Biella has applied to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and Reda is proud to support the candidacy of an area that has contributed so much history and heritage to the company and with which, even today, the historic mill maintains a close relationship of reciprocal exchange. The network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation amongst cities that have distinguished themselves by individuating creativity as a strategic element in sustainable urban development and covers diverse cultural areas from music and literature to craftsmanship and design. All Creative Cities are active in the virtuous development and exchange of innovative practices to strengthen participation in cultural activities and for the integration of culture into the politics of sustainable urban development. Reda’s support for Biella’s candidacy demonstrates the importance that the region has always represented to the history and DNA of the historic Italian mill. The story of Reda begins in 1865 and is closely connected to the Biella region: it is in Valle Mosso, in fact, that the Piedmont native and entrepreneur, Carlo Reda, founded the historic mill. In 1919, the Botto Poala brothers acquired the mill, maintaining a strong link to the territory and making this connection one of the distinctive characteristics of the company, which has always offered sustainable Merino wool fabrics as an authentic expression of craftsmanship and Italian style.

Reda chose to produce its fabrics in the Croce Mosso factory, nestled in the hills of Biella, directly following the entire production process from the raising of sheep to the creation of the final product. The historic mill maintains a profound respect for its territorial origins and for the centuries-old artisanal tradition that comes from the area. The culture of wool is deeply rooted in the hand craftsmanship of local artisans, who have always contributed to the success of Reda fabrics. Biella boasts a special relationship with the textile world since ancient times: in 600, locals began to raise sheep and produce yarns and fabrics. This activity was favored mainly by the city’s strategic position at the foot of the Alps and near rich water sources, factors that rendered the area a laboratory, attracting drapers and tailors at the same time. Biella represented an important stop along the so-called Wool Road, which crossed medieval and modern Europe and today, links the city to Australia and New Zealand where sheep are raised. Biella has a penchant for innovation, experimentation and productive and artistic creativity in its DNA, making it a meeting point and a lively center rich with inspiration for the textile world. Reda proudly supports the city’s candidacy to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and continues its efforts towards enhancing and promoting the area.