Behind every masterpiece, there are unseen forces shaping its success. In fashion, interlining specialists are the silent architects, giving garments their structure, durability and the perfect fit, seamlessly bringing a designer’s vision to life with a flawless finish.
To explore the latest developments in the interlining industry, we spoke with Gianluca Tanzi, CEO and Chairman, Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies, a global leader in interlinings and inner garment components. The France-based company produces over 350 million metres of interlining annually, operating across 9 production sites and 21 testing labs and serving more than 90 countries worldwide.
Gianluca’s bio highlights his keen eye for exceptional quality across textiles, fashion, eyewear, shoes and accessories. It also describes him as a global leader focused on driving company strategies through retail, wholesale and e-commerce while ensuring long-term success.
With this in mind, we reached out to Gianluca to learn more about how he is delivering ‘exceptional quality’ through new products and ‘his strategies for growth’. Here are the edited excerpts:
AR: What are the biggest changes coming to interlinings in terms of design, style and comfort?
Gianluca Tanzi: The future of fashion is built from the inside out! Today’s market demands increasingly versatile, lightweight and high-performance materials, with sustainability being a key factor. Technological innovation plays a crucial role in developing solutions that combine functionality with environmental responsibility.
One such breakthrough is our Lainière Paris Dreamlight, the world’s lightest ‘warp knit weft insert’ interlining, weighing just 17 grams per square metre. This innovation enhances garment durability by providing strength and structure while remaining nearly imperceptible. Designed to meet the needs of luxury brands, Dreamlight ensures perfect adherence, fluidity and softness, making it an ideal choice for haute couture and high-end, ready-to-wear fashion. Furthermore, the entire Lainière Paris collection, including Dreamlight, adhere to rigorous sustainability standards, being AFAQ ISO 9001 and 14001, OEKO-TEX Class 1 and REACH Compliance certified.
In line with the growing demand for sustainability, we have also developed Mono Material Interlinings with 100 per cent polyester coatings. This fully recyclable material ensures performance equivalent to polyamide, while maintaining durability after cleaning. By using 100 per cent polyester interlining, clients manufacturing polyester garments can eliminate the need for disassembly before recycling, making it a more sustainable choice for the fashion industry.
Another important trend is the Fusion Line, which brings high-tech performance materials, used by the world’s best athletic brands, to new categories such as suiting, intimates and dresses. The Fusion Line includes Powerstretch, Precision Bonding Tapes and Gripper Tapes, each designed to bring high-performance technology into everyday fashion.
Powerstretch is an advanced, solvent-free material that offers maximum stretch, recovery and a soft touch, ensuring superior fit and comfort across diverse applications. Then there’s Precision Bonding Tapes which enable non-sew designs, delivering durability, stretch and washability while maintaining a sleek and seamless appearance. Also, Gripper Tapes serve as a silicon-free alternative that prevents slipping, irritation and redness, providing exceptional comfort and stability to garments such as strapless gowns or leggings.
AR: What role does technology play in taking your products to the next level?
Gianluca Tanzi: Technology is at the heart of what we do. Take GMP (Global Molecular Point) technology, for example, which is used for the coating process and weft-insertion technology. The unique patented GMP process was developed to create a coating with optimal adhesion for a wide range of fabrics, while preventing strike-through. GMP ensures the ideal stability of garments over time, respecting the integrity of the fabric and maintaining its flexibility and durability.
Moreover, we have collaborated closely with Karl Mayer, a leading figure in textile machinery construction, to develop innovative machines featuring weft-insertion technology. This technology enables the incorporation of supplementary yarns across the fabric’s weft direction, opening new design possibilities while enhancing fabric quality and performance. The weft-insertion technology offers remarkable resilience and recovery in the weft direction, ensuring breathability, high stability and control in the warp direction, delivering superior performance and durability in the final product.
These innovations are the reason we have come up with H2, an innovative, high-performance, first technical outer fabric developed by us. It is the lightest 3-layer textile in the market, weighing only 45 grams and is specifically designed for high-end outdoor and fashion brands looking for technical solutions. The fabric is produced using our exclusive WarpKnit/Weft-Insert technology, ensuring exceptional stability, breathability, elasticity and durability, thanks to the best French and Italian team collaborations.
I would like to add that we are strategically expanding H2’s presence in key global markets, including India, where the demand for high-performance textiles is steadily growing.
| Our Lainière Paris Dreamlight, the world’s lightest ‘warp knit weft insert’ interlining, weighs just 17 grams per square metre. This innovation enhances garment durability by providing strength and structure while remaining nearly imperceptible. |
AR: With sustainability becoming non-negotiable due to upcoming EU and global regulations, how can brands adapt?
Gianluca Tanzi: Sustainability is no longer a choice, it’s a mandate and brands that don’t adapt risk falling behind. To cater to the growing demand for sustainable products, we have developed the Sustainable 360 Range that includes more than 300 articles, which increase yearly, made exclusively with eco-responsible materials such as BCI cotton, GRS-certified recycled polyester, hemp and more. It is the first complete collection offering interlinings and inner components, including shoulder pads, canvas, chest pieces and undercollar felt.
Our research and innovation department plays a key role in developing increasingly innovative products with a lower environmental impact.
For instance, we have come up with 100 per cent polyester thermoadhesive interlinings. Unlike traditional interlinings that mix multiple materials, our monomaterial solution is designed for full recyclability without compromising performance.
It’s made entirely of polyester, so there are no mixed materials—just full recyclability. It delivers the same strong adhesion and durability as polyamide coatings. Plus, there’s no need to take anything apart—garments can go straight into recycling. And to top it off, it meets AGEC (The French AntiWaste Law for a Circular Economy) and future EU regulations, making it a smart, future-proof choice for brands.
AR: Beyond waste reduction, what unexpected benefits have emerged from partnering with CLO?
Gianluca Tanzi: We are the only inner component manufacturer collaborating with CLO, a leading 3D design software company, to offer designers digital interlinings. CLO’s advanced simulation engine enables designers to create intricate designs with multiple layers and colours, covering everything from simple blouses to complex outerwear. By integrating Chargeurs PCC’s interlinings into digital iterations, the collaboration accelerates time to market, optimises the design process and significantly reduces resource consumption. Additionally, eliminating the need for physical samples helps lower costs and the overall carbon footprint. This not only enhances efficiency but also aligns with the industry’s sustainability goals by cutting down on material waste.
AR: What’s the main goal behind launching the new shirting division?
Gianluca Tanzi: We expanded our product portfolio, traditionally focused on interlining and internal components, by introducing a new division dedicated to high-quality shirting fabrics.
This move allows the company to stand out in the apparel industry by offering a complete range of premium fabrics, interlinings and interior components, reducing the supply chain and offering a more customised service. The integration of historic brands such as Alumo, Brennet and Eugster & Huber strengthens our positioning in the global shirting market, expanding cross-selling opportunities and offering increasingly innovative and highperformance collections.
Alumo represents excellence in highend fabrics, offering refined and durable materials that combine luxury and resilience. Eugster & Huber, on the other hand, is known for producing fabrics for high-fashion, luxury womenswear and formalwear, with a focus on pleats, organza. By integrating these brands into our strategy, we can offer exclusive, innovative and tailored products to meet the needs of international fashion brands.
