Cashmere Monuments
It began with Grandma Albertina in the immediate post-war period. She knitted, then involved some friends and then other women. Eventually, a company was born to make sweaters, socks and gloves in wool from Mugello, an agricultural and pastoral area in the heart of Tuscany. Today, Borgo is a family-run business that, for three generations, has dedicated itself to the production of the finest quality cashmere products and has begun an independent path to enhance its brand, without forgetting Mugello, to which the Landi and Fredducci families owe a lot, but to which they also want to give just as much... Starting with the employment and happiness of its employees, to whom the company is constantly at their side for every need. In short, a family-business led by a very close-knit group that, for example, organizes a yoga course for employees every Tuesday and Friday morning, from 7:15 to 8:15.
"We have invested more in people than in machines. Our strength lies in ancient techniques, passed down from mother to daughter that, 70 years later, still manage to excite", say Franco Fredducci and Serena Landi, CEOs of the company, but above all husband and wife. Confirmation comes from their son Matteo, director of human resources: "Ours is a united family. We believe that only thanks to personal relationships and the collaboration of the entire team can we achieve great results". In fact, at Il Borgo they have learned to create a perfect combination of traditional techniques, creativity and design. A strategy that has grown the business through partnerships with major fashion houses to produce embroidery, trimmings and cashmere products. This innovative spirit is also one of the reasons why Il Borgo has participated in the Maison d'Exception event in Paris since 2011. The event celebrates artisan businesses that use sophisticated techniques to create unique products and provides a platform to connect them with designers and fashion brands.
Much of the credit goes to the imagination and courage of Franco Fredducci who, together with his wife Serena and three children (Matteo, Elia and David), now runs the company Il Borgo. A brand that not by chance recalls its land of origin by evoking Borgo San Lorenzo. "Our collection combines the natural beauty of cashmere with the preciousness of refined Italian craftsmanship, based on a rich heritage of artisanal techniques - knitting, crochet, lace, macramé, sewing and decorations - that cannot be replicated with machinery and that give our products the beauty and uniqueness that can be seen and felt", he says. The Fredduccis focus on quality, but also on extraordinary, almost unbelievable initiatives, such as sculptures in cashmere or other types of yarns: from the almost 5-meter-high tulle tree that fills the hall of the Four Seasons (Florence) every Christmas, to the coral reef in cashmere, wood, beads and leather, to Biagio, a life-size astronaut, who was exhibited at the Mugello circuit during the MotoGP, the race that attracts about 130 thousand visitors every year. "Every day, through our creations, we try to amaze and excite. Only when our eyes light up do we understand that we have achieved our goal", says their son Elia, sales manager of Il Borgo.
"Our works", Franco continues with passion, "are the expression of what has always been our credo, that is, experimenting, going, if necessary, even against common thinking and always deferring to the final judgment of our customers: an essential basis on which our work has always rested, rests and will rest. If we had to sum it all up in one word, it would be emotion . It is from this feeling that we have started our work for almost 70 years now, still today the only way we know to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the market. Every year, with our research and development team, we create more than a thousand prototypes, test new yarns and explore new techniques".
