Manifattura Pri.Ma.Tex has a long-standing experience in the Prato district, carrying a reputation for being the heart of textile research and development. It was established in 1997 with the primary objective of producing increasingly avant-garde technical fabrics for the manufacture
of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Rudy Priami, an eclectic character well known in the industry, with his great enthusiasm and untiring curiosity applied to the development of innovative materials, told us about the latest innovations.
“The world of technical footwear is constantly evolving, a new awareness is guiding the choices of safety footwear manufacturers. It is normal for us to have a state-of-the-art research and development laboratory equipped with the latest machinery. Manifattura Pri.Ma.Tex is able to design and produce a wide range of technical articles that are always new, innovative and often trendsetters.
Let’s talk about your latest products.
“We have always been committed to the research and development of advanced textile foils, the latest addition being TEX KEX: a thin, light, flexible and breathable anti-puncture textile foil that replaces steel foil.
What are its qualities?
“It is a 3.6 millimetre thick foil, and is the thinnest on the market capable of meeting the EN 22 568-4 standard. It provides unique flexibility and lightness, with better processing ability than existing materials on the market. In the specific application of strobel processing, where the upper and insole are sewn together, the lower thickness of the textile foil facilitates processing with higher productivity.
Our foils, unlike those already on the market, are thin and light, they sew easily, and the easy handling of the material at this stage of sewing benefits
the operator, and very often the worker. It should not be underestimated that our foils, when cut, do not ruin the shear or the cutting dies, nor the cutting press or the blades of the fleshing machine..
The use of materials from the MultiProtective line allows manufacturers of safety footwear to benefit 100% from puncture protection.
You were among the first to process this type of material.
“Anti-puncture foil already existed, but the one we made, some 18 years ago, was completely innovative and revolutionary. There were very rigid materials on the market, which could not be rolled up and were therefore delivered in sheets, resulting in a lot of waste during punching. The Multiprotective line proposed a true revolution, flexible textile sheets that facilitated processing and were delivered in rolls so as to substantially reduce processing waste. It can be compared to the transition from the inkwell used years ago in schools to the ballpoint pen. The Multiprotective line is like the ballpoint pen, it represents the same epic change’.
Among your innovative products is the famous Virus Power motorbike racing line, and now you are also expanding your horizon to urban motorcycling apparel.
“This is a truly revolutionary product, the result of years of passion and research within our company. Virus Power racing suits are made of high- tech composite materials, completely recyclable and with the total absence of components of animal products, designed and manufactured from A to Z with the utmost respect for the environment and the animal life. They are patented and approved in Triple A, according to EN 17092:2020, guaranteeing maximum safety and incredibly high abrasion and tear resistance values. Thanks to the characteristics of the material they are made of, they guarantee unique comfort: they are breathable to the point of reducing sweating and consequent loss of liquids, they are light, water- repellent and machine-washable. Satisfied with the performance achieved with racing suits, we have also started to dedicate ourselves to urban motorcycling clothing with a men’s/women’s collection inspired by haute couture and, thinking big, we can envisage making a technical shoe in the future, with the same technology, not for work this time, but for sport. One of our football shoes, for example, could replace those made of kangaroo leather, because in terms of toughness and tear resistance our material is much superior, lighter, breathable and water-repellent’.
The world of safety is moving more and more towards fine clothing, not only for safety but also in terms of aesthetics.
“The fusion of workwear and fashion has been a reality for many years now and the company that manages to best interpret this trend is certainly a successful one. We do our best and the market responds very positively. Our origins are firmly linked to the world of work, with the production of fabrics used to make PPE, but today we can say that the garments we make are also comfortable and elegant. Our strength is definitely our in-house structured production. The fact that we are able to follow every single phase of production and the quality control, carried out in our laboratories, which precedes distribution on the market, guarantee that the products comply with technical standards and current regulations.
All over the world we are witnessing an increasing focus of companies on sustainability. What is the position of Manifattura Pri.Ma.Tex?
‘Our company is very sensitive to this issue. We were among the first to adopt sustainable processing practices and materials, and we have already been GRS (Global Recycle Standard) certified for two years, a standard that certifies products made from recycled materials and manufacturing activities. We have not limited ourselves to an item or two: we have certified the whole company. The whole process is certified. The GRS is an extremely complicated certification to obtain, as it regulates a number of matters in the company, not only sustainability on an ecological level but also employee safety, and we are proud to have achieved it. Our focus on sustainability is also confirmed by the top certifications worldwide that we have obtained. We are also a member of EcoVadis, the first and most reliable sustainability rating platform for companies. With a global network of more than 100,000 assessed companies, we are rated ‘Beta’. We have developed a wide range of GRS recycled and non-recycled technical upper fabrics in high tenacity, which guarantee very high performance in abrasion and tear resistance, highly breathable, lightweight with the possibility of water-repellent treatment. Being fabrics of our own production, both jacquard and woven fabrics, we can develop customised designs at the request of the customer, thanks to our in-house staff.
Rudy Priami