The Production of Broom Fibre: Sustainability and Fashion. The Point of View of the Participants of “Miss Italia”

Up until sixty years ago, in the Calabrian towns and villages, the production of broom (Spartium junceum) yarn was practiced. Broom is a spontaneous plant, very widespread in Calabria. In September, with the arrival of the rain, necessary for the production cycle, it was common to see, at the door of the house, peasant women engaged in the various stages and helped by relatives and friends. The purpose of this research is to analyse the sustainability of broom fibre production and to evaluate if and how trendy items made of this fibre would be appealing to the participants of Miss Italia. A digital questionnaire was sent to 570 girls; 197 questionnairesquestionnaire were filled in; 175 questionnairesquestionnaire were considered valid. The results of the questionnaire gave useful indications about the inclination the girls would have in spreading broom fibre production culture.