Vertically integrated and specialized in the creation of on-demand collections, the Como-based company relies on Konica Minolta to renew its digital department. Although located in the heart of the main Italian silk district, F&F silk is only one of the ingredients of a vaster “menu”, and printing is only one of many facets.
The business started in 1957, when Pietro Fertilio, of Venetian origins, moved to Como and met his wife Lia, who came from a family of wool garment hemmers. Together with his brother Emilio, with whom he manages a wholesale of textile garments in Venice, Pietro founded F&F La Fertilseta and started a flourishing trade in wool and silk scarves and foulards, overseeing every design and production detail. In the seventies, in conjunction with the entry of his son Roberto into the company, F&F opened up to exports and strengthened the style office. Even in the years of production relocation to the East, the company never stopped pursuing a vertically integrated production model, from the purchase of yarn to the finished garment, preserving skills and a culture of quality.
In the early 2000s, with the entry into the company of Jacopo Fertilio, Roberto’s son, F&F opened departments for preparing and finishing fabrics, design laboratories, garment creation, and packaging, investing in sustainability and shifting the commercial focus from wholesalers to retailers, combining viscose and other short-fiber fabrics with traditional wool and silk workmanship. At the same time, the company implements just-in-time design and production processes, abandoning the traditional business model based on the creation and marketing of collections.
In 2008, to accommodate the changed production needs, F&F introduced the first colorways software and inaugurated a digital department with four printers, half dedicated to acid dyes and half to reactives. Finally, in March 2023, F&F installed two Konica Minolta Nassenger 8 printers to increase production capacity and make its digital department more efficient, as well as to increase the quality level of its products.
Top customers and products
F&F serves Italian luxury fashion brands, as well as premium-range retailers and large-scale distribution chains. Thanks to the internal style office, the company can create individual garments or entire ad hoc collections, accompanying the customer from the choice of raw material to graphic development, up to sampling and packaging. Using 3D rendering software, F&F can also create ultra-realistic virtual presentations of the collections, eliminating the time, costs, and environmental impact of traditional start-ups and plants. In addition to clothing and fashion accessories, F&F has expanded its offer in the field of home accessories, creating all kinds of silk and cashmere cushions, throws, placemats, and fabrics for curtains and seats.
“We want to offer fashion brands the possibility of expanding and personalizing their offer, bringing both the design and the optical and tactile effects of their garments to any product”, explains Jacopo Fertilio, Head of Sales at F&F. “To do this, we invest in the vertical integration of the company, and in all the skills and technologies that allow us to guarantee above-average quality in all key areas of production”.
To the progressive closure and concentration of subcontractors, F&F responded by acquiring its key pre-treatment and finishing suppliers, and by transferring machinery and personnel to its Grandate site. Last, in 2020, the acquisition of a manufacturing and hemming company that allows F&F to create prototypes and samples in-house, outsourcing only large quantities.
The second digital revolution
Over the last decade, digital printing has proved to be a crucial asset for F&F, which produces high-density color designs on both the front and reverse of the fabric. To this end, both for acid and reactive inks, the company uses double carriage inkjet printers, capable of guaranteeing high inking and good penetration of the dye into the fiber.
Having exceeded the obsolescence limit of its equipment, in 2021 the company launched an investment plan in the latest generation inkjet technologies.
“We needed to continue to grow and increase productivity and quality while reducing energy costs and our environmental impact”, says Fertilio. “For this, we have turned our gaze to technologically advanced machinery and suppliers with the right mindset”.
F&F sets very stringent quality, repeatability, and efficiency requirements. The company requires uniformity of results with different ink chemistries, ease of use for operators, as well a high availability of inks and spare parts. Furthermore, it looks for extremely reliable machinery, capable of guaranteeing maximum uptime. So, after an accurate analysis, F&F decided to entrust Konica Minolta with the strengthening of its digital printing department.
Easy, reliable, proprietary, scalable: Nassenger’s qualities
As the first step of its technological renewal plan, F&F purchases two Nassenger 8s, both with 9 color channels, to guarantee a wide chromatic gamut in addition to the penetrating fluid. One of the two printers is equipped with Type-P reactive inks (GOTS certified), in CMYK, Grey, Blue, Pink, Orange, and penetrant configuration. The second is equipped with acid inks, in CMYK, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Light Black, Blue, Orange, and penetrating configurations.
Among the characteristics that lead to the choice of Nassenger are the use of the same print heads on all series, both multi-pass and single-pass, and the possibility of creating customizable inking setups for single articles, acting on the resolution, droplet size, grayscale on and off. Additionally, F&F appreciates the robust mechanics and build quality of the Nassenger 8.
“We are satisfied with the choice made and with the relationship we have with the Konica Minolta team. They showed us the most suitable color configurations, and offered us advice to achieve our quality goals”, says Fertilio. “Nassenger offers great reliability and repeatability, without forcing us to double installations to have backup machines”.
A platform (and a technical partner) to push digital with confidence
Today, F&F is engaged in optimizing the production shifts of its digital department, and in the progressive transfer of volumes from the pre-existing printers to the newly installed ones. Choosing a “closed” package – which includes printer, printheads, dyes, auxiliary chemicals, and assistance – is proving to be economically advantageous. It allows F&F to produce excellent productions with advantageous costs and minimizing variables. Furthermore, taking advantage of the laser nozzle verification system, Nassenger 8 compensates for any missing nozzles in real time, preventing banding and limiting the amount of fabric destined for the second choice. On the sustainability front, Konica Minolta’s penetration chemistry has allowed for a reduction in surface inking, which also translates into an economic advantage. Soon, Konica Minolta will also introduce disposable pre-treatment chemistry, available for both new and old installations, which will allow you to skip the impregnation preparation process.
Thanks also to the new printers, F&F aims to conquer new markets, including high-end technical clothing, home textiles, and the contract sector.
