In Piedmont, Loro Piana brings craftsmanship, innovation and generations of textile knowledge together under one roof.

For Loro Piana, knitwear has never simply been about the finished garment. It begins much earlier, with the fibres, the hands that work with them and the knowledge passed from one generation to the next. Now, the Maison is bringing every stage of that process closer together with the opening of Loro Piana Ghemme, its new centre of knitwear excellence in Piedmont, Italy.

Three years in the making, the new facility spans more than 8,000 square metres and brings together the full production cycle of fully-fashioned knitwear, from research and development to the finished garment. Located close to Loro Piana’s Roccapietra mill and Quarona plant, Ghemme sits within a region whose textile history has long been intertwined with the House. 

It also marks an important investment in the future of Italian craftsmanship. In the coming years, the site is expected to employ around 300 people, with a strong focus on training the next generation of artisans and preserving the specialist skills behind Loro Piana’s knitwear.

The setting itself carries its own history. Loro Piana took over the industrial site in 1987, when it became home to the Maison’s worsted spinning mill. Before that, the location had housed both a paper mill and a cotton mill. Rather than erase that past, the new Ghemme project preserves elements of the original site, including its historic water tower and former caretaker’s house, while introducing a contemporary new manufacturing space.

Architecture plays a surprisingly important role in the story. Curved wooden elements across the façade take inspiration from the softness and movement of Loro Piana’s fibres, while hand-finished plaster introduces a tactile quality that reflects the Maison’s relationship with touch. Large windows connect the interiors with the surrounding landscape, filling the building with natural light and views of greenery.

The facility has also been developed in line with LEED Gold certification requirements, incorporating photovoltaic panels, rainwater recovery and advanced energy-management systems. It is Loro Piana’s first manufacturing facility designed without fossil fuels.

Yet the heart of Ghemme is, naturally, the knitwear itself.

Here, some of Loro Piana’s most precious yarns, including cashmere, Baby Cashmere, vicuña, Merino wool, Pecora Nera® and Royal Lightness®, move through the many stages required to become a finished piece. The process begins with research and development, where designs move from sketches to stitch trials and samples before programmers translate them into precise constructions using specialised technology.

Fully-fashioned knitwear is created component by component, with the front, back, sleeves, collars and borders produced individually before being joined together. Linking, one of the most precise stages, connects the pieces stitch by stitch and is responsible for the almost invisible seams that have become characteristic of Loro Piana knitwear. Hand-finishing, mending and final details follow before washing and ironing bring the garment to its finished softness, shape and texture. 

Working with Loro Piana’s fibres requires a particular sensitivity. The House describes its natural fibres as “alive”, with each material carrying its own qualities and limitations. Among the most delicate is Royal Lightness, a blend of ultra-fine Merino wool measuring 13.5 microns with Mulberry silk. Its exceptionally fine construction makes the yarn difficult to knit without significant technical knowledge and precision.

That knowledge is also being preserved beyond the production floor.

The new Ghemme site includes the Accademia dei Mestieri, housed within the restored former caretaker’s residence. The academy trains students in specialist crafts including programming, linking, hand-finishing and mending, with the wider mission of safeguarding and passing on the Maison’s 59 métiers.

Elsewhere, an educational area takes visitors through Loro Piana’s world of fibres, colours and knitwear techniques, while an installation dedicated to the Loro Piana Knit Design Award showcases projects created by emerging designers from international fashion and design schools.

For a House whose knitwear is often defined by what can be felt rather than immediately seen, Ghemme offers a rare look at everything happening behind the finished piece. From the careful selection of fibres to invisible seams, hand-finishing and the training of future artisans, the new centre brings Loro Piana’s approach to knitwear together in one place.

It is a story built stitch by stitch, but one that is very much looking forward.