Lorena Antoniazzi: An Interview with Founder Gianluca Mirabassi

Interni is excited to announce a new collaboration with Lorena Antoniazzi, an icon of Italian fashion known for her luxury knitwear. This partnership represents a fusion between design and fashion, resulting in an exclusive collection of customizable cushions and blankets made from premium wool. Sharing the desire to enhance every detail, this collection fits perfectly into unique, custom-designed spaces.
Let’s discover together the vision and philosophy of Lorena Antoniazzi in this exclusive interview with Gianluca Mirabassi, President and Founder of the Umbrian company.

What is the common thread that guides your work in creating high-end knitwear, and how does it reflect the company's philosophy?

Since the beginning, when my wife Lorena and I founded the company in 1993, we have worked with the goal of creating and bringing something new to the market: an innovative yet quality product.
We thus developed an extremely fine cashmere yarn and produced the thinnest sweater on the market.
We aim to continue this goal every day by offering something different from our competitors while remaining true to ourself and our vision, always driven by the desire to create a unique luxury product.

How is the process of selecting high-quality materials developed, and what are the fundamental criteria? How does the choice and variety of materials contribute to the overall quality of your garments?

The selection of materials always starts with the Italian supply chain, from which we choose the highest quality yarns, mostly composed of noble fibers, to ensure a comfortable and long-lasting product for the wearer. The constant search for the best materials also led us to create our own yarn, "Lorena," which features a special composition of cashmere, wool, and silk. The high Italian quality of our garments is ensured not only in the selection of raw materials but also in the subsequent phases of processing and packaging, with 70% of the work done by hand, all in Italy. This choice is further emphasized by a patented digital system that guarantees the traceability of 100% Made in Italy products.

What is the relationship between design and fashion, and how important is it in your creative process? How do passion, creativity, and elegance influence the overall vision and design of your garments?

Our creative process draws inspiration from everything around us, and of course, from the world of design, with which there is a continuous exchange and fusion, especially regarding trends and color choices. Passion is the engine that drives all of our work, guided by the desire to create unique garments that embody the sporty-chic style of the contemporary Lorena Antoniazzi woman.

What elements make your products synonymous with luxury?

For us, luxury is expressed through the quality of materials, the emphasis on handcrafted work, and the search for essential and timeless shapes.

What role do innovation and the connection to the territory play in the pursuit of excellence?

Umbria is the starting point of our company and our success. When, in the past, all the big brands outsourced production abroad, we internalized it and believed in our territory.
Since the early years, we have invested in training young people by opening a knitting school.
Since 2013, every year, we teach the trade to about thirty boys and girls, also responding to the industry's need to find qualified and competent personnel. The placement rate for these resources is 100%.
The academy represents a commitment to the new generations but also an investment to keep the Umbrian textile supply chain alive and protect a delicate know-how.

How are core values such as sustainability integrated into the design and production process of your products?

Our brand is committed to consistently adopting a sustainable approach that takes into account the production process, people, and the environment. Each Lorena Antoniazzi garment also has a QR code that allows the final consumer to access all the production stages of that product, thus ensuring maximum transparency and the excellence of 100% Made in Italy craftsmanship.

Let’s talk about partnerships with design brands like EMU and Interni.

All our partnerships stem from encounters with companies that, like us, represent and celebrate the values of Made in Italy: craftsmanship, quality, and sustainability.
From the collaboration between EMU and Lorena Antoniazzi (2023), the idea arose to "dress" EMU's iconic Rio R50 chair, designed by Cristell-Gargano, with premium yarns using various textures such as braids, faux fur effects, jacquard, and stars — the symbol of our brand.
The partnership with Interni again experiments with a fusion of design and fashion.
Lorena Antoniazzi presents a collection of customizable wool cushions and blankets, sharing with Interni the desire to create a precious product in every detail that can enhance and integrate into unique, custom-designed spaces.