Making a Fashionable Difference - Riccardo Manente Meets the BMW C evolution #PRAIO #BMW As a fashion designer who is passionate about the environment, Riccardo Manente focuses on using recycled materials and eco-friendly concepts wherever possible. The Italian founder of the PRAIO Edizione Limitata brand was therefore delighted to experience one of the most sustainable powered two-wheelers currently available – the all-electric BMW C evolution... When your business involves designing, manufacturing, distributing and selling men’s and women’s fashion all over the world, a certain responsibility comes with this. To this end, Riccardo Manentes PRAIO brand takes significant pride in an environmentally friendly philosophy that includes using natural materials, rescuing and reusing fabrics and accessories, using chemical treatments with low environmental impact, and even encouraging its customers to recycle. It’s these kinds of ethics that brought Riccardo into contact with the C evolution – BMW Motorrad’s sustainable solution to our present and future urban mobility needs – when he visited Germany for Berlin Fashion Week. At first sight of the visionary premium e-scooter, Manente could see the synergies between the two brands in terms of craftsmanship, innovation, quality materials and eco-friendly concepts. “When I saw the C evolution I thought that’s amazing, that’s the same way we are making our business in the world of fashion,” he said. “We try to put value in being eco-friendly and pay attention to the environmental system but also with our ethical way of working within the company. We want to continue to produce 100 per cent in Italy, using eco-friendly materials and continuing to search to rescue materials from old factories.” This innovative way of rescuing and reusing materials started with wooden fruit boxes that were originally rescued from the trash, then washed and hand painted by craftsmen, and reused for window and in-store displays of the various clothing items. Furthermore, finding ways to incorporate old materials into new collections helped set PRAIO apart from its competitors in the industry, as Riccardo explains. “I love the environmental aspect of the fashion system, so I tried to rescue accessories and old fabrics from all the laboratories and factories and then reuse them in different ways. It could be buttons, zips, fabrics, pocket linings or leather patches, and just like the wooden boxes, we try to give them a second life. We try to save – as we can – our earth and continue to develop products with eco-friendly philosophies. All our administration is digitised, and any paper we use, such as paper bags or business cards, are all recycled.” The concept behind PRAIO clothing is that gender, age or size is not important and that it is easy to find the look you require from its flexible collections, whatever your style may be, from retro-chic to vintage to avant-garde. The same thinking applies to the C evolution. Whether you are young or old, male or female, your interest in this revolutionary e-scooter is likely to stem from a desire to meet the challenges of growing urban traffic volumes and rising energy costs in a sustainable, yet enjoyable way. Once he experienced a first ride on the future-orientated, electrically-powered scooter, Riccardo Manente was inclined to agree – and even appreciated the innovative colour concept and design. “It’s amazing they [the designers] chose a green lime colour that is also characteristic of our collections,” said Riccardo, who also owns a BMW GS motorcycle. “Riding the C evolution was just like being on a gasoline motorcycle, but like a futuristic vision of what I remember seeing in 1980s sci-fi – and now it’s really happening! It was really comfortable on board. When we were riding, people were really noticing us. At the traffic lights, lots of people were looking and when we were moving, it was amazing because it was as if there was no engine. It was much more comfortable than a regular scooter and when riding, you feel a sensation of freedom – the same sensation I want to achieve with the materials I use for my brand.”
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:35:05 +0000
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