Interview with Nicola Olla, owner and creative director of BIELLA TEXTILE TREND: an important style office that produces fashion trend books, based in Biella.

Trend books are real operational tools for analysis and research. In fact, we have to be able to understand the future economic and social scenarios in order to intercept the fashion requests of our customers, the stylists, two years in advance of when we will see the garments made with our fabrics in the shops.

Tell us a little about yourself. Your story.

I was born in Biella in 1983, I graduated as a textile designer and, following my diploma, I took a degree in Conservation of Artistic and Cultural Heritage at the University of Eastern Piedmont.

After my studies, I spent a period outside Biella linked to a project concerning the world of art, another passions of mine. Later, however, I decided to return to the Biella area because of my passion for textiles.

I had some experience as an assistant textile designer and I collaborated with several very important Biella companies and brands, for example: the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, Casa Zegna, Lanificio Zignone, Modesto Bertotto, Lanificio Botto, Biella the wool Company and Soluzioni Tessili.

In these companies I was able to view the historical archives and their collections, a magical and meaningful world for me.

In 2015 I started working at Biella Textile Trend by Giorgio Marinoni, a consulting style office that produced 3 lines of fashion trend books.

I immediately realized that BTT could allow me to combine my greatest passions such as textiles and art!

The collaboration continued until 2020 when, in the midst of a pandemic, I took over the company. Today we produce 7 lines of catalogues covering the trends for dobby and printed shirts, drapery and women’s wear.

How did you get to know us and why did you choose Canclini1925 and Per Lei by Canclini for your samples?

The choice to collaborate with Canclini was a natural one as you are one of the most important and largest cotton mills in Italy. BTT was already requesting samples from Canclini years ago, and I also wanted to resume including samples in my catalogues. You have very large and heterogeneous collections, always renewed every season, so I can always find something interesting to project into the future. I therefore think that the research found in your collections is certainly a strong point for promoting global fashion trends.

Some previews of the new season.

Some anticipations… the collections will be increasingly genderless and seasonless. This allows for a mix of tailored garments and brightly colored street wear.

For the seasonal colors for AW 2023-24, I can tell you that I was inspired by a hamburger eaten on the street in a metropolis: the mustard nuances of sesame bread, the burnt browns of grilled meat, the orange of cheddar, the greens of lettuce and cucumber, the purple of caramelized onion overlaid with the red of ketchup; in my opinion they blend perfectly, creating the right recipe for cool street wear.

CASUAL MOMENT: curiosity and dream.

Curiosity: surely taking over the company in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, a few weeks after the first look down, was a choice that didn’t let me sleep a few nights, but that I would do again 100%. I don’t know if I was crazy or brave… maybe both!

And a dream in my drawer: I would like one day to be able to combine art and textiles, my two great passions; maybe even exploiting the architectural potential of the old industrial area where I have my style office, which I think has enormous charm. Who knows… I will keep you updated!