The Artisans

Cino Cini started producing combed fabrics for drapery in 1956, a move that paved the way for a long family history culminating with the foundation of Arcashmere in Prato, Tuscany. Now run by his son Fabrizio and his nephew Andrea, the company is renowned for producing top-quality textile accessories and home furnishing using cutting-edge technologies. Each scarf, poncho, or blanket is crafted only employing 100% cashmere, silk/cashmere blend, and more fine yarns. Boasting partnerships with international luxury brands, Archasmere values sustainability and human contribution.

“Ars Dormiendi” - Latin for “the art of sleeping” - encapsulates the vision of Olga Frua, an eponymous brand producing stylish yet timeless bedding and nightwear collections. In the early decades of the 20th century, a young Olga lived between Milan and Stresa, where she married Alberto Frua, a textile engineer and son of the founder of De Angeli Frua printing house. Her passion for ajour embroideries and primary colors from the trousseau tradition has inspired today’s luxe creations merging prized, natural textiles with antique artisan techniques.

Venice-born artist Anna Paola Cibin studied art and design at the Institute of Art in Venice. After a brief period in London, she returned to Venice to collaborate with Murano’s glass masters, and in 1997, she began painting on velvet, a technique inspired by old Venetian tapestry tradition. Her talent, passion, and constant search for details produce entirely original and captivating art pieces blending Venetian-glass elements, gold-and silver-leaf decorations on luxurious velvets. Her works have been showcased in Vienna, Paris, London, New York, and Singapore.

Founded in 2002 and based in the Tuscan city of Prato, the heart of Italy’s textile industry, The House of Lyria produces original, timeless fabrics. Founder Riccardo Bruni, the creative force behind The House of Lyria, is an auteur of textiles who merges tradition, experimentation and emotion to create materials with a wholly unique character. The company is named after a rare, elegantly spiraling conch shell. It symbolizes the freedom of the ocean, a wide-open realm in which to dream and explore. Lyria has been working with the world’s leading designers and fashion houses throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. The House of Lyria entered the world of interiors in 2021, launching its cushions collection and creating fabrics for use in private residences, yachts, boutique hotels and other commercial projects by leading architects and interior designers.

Founded by designer Fernando Prete, Ferò merges classic elegance with innovative trends to create interior design pieces marked by a luxurious yet democratic appeal. A textile master, Prete began his career in the 1980s as a tailor, traveling around Europe and eventually working for a world-renowned textile company for over two decades. Ferò’s products are elegant, original, and meticulously handcrafted, revealing his mastery of detail and appreciation of the sublime.

Located in its historic Macherio headquarters only a few kilometers outside of Milan, Rivolta Carmignani has been producing prized linens for over 150 years. Now run by the fifth and sixth generations, the unrivaled quality of the yarns, the sartorial expertise, and the tailor-made optioning earned it international plaudit amongst exclusive hospitality contexts worldwide. Timeless class is its trademark, made possible thanks to the coexistence of artisan techniques, cutting-edge technologies, and traditional elements.

A first-rate linen atelier based in Tuscany, Verderoccia is world-renowned for its singular style and exceptional designs. Their stunning linens showcase Egyptian cotton that is deftly woven, finished, and embroidered in Italy by master artisans. Boasting over four generations of the Pratesi family’s artisan know-how, the brand is run by Gaia Leonori Pratesi and her children Athos and Margherita who work to keep their family legacy and traditions alive.

The brainchild of Simona Scollica, The Sign was founded in 2018 with the aim of creating handmade rugs that told a story and were an expression of modern home decor. Distinguished by an eclectic mix of multi-functional textiles fit for both indoor and outdoor use, Scollica uses different weaving techniques mastered by ancient Indian and Nepalese artisans using an artisanal vertical loom. The materials used are hand-dyed and chemical-free and each piece is made respecting fair labor and pay practices.

Born in Bologna to a family of art collectors, Luisa Longo studied at the Ècole du Louvre in Paris where she first began painting on organza, silks, and satins (Fibre Art). Longo combines these versatile textiles with water-based colors, special acrylics, and powder pigments for a striking see-through effect, transforming her pieces into decorative objects and home furnishing accessories. Longo draws inspiration from symbolism and expressionism, her pieces a constant exploration of the cosmos, nature, and music. She lives in Trastevere, Rome in her Guest House-Fibre Art Studio.

