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Pecora Nera®

 

Once upon a time, sheep existed in a variety of natural colours, from the cream colour we know so well through various shades of beige, brown, and black. Yet with time, mankind wilfully bred the darker-hued sheep out, leaving them to become a rare sight. Where most farmers looked away, one fell madly in love. Her name was Fiona Gardner, and she knew there was something refined about the wool.  She went on to collect and build a flock of unique dark-hued Merino sheep. Once content with the fibre quality, she searched for someone who would understand its rarity and reveal its particular beauty as they transformed it into clothing. That someone was Pier Luigi Loro Piana, bringing the Maison’s masterful way with fibres with him. And so, Pecora Nera® was born.

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Pier Luigi Loro Piana met Fiona in the late 1990s and was fascinated by the allure and rarity of the naturally dark wool.

From that moment, a lasting relationship was born, which through the combination of Fiona’s breeding techniques and Loro Piana’s textile tradition, led to the creation of the Pecora Nera®, now encompassing a wide range of unexpected and nuanced natural hues. This close collaboration marks a step forward toward greater traceability in the wool production processes, from breeding to the finished garment.

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Rich and resonant, this is wool that calls for no dye, which also serves to protect the integrity of the fibre in its natural state. From beige, grey, and brown to deep black, the different-coloured yarns marry together beautifully, lending themselves to intricate patterns.

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Loro Piana is a proud purveyor of Pecora Nera®, not just for the exquisiteness of the fibre, but for what the fibre represents. Woven in this wool is a story of originality, of embracing the beauty in the margins, and the quiet power of those who dare to be different.

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Trace the fabric’s unique journey first-hand by scanning the QR code on your garment. Discover its digital certificate via the Aura Blockchain Consortium platform, a sustainable blockchain solution offering insights into the main production steps.