Carpi is considered the small but great European capital of textile-clothing, fast fashion, knitwear and made in Italy clothing. The history and success of its textile and clothing district could well be summarized in three words - Made in Carpi - which has consolidated over the years as synonymous with guarantee and quality. A history, that of knitting in the Città dei Pio, which has distant roots: the origin dates back historically to the 1950s, when the expansion of the national and European market suggested local companies to convert manual skills and organizational aspects of the processing of straw hats (for which Carpi was equally excellent) to the production of sweaters.
Growth continued over the following decade and Carpi confirmed itself internationally as the 'capital of knitwear', also thanks to large brands that contributed to making it known throughout the world: think of the Blumarine maison and its artistic director Anna Molinari, ambassador of Carpi fashion.
The photograph of the Carpi textile and clothing district, made up of the municipalities of Carpi, Cavezzo, Concordia, Novi and San Paiutonio, represents a territorial area, defined as the 'heart of the district', which is characterized by having a high concentration of employed people in the textile-clothing sector which has then, inevitably, changed over time.
In addition to the quantitative relevance of the production, the local textile-clothing activities are characterized by the originality of the organizational forms, the complex system of small and very small independent businesses, as well as the particular intertwining between companies producing garments finished products and suppliers of third-party processing.
Many of the major local companies and brands, in fact, to guarantee great flexibility, subcontract almost all of their production to external laboratories specialized in the individual sectors and processing phases, keeping only the functions of design, choice of materials, logistics, quality control, warehouse and commercial management. Almost without an internal production structure, many companies are able to grow practically without constraints and launch themselves into new projects. The knitwear and garments that the big fashion houses design and sign, but do not produce, are created in Carpi. If micro businesses (1-9 employees) represent the majority, there are also large brands that stand out, such as Liu Jo (which acquired Blumarine through the Eccellenze Italiane holding company in November 2019), Twin Set, Gaudì.