Carlotta Oddone decided to forgo her flourishing career as a reporter to become an interior decorator. She spent five years in Rio de Janeiro immersed in local culture, paving the way for interior design consultancies and collaborations with prestigious firms in the Italian textile industry. Today, her own textile design brand mainly focuses on colorful prints on velvet, and her spaces are decorated to reflect the personality of those who inhabit them.

Masserano Cashmere is a family business founded in the early 1940s by Claudio Masserano. From humble beginnings in the world of wool trading to slowly growing to become an established cashmere brand under the leadership of Claudio’s son Paolo with his wife Tiziana, Masserano’s de luxe collections of handmade pure cashmere home accessories are appreciated worldwide. Currently in the hands of the third generation, Claudio and Cristina have expanded the brand by collaborating with renowned luxury fashion houses.

Gaia Di Paola studied Architecture in Rome and worked as a fashion designer for internationally renowned brands. After taking several crafting courses at St. Martin’s College of Arts & Design in London, she discovered her passion in combining art and fashion. She later established her eponymous brand GAIADIPAOLA, creating precious hand-painted and hand-embroidered home textiles. Working between Rome and London, her pieces express both the eclectic energy of a modern metropolis and the rich Italian tradition of hand-craftsmanship.

Roberta has a notable background in the fashion field and has collaborated with important brands. Her passion and a keen sense of aesthetic, combined with her technical capabilities have given her an edge in the industry. Her creative ideas are represented through the reinterpretation of classical concepts expressing Made in Italy quality and style in carded wool, cotton, and cashmere for strong visual impact.

Allegra Marchiorello and Valeria Piovesana Thompson met in Strasbourg as law students. After developing their law careers and raising families in Venice and London, they launched Once Milano in 2012, a modern interpretation of traditional linens that boasts understated luxury. The quality of these timeless and elegant linen sets for the bedroom and bathroom makes every day special. Each piece of fabric is cut, sewn, and dyed by hand to create a rich, unique effect unachievable with machine production.

A family business whose story is woven in the fabric of Venice’s rich artistic history, the Bevilacqua’s presence in the textile world dates back to 1499. Founded by Luigi Bevilacqua in 1875, today the company is managed by brothers Rodolfo and Alberto Bevilacqua, who carry on the family business and tradition. Specialized in velvet textiles and damask Renaissance designs, Tessitura Bevilacqua preserves the ancient Venetian textile art to create unique fabrics, with individual details and color gradients,that infuse historical designs with a hint of modernity.

Luisa Bezzi founded Sans Tabù in Milan in 2014. Born in Rome, Luisa started working professionally in the US as a designer for Esprit and other international brands, but her heart has always belonged to the hills of Marche, in central Italy, and to her family’s thousand-year-old castle. This cherished childhood place, filled with hand-embroidered sheets and towels, is an endless source of inspiration for her sophisticated and luxurious collections that combine sensuality, art, and fashion with the centuries-old tradition of Italian craftsmanship.

A joint brand of the Sicilian, family-run linen company, Bellavia SRL, The NapKing creates first-rate napkins and tableware linens of timeless refinement. Handmade of the finest fabrics, linen, and cotton, its pieces feature striking and original designs digitally printed onto prized textiles. From production to packaging, The NapKing’s distinctive feature is the meticulous care for details, enhancing the brand’s exceptional elegance.

Coloriage is a place for sharing, teaching, and learning timeless crafting techniques, offering free seminars and courses for migrants and the unemployed who enjoy being creative. Artisans, designers, and masters from all backgrounds share their knowledge and stories in a small workshop with a big objective: a sartorial studio that uses recycled and recyclable materials to create unique pieces of multicultural inspiration, showcasing splendid contemporary shapes and colors.

Established by Viola Stancati in 2021, Casa Parini is an eco-friendly and socially-conscious brand specializing in soft bedding made of hemp. Hemp is a superbly sustainable raw material as it does not require pesticides, is not water-intensive, and provides detoxifying and nourishing properties for soil. Every piece of cloth featured in Casa Parini products is entirely handwoven in the brand’s atelier on Via Parini, Turin - where Viola’s grandfather once ran a textile business - by the seamstresses of Colori Vivi, a social enterprise led by professional tailors who employ migrant women.

A century-old brand producing exceptional household embroidered linens, Jesurum Venezia 1870 was founded in Venice in 1870 by Michelangelo Jesurum. Handmade using the most precious fabrics and artisan techniques, its refined pieces interpret traditional Venetian lace and embroidery with a modern twist. Jesurum collaborates with professionals to create bespoke linens exclusively produced in a limited edition solely for the customer.