PRATO’S BEST

When Italian excellence and LYCRA® fiber innovation come together, anything is possible. 

On November 13, The LYCRA Company and Fulgar, our partner and fiber distributor in Italy, hosted the Prato Textile Summit at the famed Museo del Tessuto, bringing together more than 50 industry guests for an afternoon of dreaming big and connecting locally. 

The group of professionals, from across the Prato textile ecosystem, gathered for a presentation on sustainable textile innovations — including renewable LYCRA® EcoMade fiber — and conversation on the future of the industry. 

For the highly specialized audience, the technical presentation was welcome — a chance to go deep on the latest textile innovations from LYCRA® brand and Fulgar, and understand where the future of the industry can lead when we collaborate up and down the value chain. 

In the room, we displayed finished garments and fabric samples — valuable touchpoints during the networking session that allowed guests to explore the materials firsthand and discuss specific applications directly with our technical experts. Also available was a VR experience, where guests could see and explore the fields where corn is grown for QIRA®, the key plant-based ingredient in renewable LYCRA® EcoMade fiber. 

Added value came from the Alaïa and Balenciaga exhibition, which some guests explored while arriving, and from the museum’s rich history. It was touching to see attendees discovering items connected to ancestors who had worked in the local textile district before them. 

The choice of Prato was no coincidence: It’s a production ecosystem that weaves together manufacturing tradition and digital transition, strong local roots and global openness, to create products recognized worldwide. 

The Summit celebrated the district’s ability to unite craftsmanship, technological innovation, and a sustainable vision — a capability recognized and supported by The LYCRA Company and Fulgar through closer, traceable production that enhances local know-how. The presence of The LYCRA Company’s Maydown, Northern Ireland, plant and the technical support from LYCRA® LAB Italy stand as concrete examples of this commitment. 

This summit is only the beginning of more collaboration to come. We’re ALL IN on local, sustainable textile innovation.