Master Loom

Italian textile industry, with headquarters at Montale in Pistoia. It was founded in 1988 following the development of two wool factories by Sivano Gori who, right from his entrepreneurial debut, has concentrated on innovation and research. Today the company has two partners: Michele Alaura and Enzo Casanova. It produces two lines: Master Loom and Laboratorio. The first is strongly directed towards innovative research into materials, finishings and image; the second focuses on a mid-range consumer, producing casual fashions. Master Loom produces 2 million meters of yarn annually, with a turnover of 15 million euros, 65% from exports. It has 35 employees. The firm’s main success stories are its indigo jeans; its innovative washed silk, ahead of the rest of the market, which resulted in a notable increase in turnover; and washed linen from the early 1990s, which still constitutes a staple of their summer production. Ongoing research into healthy fibers has led to carbon that protects against magnetic fields and to kevlar, an anti-bacterial synthetic. However, natural fibers, such as linen, flax, cotton, silk and wool, remain the staple of their collections. By Fall 2000, the firm had passed under the control of Ermenegildo Zegna, bringing to a close for Zegna an intense three-year period of investments at a cost of about 140 million euros.