GOING FOR GOLD - HOW RIALTO DESIGNS LTD ARE REINVENTING FASHION PRODUCTION IN LEICESTER WITH KORNIT DIGITAL
Over the last 12 months Rialto have witnessed big changes in the marketplace. As the pandemic evolved fashion clients have switched to nearshore production – and there’s no going back. “Clients do not have time to print abroad, we have seen a marked shift to UK production. Our customers require less products but need greater variety, and order volumes have increased.” - Rialto Designs LTD
Going for Gold - How Rialto Designs Ltd are reinventing Fashion production in Leicester with Kornit Digital
In the heart of Leicester – the UK’s capital of fashion manufacturing – which provides the production base of the textile printing company Rialto Designs Ltd, is a unique printing business, and a company that is focused on driving printed textile innovation. Founded some 25 years ago by two brothers, Riyaz and Moshin the company has built an impressive pedigree, and a loyal client base.
Rialto work with many of the UK’s leading fashion brands, but they don’t just offer a service, they offer a window into the future of printed textile production and all of the benefits that digital technologies offer for their clients.
Fashion production is evolving at an accelerated pace –
Print volumes have grown and alongside this growth, the requirement for printed pattern diversity across multiple fibres and new product groups has also increased. Whilst Rialto continue to service the fashion marketplace with millions of metres of dye sublimation prints onto polyester bases – as the market continues to evolve, they have also strategically invested in the future to onboard new technology that’s adaptive – the Presto(S) from Kornit Digital.
Rialto recognised that they needed to add new technology to expand their services and simplify the print process. Investing in Kornit technology has enabled in-line production onto synthetic, natural fabrics and blends. This uses a unique single step process with “fixation on the fly” and Kornits proprietary pigment inks. Further, the move has simplified the production process and increased speed of delivery, all whilst decreasing their environmental impact.
Over that last few years’ Rialto have also been downsizing their analogue screen production and switching to digital process for their direct to garment printing business, Rialto have two Kornit Avalanche DTG machines which have streamlined their operations and increased production volume to gain new market opportunities. The latest purchase moves to re-quip their roll-to-roll workflow in-line with commercial growth.
Rialto are in-tune with their clients, and with a growing requirement for cellulose bases and blended polyester/natural fabrics.
Riyaz and his team have been watching the pigment print marketplace very carefully for some time and had already recognised that this sector offers an opportunity to diversify and reap the sustainable attributes of pigment production. In a leap of faith, whilst trusting their instincts, in 2019 they decided to invest in the Kornit Presto(S) digital textile printing technology – and they haven’t looked back. The investment ensured that they were prepared and ready for the fashion markets shift to sustainable, flexible production. It also ensured that they were armed to service their clients and expand their business during these unprecedented times.
Who could have predicted that the fashion marketplace would be forced to shift to sustainable manufacturing in such a short timescale?
Over the last 12 months Rialto have witnessed big changes in the marketplace. As the pandemic evolved fashion clients have switched to nearshore production – and there’s no going back. “Clients do not have time to print abroad, we have seen a marked shift to UK production. Our customers require less products but need greater variety, and order volumes have increased. Buyers are also concerned about the environmental impact of fashion and the products that they buy – our investment in sustainable technology from Kornit Digital has been a valuable asset during these challenging times” added Riyaz, co-founder of Rialto.
Four-to-six-week lead times are now firmly in the past for the high-tech fashion industry –
Rialto have built a reactive business built for volume production utilising digital technology from Kornit Digital to ensure that speed, sustainability and high quality is now a given. Clients can now order printed samples across hundreds of fabric bases (polyester and natural) and within 24 hours receive orders from their buying HQ for volume production.
It’s a testament to the skills of Rialto’s team and the agility of Kornits’ technology that this can be achieved –
With 25 years’ experience Rialto are also textile technologists and have the inherent skill base to support and guide their clients, new and existing, to consistently deliver high quality fashion production and exceptional value at any volume across both natural and synthetic print bases with the Kornit Presto(S).
There are no secrets within Rialto, transparency is a pillar of their Leicester based business –
It’s a culture and that has served them well whilst building commercial partnerships deep within the fashion industry. Riyaz is a visionary and has his mind firmly set on innovation – and the future. As technologies advance, Rialto will be at the frontier of digital disruption. As a digital pioneer his ethos and style will deliver a new era of sustainable manufacturing to the UK, and a new chapter for the textile industry that’s smart, intuitive and intelligent. “The day I wake up and I’m bored is the day I’ll quit – I’m thoroughly enjoying my life and what we are doing here at Rialto” added Riyaz.
Rialto is the absolute definition of Smart Manufacturing –
Where creativity, commercial opportunity and best practice thrives. As the world opens its doors to post covid production, the team at Rialto are best placed to secure a vibrant future for their business and the clients that they serve.
We wish Riyaz and his team continued success and look forward to the next chapter of their digital journey.
IMAGE CREDITS: RIALTO DESIGNS LTD
