Grandma Albertina started this new experience in the immediate post-war period. She usually knitted; then, she involved some friends and later other women. A company was born to make jumpers, socks and gloves out of wool from Mugello, an area of agriculture and sheep farming in the heart of Tuscany. Today, Il Borgo is a family-run business, which for three generations has dedicated itself to the production of the finest quality cashmere products. Furthermore, it has started an independent path to enhance its own brand, without forgetting Mugello, to which Landi and Fredducci families owe so much, but to which they also want to give even more. They give importance to the employment and the happiness of their employees, to whom the company is constantly at their side for every need. Just to give an example, a company-family led by a close-knit team organizes a yoga class 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, handed down from mother to daughter, which after 70 years still manage to excite". This is what Franco Fredducci and Serena Landi said, managing directors of the company, but above all husband and wife. Confirmation comes from their son Matteo, director of human resources: 'Ours is a close family. We believe it’s only through personal relationships and cooperation of the whole team that great results can be achieved'. Indeed, at Il Borgo they have learnt to create a mix of traditional techniques, creativity, and design. It’s 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 craft businesses that use sophisticated techniques to make unique products, providing a platform which connects them with fashion brands and designers.
Much of the credit goes to the imagination and bravery of Franco, who, together with his wife Serena and three sons (Matteo, Elia, and David), now runs the company. A brand that, not by chance, recalls its homeland, 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 and macramé, sewing and decorations. These ones cannot be replicated by machinery; they give our products the beauty and uniqueness that can be seen and felt". The Fredducci family focus on quality, but also on extraordinary, almost unbelievable initiatives, such as sculptures made of cashmere or other types of yarn. They realized such great works, such as: the almost five-meter-high tulle tree filling the hall of the Four Seasons in Florence every Christmas; the coral reef made of cashmere, wood, beads, and leather; Biagio, a life-size astronaut, exhibited at the Mugello circuit on the occasion of the MotoGP, the race that attracts about 130,000 visitors every year. " Through our creations we try to amaze and excite every day. Just when our eyes light up we realize we have achieved our goal,” says Elia, Il Borgo's sales manager.
Franco passionately resumes, “Our works are the expression of what has always been our creed: doing experiments, going against common belief if necessary, and always leaving it up to the final judgement of our customers. Their opinion represents the indispensable basis on which our work has always rested, rests and will continue to rest. If we had to sum it all up in one word, it is emotion. It is from this feeling that we have been doing our work for almost 70 years; still today, it’s the only way we know how to stand out from the rest of the market. Every year with our research and development team we make more than a thousand prototypes, testing new yarns and exploring new techniques”.
