MILAN — Cenciaioli, or ragmen, are as distinctive of Italy’s Tuscany region as the Fiorentina steak. Spread across Europe since at least the 15th century, they are considered forerunners of modern workshops, collecting textile waste and turning it into regenerated and recycled yarns and clothing.
Fascinated by those historical figures, Niccolò Cipriani introduced his knitwear brand Rifò in 2017 geared at perpetuating and giving renewed impulse to the old tradition widespread in Prato, a well-known Tuscan textile hub and his hometown.
“I was in Vietnam working in cooperation and development for the United Nations and I realized the world was clearly having an issue with overproduction,” Cipriani said.
Related Articles
Once he was back in Tuscany, he kickstarted a crowdfunding campaign to support the launch of Rifò, which eventually saw the light a year later. Drawing its name from the Tuscan dialect term for “redo,” the knitwear company manufactures its garments within 18 miles of its headquarters.
Sourcing is also conducted locally, by linking with organizations collecting and sorting dismissed garments and local textile-makers selling their production waste. Reduced into scraps, they are mechanically brought back to their fiber status and spun into regenerated yarns. Rifò only employs a handful of fibers, of natural origin, including regenerated cashmere, light cashmere, regenerated wool, carded woolen cloths, regenerated and organic denim, regenerated, virgin and organic cotton, as well as regenerated silk.
A B Corp-certified business since 2020, it has recently kicked off a take-back program inviting customers to hand in discarded garments in wool, cashmere and denim from any brand to be turned into new yarns. These are collected via home pickup or can be dropped off at Rifò partners, which include retailer Muji and grocery chain NarturaSì.
As it avoids overdyeing, collections comprising men’s and women’s sweaters, cardigans, knit pants and accessories are mostly monochromatic and embed the color coming from the mixed-provenance yarn assortment, which has become a brand signature.
“When we started, the district [of Prato] considered us fools because it was being done already, but then they understood our ethos,” Cipriani said. In 2023, the company posted sales of 3.1 million euros.
In addition to its e-commerce, collections are sold through a network of about 200 retailers in Italy and abroad, especially in France, Scandinavian countries, as well as the DACH and Benelux areas. Cipriani said there is space for further growth. “We see increasing demand and interest for our products,” he said.
Average prices range from 110 euros for wool sweaters to 140 euros for cashmere designs. In December, the company opened a temporary shop on Milan’s Corso Garibaldi to test retail waters in the city, viewed as top-of-mind for a future retail push beyond its current sole store in Prato.
Tackling the social sustainability topic, the brand has masterminded the “Nei Nostri Panni” project, or “In Our Clothes” in English, aimed at training and offering job opportunities in the textile sector to migrants living in the area. The project is supported by Gucci, as well as textile makers Manteco and Beste, among others, and by the allocation of 2 euros for each item sold on Rifò’s website.