Italian luxury house Loro Piana is investing in one of its signature categories close to home.

The LVMH-owned label has opened an 8,000-square-meter center devoted entirely to knitwear in Ghemme, in Italy’s Piedmont region, marking its first new manufacture in more than 30 years. The site handles every step of the process, from research and development and programming to knitting, assembly and finishing.

“Loro Piana’s new centre of knitwear excellence in Ghemme represents our largest industrial investment to date,” said Frédéric Arnault, CEO of Loro Piana, according to The Impression.

“Three years in the making, the facility unites every stage of our knitwear know-how under one roof, from research and development and prototyping to production, finishing, and talent development,” Mr. Arnault said.

Rooted in craft

Loro Piana has operated in Ghemme since 1987, when it set up a worsted wool spinning mill on the site. The original water tower and caretaker’s house have been preserved, with the latter now home to the Accademia dei Mestieri, which trains new artisans in specialized knitwear crafts.

The center works with the house’s most prized fibers, including cashmere, Baby Cashmere, vicuña, Merino wool and Pecora Nera. About 190 people currently work at the site, a number expected to grow to roughly 300 over the next three years.

An educational space traces Loro Piana’s knitwear history, while an exhibition highlights entries from the Loro Piana Knit Design Award.

The building was designed without fossil fuels and incorporates rainwater recovery and photovoltaic panels, with natural light, wood and hand-finished surfaces connecting the interiors to the surrounding landscape.

In May, the house named Viola Schmidt and Halla Lilja Ármannsdóttir of The Swedish School of Textiles winners of its 10th annual Knit Design Award (see story).