The company Directa Plus has created the first tailored jacket in graphene: a very light nanomaterial and 200 times more resistant than steel.
Graphene is the material of the future. Lightweight and 200 times stronger than steel, this nanomaterial discovered in 2004 by physicists Andrej Gejm and Konstantin Novosëlov of the University of Manchester is the protagonist of many stories of innovation around the world. As the name implies, graphene atoms are hybridized in sp² form and are arranged in hexagons with 120° angles. This structure is extremely resistant and conducts heat optimally. Because of these properties, graphene is now often used in the fashion industry for technical garments and windcheaters. However, no one had ever thought of using it to make a tailored jacket. The idea came from Giulio Cesareo, founder and CEO of Directa Plus. “We had already made – he says – graphene textile garments together with companies from all over the world: T-shirts, sports jackets, jeans, competition jerseys and technical underwear. But this is the first time that a tailored garment has been made. For me, it’s a way of personally testing the effects of our material and making it known while I work, becoming its testimonial”.
The first tailored jacket in graphene
To create the first tailored jacket in graphene, Directa Plus has exploited the properties of Graphene+, a formula patented by Giulio Cesareo himself. The peculiarity of G+ is that it is obtained not through chemical processes (as is usually the case) but through mechanical operations. Graphite is brought to a temperature of 10 thousand degrees, the same as the surface of the sun, and subjected to pressure and repeated pulling. The result is a non-toxic product, capable of conducting heat in an optimal way and therefore well suited to applications in the field of fashion. Once printed and inserted in special circuits, in fact, the graphene improves the quality of normal fabrics. Above all, it increases the thermal capacity of clothing. Hence the idea of inserting it in the lining of a tailored jacket for men. The model was created in collaboration with the Atelier Manna of Naples and guarantees stunning “thermal performance”. In practice, the jacket lined with graphene allows you to stay cool and dry on hot summer days and, at the same time, is able to retain and evenly distribute body heat when it’s cold. These amazing graphene properties have quickly conquered the international market: from 2016 – the year Directa Plus entered the London Stock Exchange – to date, the company has raised 16 million euros, hired 26 employees and registered a growth rate of 50%: an extraordinary success not only on the fashion catwalks.
