15 September 2026
Slow Fiber, the Italian network for the sustainable textile and furnishing supply chain founded in 2022 as an offshoot of Slow Food, will be one of the protagonists of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026, taking place from 24 to 27 September in Turin, with a series of events designed to showcase the value of the textile supply chain to the public.
The program opens with a preview event, Monday 21 September, 10:30 am, Salone d'Onore at Castello del Valentino, as part of Terra Madre Off: the Politecnico di Torino and Slow Food have invited Slow Fiber to a round table focused on the challenges and contradictions of the textile sector, examining the "cognitive dissonance" that emerges between growing awareness of the social and environmental impacts of fashion and everyday consumer choices. The debate, moderated by Debora Fino, Full Professor of Chemical Plants, Director of the Department of Applied Science and Technology and Resources Manager of the Green Team at the Politecnico di Torino, will feature Dario Casalini, President of Slow Fiber, vice-president Eleonora Peretti, Giovanna Maggia of Maglificio Maggia and Lorenzo Piacentini of Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia (network member companies), Mariapaola Puglielli, PhD candidate in Design and Technology at the Politecnico di Torino, and Barbara Nappini, President of Slow Food Italia. An open discussion to envision new cultural, production and consumption models capable of mending the relationship between quality, responsibility and desire.
For the 2026 edition, Terra Madre also changes its format: it moves out into the streets, unfolding along the avenues of the Piedmontese capital, with stands, markets, conferences and events spread across some of the city's most iconic locations. It is in this context that, from 24 to 27 September, Slow Fiber will find its place at the heart of the event, inside the Slow Food Italia space in Piazza Castello. Founded on the values of good, clean, fair and durable production, the network brings together companies committed to building a supply-chain culture and to valuing the skilled workers and expertise that, often passed down from generation to generation, constitute a cultural heritage to be preserved and passed on.
At the stand, for the entire duration of the event, Slow Fiber has chosen to reach out to young people through young people: joining the team will be students from ITS TAM - the Higher Technical Institute for Textiles, Clothing and Fashion in Biella - who will guide visitors through a journey spanning technological innovation and manual craftsmanship. Visitors will be able to try their hand at practical activities open to the public: designing a garment on the computer using AutoCAD and hand-making their own fabric bookmarks and keyrings.
These days will also include the second in-depth event, Saturday 26 September, 3:30 pm, Sala Immersiva at Gallerie d'Italia in Piazza San Carlo: "Design of Taste", a meeting exploring how Slow Food's philosophy has also influenced other fields far removed from food, starting with textiles, redefining the balance between aesthetics and responsibility. Since its founding, Carlo Petrini himself, who recently passed away, firmly supported the creation of Slow Fiber, seeing the network as a natural extension of Slow Food's message: bringing ethics, transparency and regeneration also to the way we produce and experience the primary act of "getting dressed and furnishing our spaces". Alongside the President of Slow Fiber, the meeting will also feature Fulvio Marino, a Piedmontese baker and miller, Gloria Lucchesi, coordinator of the Slow Food Community of the Cassetta di Cottura of San Casciano dei Bagni, and Mona Caron, an artist known for her large murals dedicated to the plant world. https://2026.terramadresalonedelgusto.com/evento/design-del-gusto/
With its presence at Terra Madre 2026, Slow Fiber confirms itself as a point of reference for the ecological and ethical transition of design and fashion in Italy. From the squares of Turin to the discussion tables, the network shows that cultural change starts with everyday actions: getting dressed and furnishing our own spaces can become conscious, regenerative acts, capable of protecting the planet and valuing human work.
