues to communicate had led to several incentives and sponsorships, thanks to which the brand has been able to grow and become known. 

"I see a positive trend: sustainability is starting to pay off and the consumer is starting to speak up. I see a much improved situation in Italy compared to 5 years ago, both at the level of companies, which are more committed to communication, and of consumers who, although more slowly, are approaching now, beginning to know the more generic terms "

Camilla Carrara, ZEROBARRACENTO founder and designer

The brand also presents exemplary behavior in terms of fabric selection, using a negligible amount of virgin raw materials. In fact, as far as wool is concerned, it collaborates with Re-verso, a brand of the well-known production chain composed of 5 companies working for the transformation of the second raw material.

As for cotton, Marchi & Fildi is the perfect partner for the transformation of pre-consumer scraps. 

Finally, for the polyester, ZEROBARRACENTO makes use of Newlife™, a material obtained by recycling plastic bottles (obviously post-consumer) and collected in limited areas.

Camilla empowers small Italian companies like hers, saying she is also seeing a shift from larger companies, which are beginning to perceive the strategic value of partnering with smaller but innovative companies in terms of sustainability.

The founder's advice, which understands the difficulty small businesses have in untangling the confusion on the topic and succeeding, is to become thoroughly informed and rely on experts in the field.

"It is important for a person with little knowledge in the field to get informed by following, for example, magazines or sharing platforms. My advice is, in addition, to turn to entities such as Cikis that help guide in these choices. In this field if you make a mistake you lose reputation; so support can become very important."

Camilla Carrara, ZEROBARRACENTO founder and designer

ZEROBARRACENTO's future plans, with the goal of "closing the loop," include the establishment of a take back program, and post-consumer garment management, to prevent the brand's products from being disposed of i.

Conclusions

ZEROBARRACENTO is a small Italian excellence that combines experience, valuable principles and innovativeness. 

Camilla reminds us how the contribution of each of us (from the consumer, to the company, to the designer) is fundamental and represents the only solution to revolutionize a fashion system still not sensitive enough to the issue of sustainability.