Consinee presented ‘Suspended Grounds’ at Pitti Immagine Uomo 110

Consinee, a globally leading Chinese group operating in yarns and cashmere fibres from a certified and sustainable supply chain, shows no sign of slowing down in its creative drive and has once again established itself in Florence as a trendsetter in the B2B fashion system, renewing its collaboration with Sara Sozzani Maino and Galib Gassanoff to present the second stage in an exclusive dialogue, ‘Suspended Grounds: Textile becomes surface, Surface becomes language’. This time, the project ventured into the realm of textile art through a unique installation in a brand-new area of the Fortezza da Basso – the Cavedio in the Central Hall – a traditional must-see spot for all buyers visiting Pitti Immagine Uomo, who gave the event a ringing endorsement. 

Artistic director Sara Sozzani Maino once again worked with Galib Gassanoff to create a new visual composition, in which each piece was conceived by the designer not just as a garment but as a canvas: a medium of expression where material, texture and structure converge. “Each piece is designed to be experienced not only through the act of wearing it but also through observation, as an object shaped by the process, the tension and the memory of the material. I imagined items retaining visible traces of the manufacturing process, in which texture, structure and irregularities become part of the visual language. In this way, the garments exist to be observed and experienced,” explained Galib Gassanoff. 

“This season, we chose to move the project to the new Cavedio space, at the heart of the Fortezza, because we wanted to showcase the evolution of Consinee’s creativity and its global vision in a more open and central location. This is not just an exhibition to us, but an important step in the long-term strategy of Consinee’s creative platform. With this project, we hope to have demonstrated the strength of Chinese textile craftsmanship, innovation and material development, whilst at the same time opening up new possibilities for the future of creativity in textiles and fashion,” said Boris Xue, Chairman of Consinee. The collection takes its inspiration from carpets, reinterpreted as cultural and tactile landscapes. These traditionally grounded and functional surfaces have been raised, transformed and recontextualised. Through knitwear, they have been transformed into wearable, three-dimensional forms, imbued with traces of memory, ornamentation and time. A whole new form of expression took shape, in which yarns take the place of pigment and techniques become brushstrokes. 

The surface becomes an active, layered, irregular and expressive element, where each piece embodies a tension between control and spontaneity, expressing craftsmanship that evolves into a kind of sign. The choice of materials looked beyond traditional cashmere, focusing on Consinee’s wide range of yarns and exploring new materials that combine silk, wool and technical blends to highlight the softness, rich textural contrasts and high quality of the fibres. Around fifteen knitwear pieces explored texture, fluidity and structure through sculptural shapes and dynamic constructions. Techniques such as 3D knitting and surface manipulation create a refined visual language, while the colour palette, including ivory, misty grey, black and a bold Sail Red, strikes a balance between understatement and contrast. The research for the collection also extended to the installation itself, where wooden structures inspired by looms suspended the works in space, allowing materials, structure and craftsmanship to become an integral part of the exhibition’s narrative.