The bridge between Japanese technological innovation and the creativity of Made in Italy design is opening up new frontiers in aesthetics and customised prints. Where to find out all this? On the Epson booth at ITMA 2023.

The textile printing sector boasts a cultural and technological heritage rooted in many countries of the world but especially in Asia, and primarily Japan. A unique country of its kind, it has succeeded in creating fabrics with extraordinary graphic motifs since ancient times, when carved wooden blocks were used to print fabrics. Currently, billions of square metres of fabric are printed globally each year, using an unprecedented mix of technology, with an increasing use of digital technology to support screen and rotary printing. The progressive refinement of inkjet printing solutions and the development of increasingly high-performance inks has cleared the way for the use of these technologies even in areas where a high output is required, making most commercially available fibres and fabrics printable. And the market entry of new eco-sustainable materials today will play a fundamental role in reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry.

But the bridge built between Japanese technology and creativity benefits from the contributions of Italian ingenuity, a master of design and the leading player in artisan luxury and fashion, where one of the prerogatives has always been to guarantee exclusivity and uniqueness to its collections.
In fact, luxury brands focus on refined and sophisticated workmanship, an expression of aesthetic exploration that, although produced with increasingly advanced solutions, recreates the feeling of handcrafted production. And at a time when personalisation has reached very high levels of sophistication, digital printing technologies are increasingly becoming a precious ally to guarantee fast collection turnovers, at competitive costs. For this reason, fashion continues to rely on digital textile printing to keep up with changing trends and consumer tastes.

New frontiers to explore and be inspired by in the beautiful fabric samples previewed at the Epson stand at the next ITMA in Milan.