In Paris, Zanni, a long-time Italian knitwear specialist, organized the exhibition “Inside The Knit. Experience the Evolution of WholeGarment,” , on September 23 and 24, 2026.

A few days before Paris Fashion Week, the event took place at Espace Parallele and celebrates the Italian company’s 30-year evolution in creating versatile, comfortable garments using increasingly new and advanced technologies.

For the occasion, they presented 15 unique garments created using the WholeGarment technique—a highly advanced method that allows for the production of a seamless, one-piece knit garment thanks to machinery by Shima Seiki, a Japanese company at the forefront of the knitwear industry.

Clients of international luxury brands, fashion schools, designers, and industry insiders were able to see how cutting-edge knitwear has evolved. Each piece on display represented a milestone in the development of this technology, which encompasses production and design techniques, materials, garment construction, and creative expression.

The exhibition was divided into two rooms. The first traced the evolution of WholeGarment technology from 1995 to 2022 through five garments representing five distinct stages of development.

The exhibition began with the first pieces made entirely without seams and progressed to the most recent generations of machines, characterized by increasingly advanced design capabilities, the integration of 3D technology, and a significant reduction in raw material waste.

The second room transported visitors to the present day of technology through ten additional garments developed to showcase different construction techniques, such as 3D knitting, complex structures and inserts, intarsia, lace effects, and the integration of different types of yarn.

Rounding out the exhibition was the “Touch & Try” area, which allowed visitors to touch and try on a selection of garments and gain a close-up understanding of their construction, materials, and features.

Zanni is a specialized Italian company based in the well-known Emilia-Romagna knitwear district. Founded in 1985 by Mauro Zanni, the company converted its entire production to use exclusively WholeGarment technology in 1996.

This special technology allows for the creation of a three-dimensional knit garment directly in a single piece, without seams. At the time, this technology represented a paradigm shift compared to traditional knitwear production processes and continues to evolve offering unexpected new creative solutions.