Preface

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ErcolE BoTTo

When it comes to luxurious wool suiting fabrics for the hi-end menswear market, Reda is one of the promi-nent mills of the industrious Biella (Piemonte, Northern Italy) surroundings. It is also one of the oldest, having reached the sumptuous goal of one-hundred-fifty years in the making. Which is, in fact, the reason behind the publication of this volume.

Reda, both as a factory and a system of individuals working in unison, excels in the qualities that have tur-ned the Made in Italy label into a world renown phenomenon. It is fueled by strenuous innovation and total dedication to excellence; it strives on tradition, in a non-nostalgic kind of way, nurturing endless progress as a defining value. Hard workers rather than consummate showmen, the Reda people - all of them, in particular the Botto Poala family, owners of the mill - are extremely discreet and understated - a distinctive Piemontese trait. They let their work, but most of all their fabrics, speak by themselves.

The relentless expansion and continuous success of Reda result from the heartfelt motto: change is inevi-table. From this starting point, everything has followed and keeps following. Which is, indeed, a lot, stretching

from the foggy valleys of Valle Mosso to the sublime landscapes of New Zealand, from Australia to Japan, and back, only to end up on the most important fa-

shion catwalks and inside the most elegant wardrobes.

Note from the curator

Ever the brave, understated innovators, for their one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary Reda came with the idea of a photographic book devoid of any celebratory pretense.

Hence the title: 150, no rhetorics needed.

I first got acquainted with Reda and their operations in 2013, when I was invited to take part in a press trip to visit the Otamatapayo Station farms in New Zealand. Successively, I visited the Valle Mosso and Rovagnano factories. Stretched from one end of the world to the other, the experience was inspiring to say the least. In fact, I had the opportunity to feel and touch innovation, dedication and passion at every single step. I kept these words in mind in curating this book.

Innovation, dedication, passion is what 150 stands for. It is a milestone, laden with the pride of history, enlivened with bright openness to the future. Because, you know, those one hundred and fifty years are just a starting point, and the best is yet to come.

The bar being set quite high, and excellence being the sole purpose on everybody’s agenda, it was natural to pair with Magnum Photos in order to enlist the uniquely personal and deeply captivating visions of some of the best contemporary lensmen. Olivia Arthur, Paolo Pellegrin, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Mark Power, Alex Majoli landed their gaze on Reda, each focusing on one of the many aspects that create such a uniquely pulsating entity. Paolo Pellegrin set his camera on New Zealand, while Olivia Arthur captured the interaction between human hand and machine which, in Valle Mosso, turns raw wool into fine fabric. Marc Power depicted the state-of-the-art technology that makes Reda a standard-bearer for industrial excellence, while Gueourgui Pinkhassov focused on the keen business strategies that secure Reda a champion position on the international fabric market. Alex Majoli, finally, got to portray the unique features of the individuals who, from the factory workers to the managers to the members of the family,

150 is a fluid testament to the propulsive energy of change, the broadness of

innovative views, the strength of family bonds but most of all a witness to the human factor that makes everything

possible. It is a document that depicts a moment, this moment, to serve as an

inspiration for the future.

150 is both a journey and an invitation au voyage. One just has to step in and enjoy,eyes firmly over the horizon. The time has come now to embark. Bon voyage!

The character that perhaps best defines Reda is the ability to function as a chorus: every single element is indispensable to the whole, yet everyone is also an individual. This is why the images of the five Magnum Photos artists are mixed into an open visual narrati-ve: to offer the readers liquid glimpses into the Reda world while suggesting also different, more personal readings. Each eye, a path, so to speak. This book is non-dogmatic, in fact. Every reader can find his or her own Reda angle, flipping through, jumping from one section to the other, altering the succession, creating another version of the story. In the middle, like tokens, inspirations or memories, poetic words, and nothing else.

Angelo FlaccavEnTo

Mark PowerGueorgui Pin-khassovOlivia ArthurPaolo Pelle-grinAlex Majoli

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