History of a collection
OPERA s.r.l. is a theatre production company based in Reggio Emilia that has recently also moved into the field of textile manufacturing.
A 'historic' Italian textile brand has for this purpose been 'resurrected': the ANTICO COTONIFICIO VENEZIANO, guaranteeing an exclusive product made entirely in Italy using traditional craft methods.
After years of testing, a collection of fabrics has been created for furnishing, stage design, tailoring and other uses that demand quality, elegance and originality.
The base is a light weave of finest Egyptian ’Makó’ cotton, specially woven in Italy. This quality fabric is strong, easy to work and can be washed at 30ºC or dry cleaned.
The fabric is block printed ”in the Lyonese manner” using traditional manual procedures that make each piece unique.
The distinguishing feature is the metallic component. Special care has been given to the matching of the colours with the iridescences of gold, silver, silvery gold and steel, along with copper, bronze, verdigris and slate. Such elements give the collection an undeniably distinctive pictorial quality.
Extensive and detailed studies have led to the recovery and presentation of the 24 decorative textile patterns that make up the first Antico Cotonificio Veneziano sample book, chronologically ranging from tenth-century Byzantine Semites to art decó damasks. A vast assortment is also offered by decorated papers, from the eighteenth-century examples produced by the Remondini printing works in Bassano, to those of the English Arts and Crafts movement in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Some of the most representative patterns from the history of textile production have been selected, drawing firstly on the glorious, time-honoured Venetian tradition, along with that of Genoa, of similar refinement. Inspiration has also been drawn from the silks made by the Grande Fabrique of Lyons, and from the original achievements of English manufacture at Spitalfields. The collection also includes some quite rare fabric patterns that are expressions of distant cultures, such as Indian products from the Mogul period and those of Muslim craftsmen in Turkestan and China.
The end use of these fabrics in furnishing and tailoring has allowed this fascinating combination of historic references to be matched by a close examination of contemporary trends, resulting in a harmonious blend of the formal values of the past and the latest technical advances.
