Loretta Caponi
1967 marks the beginning of Loretta Caponi’s story, when she opened the doors to her first store in Borgo Ognissanti, Florence. Today, the family company is upheld by her daughter Lucia – and Lucia’s son Guido – who continue the quality-obsessed narrative from the atelier on Florence’s venerable via Tornabuoni. Collections are centred around heirlooms for the home, using locally milled fabrics that are placed in the artisanal hands of family-run workshops across Tuscany. Embroidery remains a faithful facet, heard through the tidal wave of techniques within the archive, from the signature catanella stitch (translating from Italian to ‘little chain’) to the equally esteemed smocking, which only a few craftswomen are trained to carry out.
1967 marks the beginning of Loretta Caponi’s story, when she opened the doors to her first store in Borgo Ognissanti, Florence. Today, the family company is upheld by her daughter Lucia – and Lucia’s son Guido – who continue the quality-obsessed narrative from the atelier on Florence’s venerable via Tornabuoni. Collections are centred around heirlooms for the home, using locally milled fabrics that are placed in the artisanal hands of family-run workshops across Tuscany. Embroidery remains a faithful facet, heard through the tidal wave of techniques within the archive, from the signature catanella stitch (translating from Italian to ‘little chain’) to the equally esteemed smocking, which only a few craftswomen are trained to carry out.
Meet The Maker:
Loretta Caponi
Loretta Caponi’s introduction of nightwear in the late 1960s signalled a welcome departure from the synthetic materials that dominated the period, as hers were realised in the highest quality cottons, linens and silks. Since, the Florentine atelier has continued to honour this reputation for the finest make, host to a vast fabric assortment and an ever-growing embroidery archive of 20,000+ designs – some of which date back to the 1800s. Today, her daughter and grandson – Lucia and Guido – keep this historic and highly skilled needlework alive by working with a network of artisans all within 90km of central Florence. Not only does this provide job opportunities to an ageing population, but also encourages them to tutor new seamstresses and enjoy a slower rhythm of production.
