Italian Fashion: Fine Folds of antique Silk

From the house of Antico Setifico Fiorentino

Antico Setifico Fiorentino, nestled in the historic gardens of the San Frediano area of Florence, Italy, is home to centuries old looms and antique silks. Visiting the inner dominion of this place is like stepping back in time to the era of the Renaissance when finery was perhaps at its best. A magical aura pervades the showroom where visitors can only imagine the Renaissance Kings and Queens and noble families of the era who wore finery such as that displayed.

The team of eight master weavers and two apprentices continue to do so today, practicing techniques from the past on antique handlooms. Further keeping the cultural heritage alive, each apprentice learns the trade from a master weaver who has learnt the trade from a previous master of this art, following backwards in time to the original weavers of the original Tuscan families.

In the middle of the eighteenth century, several Florentine noble families made the fortuitous decision to link their fine fabric designs, detailed patterns, weaving looms, warping machines, and energies into a single silk fabric workshop, today's Antico Setifico Fiorentino. Already wealthy and influential, this nobility increased the fortunes of their own families, as well as that of Florence, through their continued discoveries of colors and designs for this magical fabric so delicate in nature and splendid in quality.

Originally destined to grace the noble families and their palaces, the fine silks of this unique workshop met with the admiration of all who came upon them. Gradually its silken creations were extended to other families of nobility in some of the most prestigious palaces throughout Europe. Special designs were created for each of the wealthy families and fabrics were carefully crafted for use in decorating rooms including the palace chapel, wedding trousseaux, and festive occasions, such as a new birth.

Each of the processes required to produce the finest silk the world has seen takes place at the Antico Setifico Fiorentino. The raw spun silk is received from Brazil for the most part. At the workshop, the silk is dyed by hand before it is wound onto spools that belong to machinery that has been working since the 1850s.

Next, the thread is carefully relocated to quills or one of the two warping machines, which still remain, from the mid 1800s. None other than Leonardo da Vinci designed one of these and it remains in perfect working order. The handlooms also date back to the eighteenth century, the early days of the workshop, along with many of the designs used for the fabrics.

The fine fabric produced in today's Antico Setifico Fiorentino is crafted for use in the interior decor of finer homes and public buildings, including drapery and furniture. Additionally, many historic costumes make use of the Antico Setifico Fiorentino silk to perform careful restoration of their fine features.

A beautifully filled salesroom showcases silk accessories, rolls of luxuriously colored fabrics, and finished products. Prices range anywhere from $150 a yard to $950 a yard. Designers are more than welcome to visit and partake of the magnificence of the shop, but mass manufacturers are not quite so welcome.

Originally located on the street of the weavers, Via de' Tessitori, this fine workshop operated continually until the present time. In 1786, the workshop was relocated to its current location at Via Bartolini. Not even the bombs of World War II, which destroyed the roof of the building nor the devastating floodwaters of 1966, could dampen the spirit of the artisans of silk.

One of the descendants of the founding families restored the water logged equipment, restoring the Antico Setifico Fiorentino back to its purpose and design of creating the most exquisite and delicate of fabrics, including damasks, lampas, brocades, and taffetas. Today, the Antico Setifico Fiorentino is managed by the descendants of one of the founding families and continues to work exclusively with the authentic eighteenth century looms to produce the fine silks so enamored by an increasing number of clients.

By Susan M. Keenan