To create exceptional garments, one must reach for exceptional means. At Herse, quality always comes first, which is why we want top-of-the-range fabrics to be the basis of our products.
When creating exclusive women’s and men’s fashion, we use, among others, textiles produced by the prestigious Italian company Cerruti. Once run by the great designer and businessman Nino Cerruti, the brand is now owned by the Piacenza 1733 group – a historic leader in the creation of top quality fabrics and garments.
HISTORY OF THE BRAND
Cerruti is a company created for generations, built on the foundations of family love and passion. Its headquarters have been located on the banks of the Cervo River in the Biella region of Italy since the day it was founded.
The brand was founded in 1881 by Antonio Cerruti, his two brothers and his cousin. Through their determination, the weaving mill grew in popularity year after year. During the First World War, Cerruti was a major producer of fabrics for military clothing – in 1917 alone, the company produced around 170,000 metres of knitted fabric.
In 1951, the responsibility of running the company fell to Antonio’s grandson Nino Cerruti. Only twenty years old, Nino excelled in his role as owner of a prestigious weaving mill and successfully developed the family business. He also possessed an excellent aesthetic sense and sense of style, which led him to found Hitman, a company specialising in elegant men’s fashion.
Thanks to the bold solutions and endless ideas of the brilliant Nino, Cerruti’s fame spread around the world. The creator’s collections began to appear with many stars from the world of Hollywood. They could be admired at the most famous galas, such as the Cannes Festival and the Academy Awards.
15 January 2022. Nino Cerruti passed away, but his body of work continues to impress, and the brand he developed so much continues to present stylish fabrics of incomparable quality.
CERRUTI – WHAT IS THE BRAND’S MISSION?
At Cerruti, there is a focus on creativity, which motivates continuous development and is the basis for glamorous ideas. The aim of the brand is to create innovative, stylish solutions built on a foundation of reliable tradition.
In addition, Cerruti combines the production of irreplaceable fabrics with respect for the environment. The brand uses the latest technologies to, among other things, minimise the emission of harmful fumes and optimise electricity consumption.
From the design to the finished knit, Cerruti works to create fashionable collections for women and men. The weaving mill bases its activities on six pillars that guarantee the highest quality of the textiles produced. The brand’s flagship principles are:
- Nature as inspiration;
- Alchemy as a passion for connection;
- The need for constant attention to detail;
- Innovation as research and creativity;
- Charm as harmony and naturalness;
- Quality as a necessary condition.
VISIT TO THE CERRUTI WEAVING MILL
Herse team had the pleasure of visiting the Cerruti headquarters in the heart of Italy. With our own eyes, we were able to admire the craftsmanship of creating unique fabrics and the intricate work of the most outstanding weavers in their field. During the tour of the manufactory, its representatives honoured us with a detailed explanation of the various stages of production, which is carried out with the idea of combining modern solutions with a tradition that has been cherished for years.
Cerruti has an extremely wide selection of products – mohair, merino and cashmere blends are just a small part of the range. The brand also creates its own proprietary collections.
Oxygen is a fabric dedicated exclusively to jackets, developed in Cerruti’s creative laboratories and created – like the other collections – with contemporary fashion in mind. iParty is ideal for an elegant celebration, Prestige is the perfect choice for travel and Caravelle is a versatile all-weather option.
HOW ARE CERRUTI’S EXCLUSIVE FABRICS CREATED?
The multi-step production process begins with the search for the highest quality raw materials. The company invests only in the finest materials, including the likes of Australian wool and Mongolian cashmere. To prevent the loss of their essential properties, they are placed in protected conditions with constant temperature and humidity.
The processing of the raw material begins with a complex combing operation to produce a homogeneous wool-cashmere strip. This stage is closely monitored to exclude possible negative variables.
The strength of the material during the subsequent procedures is ensured by spinning, during which the fibres are twisted. Cerruti diligently monitors the process so that the threads become not only strong, but also thin, uniform and efficient.
In the next phase – known as warping – an elongated section of fabric is prepared, in which the number of threads ranges from 3,000 to 11,000. During the process, the company pays particular attention to impeccable workmanship in order to achieve a versatile, stylish fabric.
Weaving is the glue of all the preceding stages and initiates the creation of the final product. Designers and technicians work out the entire scale of patterns and colours so that they can then move on to the finishing phase, which brings out the beauty in the new, raw fabric.
The right conditions – pressure, steam and temperature – ensure the aesthetic and tactile qualities of the resulting textiles. The creative process is finalised by the dyeing procedure, which is constantly being upgraded, so that the weaving plant introduces more than eight thousand new shades to the market every year
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Cerruti is a brand that takes the path of a sustainable industry, focused on progress and ecology. When producing its textiles, the company pays particular attention to four values to ensure moral development: product, environment, process and social aspects.
The brand prides itself on producing entirely in the Biella region, thus supporting local businesses and also respecting the nearby natural areas. What’s more, the weaving mill sources its wool in accordance with animal rights, choosing only proven and humane sheep farms.
WHY CERRUTI?
At Herse, we place importance on values that will ensure our garments meet the highest expectations of our customers. In the creation of exclusive fashion, the best quality materials are invaluable, giving us complete freedom to realise our unique designs.
Among the luxury fabrics produced by the brand, there are proposals ideal for all occasions. Above all, Cerruti textiles are characterised by high wearing comfort and irreplaceable Italian style.
