Platinumwool™
A new fiber emerged from a collaboration between CM Tessuti, a textile solutions company based in Biella, Italy, and Ist Corporation, a Japanese technology firm. This Japanese innovation, certified by Woolmark for quality and adhering to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), boasts an impressive fineness of 14.5 microns, enhancing its exceptional properties.
The fiber not only retains wool’s inherent benefits but significantly amplifies them, offering superior luster, tactility, extraordinary softness, and high pilling resistance. Ist Platinumwool enhances traditional wool’s valued qualities, providing exceptional crease-resistance, superior odor-neutralizing ability, and an unprecedented freshness of touch. This makes it suitable for various applications, from knitwear and shirts to elegant outerwear. CM Tessuti handles product development, jersey collection production, and fabric distribution in Europe, the UK, and the US within the partnership.
This innovation results from decades of work by Ist Corporation’s founder, Isamu Sakane, who played a pivotal role in developing revolutionary materials like Teflon nonstick coating and pioneering waterproof fabric systems. His career in innovative materials research laid the foundation for Ist’s focus on advanced synthetic materials for industries like aerospace. Recently, Ist has applied its technological expertise to natural fibers, a vision now carried forward by his daughter Toshiko, the current CEO. Under Toshiko’s leadership, Ist acquired a textile mill in Hashima, Japan, known for woolen fabrics, creating a textile division to complement its advanced technology with organic fibers. “With Ist Platinumwool, we have realized my father’s dream of ‘making the seemingly impossible’,” said Toshiko Sakane. “This innovation is not only a technological triumph but represents our vision of a future where luxury, excellence, and sustainability coexist harmoniously. We are redefining industry standards, demonstrating that it is possible to create a product of exceptional quality that respects the environment without compromise. Ist Platinumwool is the beginning of a new era in luxury textiles,” Sakane commented.
“The Ist Platinumwool project is like an innovative start-up born from the union of two established realities,” commented Marco and Christian Bozzonetti Rivera, owners of CM Tessuti. “In our industry, innovations of this magnitude are extremely rare. We are creating a unique synergy that goes beyond geographic and cultural distances, combining Japanese precision with Italian creativity. It is an exciting venture that promises to benefit the entire supply chain,” the two entrepreneurs continued. The development of the Ist Platinumwool collections was assisted by Riccardo Rami Studio. “This material is at its best in all its variations. In knitwear, it offers an incredibly soft hand and superior stretch recovery,” said Riccardo Rami. “In jersey fabrics, it achieves unprecedented levels of softness and luster. In shuttle fabrics, it reveals unprecedented versatility: it can become ultra-compact, ideal for water-resistant outerwear that embodies the essence of quiet luxury. It is a material that challenges the imagination of designers, opening up creative possibilities that until yesterday were only a dream,” Rami added.
