Continuing the long tradition of the Como silk district, the Mantero company has now reached its fourth generation: we joined the company to understand what makes Made in Italy fashion unique in the world
When you think of early Italian fashion, a glittering world of fashion shows, boutiques, shopping and divas on the red carpet comes to mind. Especially in June, the month dedicated to the presentations of new men’s collections Between Pitti in Florence and the Men’s Fashion Week in Milan. But the backbone of the sector is made up of specialized districts that have refined manufacturing techniques that are unique in the world, from bobbin to leather goods, from clothing manufacturing to gold processing. Companies and artisans who pass on that skill, that savoir-faire, that the world envies us: it is not a figure of speech, given that the luxury giants often rely on our realities to finish or create some garments. One of them is Mantero, textile company founded in Como in 1902 which continues the centuries-old tradition of silk printingprojecting it into the future thanks to continuous technological research that allows us to obtain an exceptional quality standard while reducing the impact on the environment. FQMagazine visited the company headquarters: a journey that ideally connects Japan and Italy, past and future.
The tradition of the silk district
The history of silk processing in Como began as early as the 16th century, but it was above all with the industrialization of the late 19th century in Lombardy that the city became a point of reference in Europe. And it is precisely here that, in 1985, the young man arrives Riccardo Mantero. A few years later, in 1902, he set up his own business and launched the “Riccardo Mantero Company”. Generation after generation, the company grows, becomes vertical, invests in industrialization and production. In the 1950s he made agreements with the then nascent Florentine prêt-à-porter sector, in the 1970s he made his debut in the world of accessories and began to expand throughout the world. Despite the advance of globalization and fast-fashion, Mantero has never outsourced. The company remains (proudly) in Como, under the aegis of Franco Mantero – president of Mantero Seta since 2021 – and Lucia Mantero – head of the product development division and creative director. The challenge is clear: protect an immense legacy in an ever-faster fashion market.
The Kimono archive and collection
The heart of Mantero is the archive – a library lovers dream – and this is where our journey begins. More than ten thousand volumes, all carefully catalogued, containing drawings, themes and fantasies over the years they have inspired creatives and stylists. The oldest ones date back to the 19th century: leafing through them you will find motifs so modern that they wouldn’t look out of place in our wardrobes. The archive does not only contain books, but prints on fabric and 70 thousand scarves produced for the most famous fashion houses – whose names remain top secret, but the list is so long that it’s easy to guess. Here designers can find suggestions from every corner of the globe. The flagship is in fact one collection of 763 kimonos, under-kimonos, jackets and 70 Obi from the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods, spanning a period of time from 1878 to 1945. Each piece has been carefully cataloged and preserved by collector Nancy Martin Stetson. Together, they represent an extraordinary compendium of Japanese textile techniques, capable of obtaining precise patterns by tying and twisting the fabric by hand. A necessary moment of culture, for Franco Mantero, who al Fattoquotidiano.it he explains: “By focusing only on technology you risk falling flat and missing out on something. We want to make sure that whoever comes here can touch, admire the techniques, understand the meaning of the Japanese symbols”. Take a moment to fully understand its value, without getting carried away by the frenetic pace that the sector imposes. Mantero – with good reason – does not send anything from its catalogues: you have to make an appointment with the company, come in, sit down. Give the right time and attention to what you look at.
Cutting-edge printing techniques
It is said of many companies that they know how to combine “tradition and modernity”. In the case of Mantero it is not only true, but it takes the form of continuous research and experimentation, as well as cutting-edge technologies: from inkjet printing to the very recent Flock printing, which consists in the application of powders of different nature derived from fragmentation in tiny particles of fibers, predominantly nylon and polyester. The fall of the powders is “controlled” by a trolley flocking machine placed in line on the traditional printing trolley, which will already have glue printed according to the design. Observing the machinery at work, Lucia Mantero underlines the company’s desire to recover ancient techniques that would be impossible today – due to the cost or because they are no longer in line with environmental standards – but which survive thanks to new technological solutions, rather than being lost forever.
The new challenge: reduce consumption
Being at the forefront, in 2024, also means a greater effort towards sustainability, the Achilles heel of the textile sector. It is undeniable that printing, steaming and washing fabrics require enormous consumption of water and heat. But it is possible to change course, explains Franco Mantero: if once 100 liters of water were consumed for one meter of silk, the investment in more efficient machinery has made it possible to reduce it to 15-20 litres: “With the new plant in operation from January 2024 – the company explains – we expect to reduce water consumption per meter of fabric by more than 50%.”. The most recent chapter in the company’s history is the launch of its own brand – Mantero 1902 – which includes clothing, denim, shoes and a wide variety of men’s offerings (not just ties, for example, but Hawaiian shirts). The headquarters in Grandate, not far from the lake, hosts 500 employees, almost half of whom are women and, at a glance, many young people. A hive of creativity and competence, where everyone has a specific professionalism, from the printers to the colourists who check that the exact chromatic shades of each garment are made to ensure, for example, that the two sides of a printed fabric do not influence each other, but rather they exalt each other. A detail that no one thinks about when tying a scarf around their neck, but which makes the difference between quality and excellence.
