Casentino a famous Italian wool, is in danger of losing its last regional factory in Tuscany
Gabucci, one of our clients, specifies both British and Italian wools in the production of their suits and Casentino, a wool from Tuscany, is one of their favourites. It is both durable and water proof and was a favourite of Audrey Hepburn.
I read today in the New York Times that the workers are facing a threat of closure and that production could be moved away from the region in which it has been made since the 1300’s.
Casentino cloth has an amazing history and was worn by both Verdi and Puccini.
Hopefully the tradition can be maintained but Gabucci were keen to add a piece about it to their blog and Instagram to bring to everyone’s attention the risks currently facing small producers.Â
They believe in supporting the craftspeople who create the beautiful cloth for the clothes they sell.Â
We wholeheartedly support that too. The image shows the local monastery in the Tuscan hills.
It’s a beautiful area but for a community that relies on an iconic cloth for its livelihood, replacing the the work would both be heartbreaking and in the region, difficult.
