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Textile Spotlight: Orange Fiber

Posted by: Jessica Bucci in Fashion Fabrics Spotlight November 17, 2013 0

Little known fact about Italy: there is a large amount of citrus wastage there. In one of the most
fashionable countries in the world, it would only make sense that designers would take an
environmental issue like this and use it to better the industry. In response to the waste, three
students at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan have developed a textile called orange fiber.
The fabric is created from cellulose extracted from the recycled fruit. While a textile made from
food is a little unusual at first glance, the idea has environmental and social benefits, as well as
being a positive addition to the fashion and textile industries.
For starters, it is created from a renewable resource, citrus waste.

By sourcing something that would have been otherwise thrown away as a

material, the fabrics carbon footprint is pretty small., and in fact improves the
environment rather than hurting it (as some textile processes can).
In addition to being good for the environment, the textile is good for the body as well, containing
ayurvedic health properties. As it is made from citrus, the natural oils within the fabric contain
vitamins A, C and E. Upon contact, these vitamins are released and absorbed through the skin.

Additionally, it is the hope of the designers that orange fiber can give the local fashion industry a
positive boost.
Our dream is to build a supply chain, entirely made in Italy, that will transform citrus wasteand
will give new life to the Italian textile industry, one of the designers, Adriana Santanocito, says
of the project.
And with such a site-specific product, it is entirely possible that the textile could bring in local
business.
While citrus fiber is not yet widely available (the current production process is prohibitively
expensive for widespread use) it has appeared a few times on the runway, notably in
Santanocitos own Fall/Winter 2012 collection.
#SCIENCE

From Catania, which has always been one of the most vibrant and hype cities in Sicily, to
Milan, the undisputed capital of Italian fashion and to Rovereto, cultural and industrial centre in
the heart of the Trentino region: the story of two Sicilian girls with a brilliant idea and their land
in their hearts, progresses in these three cities, quite symbolic, although quite different.
Adriana Santonocito, 36 and Enrica Arena, 28, three years ago were only two students
studying away from home in Milan who, during a chat in the kitchen, literally invented Orange
Fiber, their innovative sustainable fabric made with oranges, and now they are going to make
their dream come true.
Adriana had the idea nearly three years ago - Enrica tells the newspaper La Repubblica Her
passion for textiles and attachment to Sicily, our home region, led her to wonder if she could
produce a fabric with the waste coming from citrus. She asked me if I was interested in the
project and we decided to try to do it together.

In Sicily, the citrus industry waste amounts to about 700 million tonnes and it occurred to
Adriana, a fashion student at the Afol Institute of Milan, that it would be possible to reuse these
wastes, improving them following the innovative and engaging trends of functional fabrics or
cosmetic fabrics (those used for slimming girdles, for instance).
Thus Orange Fiber was created: cellulose, which is then spun, is extracted from all the fibres
that are discarded from the pressing and processing of oranges. Thanks to nanotechnology and
citrus fruit essential oil, it is encapsulated and fixed to the fabric: the material obtained is,
therefore, also able to leave the skin soft, not greasy, in fact, just as if a body lotion has been
used.
The clothes are not greasy and the skin is nourished says Enrica This feature is guaranteed
for at least twenty washes, but we are also studying recharging methods with specific fabric
softeners.
Their idea has won several awards resulting in Adriana and Enrica attracting the interest of
private investors, and here we get to the Trentino region: Trentino Sviluppo (Trentino
Development) decide to finance their project, welcoming them to the Ipoint incubator in
Rovereto.

With this new funding, Adriana and Enrica were able to build the first prototype. The fabric was
presented on 16 September at the Expo Gate in Milan, on the day of the Vogue Fashion Night
Out. It was created by combining the unique acetate yarn obtained from citrus with silk, in two
variants: plain colour satin (natural colour silk) and lace (natural colour and black), together
with three different colour yarns: yellow, lime green and orange.

To raise money to improve the process, they are also going to launch a crowdfunding campaign
on the Tim #WCAP platform supported by Starteed.
What are the girls ambitions? We are aiming to haute couture they tell the Corriere della
Sera newspaper we have already been contacted by several Italian companies and also by a
large foreign group. They like the fact that Orange Fiber is made in Italy, but above all,
sustainable. We too! #WearOrange