Manteco, luxury wool made in Italy for Zara and H&M coats

This winter, from hangers at Zara we can find wool coats for 100 euro; at Mango, for 500

euro; and at H&M, for 200 euro. The pricing will scare more than one, but it will be a pleasant surprise to the one that appreciates Manteco’s name. This historic Italian weaver, regular supplier for premium and luxury brands, slipped for the first time through fast fashion, eager to achieve the formula to enlarge its margins and to start keeping some distance from low cost.

Mantellassi family continues at the front of this family business located in Prato, one of the Italian cradles of textile. Even though in the last decades Chinese clothing manufacturers have been writing the last chapter of textile history in that town, some historic companies still use the made in Italy label as a value-added.

Manteco started its business in 1943 by founder Enzo Mantellassi. In the late seventies, he was relieved by his son Franco, who gave volume to the business and expanded its operations into international markets. Currently, the company is led by the third generation of the founding family, Marco and Matteo Mantellassi, who succeed in doubling the income of the group in the last five years, going from 38 million euros in 2012 to 72 million euros in 2017.

Manteco concluded 2017 with a business figure of 72 million euros, the double from five years ago

Despite its strong growth, the company still keeps distance with the giants of the Italian retail industry, led by Marzotto, which closed 2017 with a business figure of 455 million euros. The largest made in Italy weavers’ top five is completed by Limonta, with an income of 197 million euros; Loro Piano, with sales in 190 million euros; Vitale Barberis Canonico, with a revenue of 163 million; and Albini, with 194 million, according to a ranking by Pambianconews.

With a production capacity of more than seven million meters of fabric per year, Manteco is specialized in wool fabric. The company, which has an historic archive of more than 40 thousand samples, exports its products to thirty countries.

The company settled the development of its business in this last phase on the pillars of innovation and sustainability. The family in its day bet on keeping the location of the factory in Prato, scarifying bigger margins for the search of new finishes, innovative processes and own designs.

Now, having the factory at home makes it easier for Manteco to give its business a twist, to fully enter sustainability. The company designed a system to track its whole productive process, even raw materials, to its origin. During the last years, the company took its first steps in circular economy with the production of fabrics made of reutilized materials.