“Denim Sound Textures”: the first immersive and interactive space to discover the surprising multi-sensoriality of denim has been put on by ISKO, a leading ingredient brand in the global denim production and research scene. A material to see, touch and even listen to, in a first-of-its-kind project that involves some of the most beloved fashion brands in the world, Hugo Boss, Madewell, Replay, Dovetail, Francois Girbaud, Taylor Stitch, 7 For All Mankind, Blue de Genes, Tiziano Guardini, and O’Neill. Each brand, different from the next, interprets ISKO denim in their collections according to their style.

Developed on a longitudinal 200 square meter path the ISKO Gallery was set for Wallpaper* Handmade in via San Gregorio 29 in Milan Milan during the Milano Design Week 2019. An enveloped space, the walls, and ceilings wholly covered in denim of different shades and textures, punctuated by the original woodwork of the Salone dei Tessuti. The activation was an intimate and pulsating dimension of physical and multisensory experiences, which stimulated touch and hearing, with the possibility of “listening” to the sounds emitted by the different types of denim.The heart of the project was a series of denim technologies that ISKO has designed and developed over the years. It’s a result of research conducted by a rigorous logic for responsible innovation, to amplify the creative and performing possibilities of fabric rich in tradition. Each technology had its story told in an interactive sculpture by DWA Design Studio – founded in Milan in 2005 by Alberto Artesani and Frederik De Wachter – which gave shape to the fabric, enhancing its peculiarities. The result was a sequence of installations with an abstract and organic design.The sculptures invited you to enter the world of ISKO’s denim, where a succession of textures and musical sounds revealing, surprisingly, by touching the different installations. Each sculpture, when directly touched, emitted a specific acoustic pattern created by sound designer and composer Chiara Luzzana. She was entrusted to do the acoustic research around these technologies. Her research investigates noises and objects to create new harmonies. In the “Denim Sound Textures” project, Luzzana extracted sounds from different types of fabrics, using methods and techniques that are consistent with the characteristics of each one. A violin bow, a pick, a stethoscope microphone. Objects that touch and manipulate fabrics to capture their specific sound vibrations. Sounds “extracted” from different denim technologies, which reflect their characteristics. Depending on the technology, the sound could be rough, fluid, round, soft, warm or enveloping. In parallel to the installations, ISKO’s brand partners told their interpretation of technologies in harmony with their own identity. The path found its natural conclusion in the lounge room, where you could indulge in the unusual sounds that make up a hypnotic soundtrack taken from the new digital platform iskodenim.com.An opening to ever-different harmonies and styles, the entire installation was designed in a circularity perspective to minimize the environmental impact, with all materials recycled. “Denim Sound Textures” was the chance to experience denim in its multidimensionality, which also included sound unexpectedly experienced by our eyes, hands, and ears: “ISKO is committed to innovation every day. This also means making responsible choices to reduce the impact on the environment and to generate positive effects in the lives of the people who choose our denim. In the ISKO vision, denim is a state of mind. It is the attitude to the search for new, infinite creative possibilities that arise from careful observation of lifestyles, social and cultural changes. The innovation has been conducted with a great sense of responsibility and belonging to the world, which is in the DNA of ISKO. The “Denim Sound Textures” project intends to offer the public the denim you do not expect, celebrating it also through some of the most appreciated and appreciated fashion brands in the world. Denim outside the box, full of dimensions that we want to explore first, to inspire the creativity of our global partners”, stated Fabio Di Liberto, ISKO brand director.

ISKO, the leading ingredient brand on a global level, is the only denim producer in the world to be recognized with the Nordic Swan and EU Ecolabel certifications. The company has a production capacity of 300 million meters of fabric per year, with 2000 state-of-the-art automatic looms. ISKO was the first to introduce the LCA (Life Cycle Assessments) methodology in the denim industry, which in line with the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 certifications makes it possible to evaluate and quantify the environmental footprint of a product throughout the entire life cycle, from the raw material to the finished product. The company is committed to applying the LCAs to all its 25,000 products, with the aim of identifying areas for improvement for sustainability. From the LCA, ISKO has also formulated the related Environmental Product Declarations (EPD® – Environmental Product Declarations), tools that allow the communication of objective, comparable and credible information relating to the environmental performance of the products. With a global presence, with offices in 35 countries, ISKO is part of SANKO TEKSTIL, the textile division of SANKO Group. SANKO Group is one of the largest conglomerates in the world and is active in a wide variety of sectors, from construction and energy to packaging, financial services, healthcare, and education. It is also a significant investor in the field of renewable energy, in particular in hydroelectric and wind power plants.

Wallpaper* Handmade
Milan Design Week 2019