Crafting Excellence, Weaving Elegance

The year 1891 marks the official birth of the company, with Attilio Fumagalli at the helm. The workshop at Via Sirtori 22 became a small crossroads of Milanese creativity. Silk was treated as a noble, almost spiritual fabric.

Attilio introduced the first silk robes and ties made of silk gauze, transparent and light as air. His goal was not merely to sell accessories but to elevate personal style to an artistic gesture. Every customer was a collaborator, every order a bespoke composition.

The Belle Époque was an era of optimism, technological progress, and aesthetic refinement. Fumagalli perfectly captured the spirit of the time, introducing Art Nouveau patterns, floral arabesques, and designs inspired by Japanese prints, which had arrived in Europe to great acclaim.

The tie was no longer just a functional accessory; it became a reflection of the soul. Fumagalli created collections inspired by the seasons, Italian landscapes, and music.

During these years, the first international orders began to arrive, particularly from Paris, London, and Berlin. The sample books were carefully shipped, wrapped in tissue paper and scented with essential oils.

A famous order from 1912 came from the Worth store in Paris, which commissioned Fumagalli to create a line of ties coordinated with evening gloves for the male audience of the Opera.

The 1930s marked a phase of aesthetic transformation. Fumagalli ties became bolder, with more saturated colors and compact designs. Men's style was increasingly inspired by the imagery of American cinema, with actors like Clark Gable and Fred Astaire setting new standards of elegance. Fumagalli, true to its identity, reinterpreted these influences while maintaining its core principles: high-quality silk, exclusive designs, and artisanal craftsmanship.
During this period, the automobile emerged as a symbol of freedom and modernity. The ties reflected this dynamism with "accelerated stripe" patterns, curves reminiscent of racetracks, and chrome-like tones. Coordinated accessories also came into play: printed silk pocket squares, scarves, and jacquard bow ties.
With the outbreak of World War II, production slowed but never completely stopped. The workshop adapted, producing small batches for loyal clients and embassies. Ties were often crafted from salvaged silk, but the artisanal mastery was never compromised.
In 1945, at the end of the war, Attilio Fumagalli passed away. Yet his spirit, as a client wrote in a letter from that time, "remained stitched into every invisible edge." His sons, Mario and Alberto, took up the mantle.

The post-war era was a time of reconstruction and rebirth, marking one of the most fruitful periods for Fumagalli. In 1947, the Gold Twill was introduced—a silk that was both ultra-fine and durable, capable of enhancing the most vibrant colors while maintaining the perfect structure of the knot. It was a small revolution. No other fabric allowed for such precision in printing combined with such a soft touch. Fumagalli became synonymous with quiet innovation. Customers would request the latest designs directly by mail. Historic stores dedicated entire rooms to Fumagalli’s sample collections, often personally managed by Mr. Mario. It was during these years that the legend of the 70 suitcases was born. To visit the finest stores in Italy, Mario Fumagalli traveled in a large sedan, followed by the Fumagalli Van loaded with the iconic rigid suitcases. Each suitcase contained dozens upon dozens of fabrics and ties, meticulously organized by design, season, and style. Every visit was and event, sometimes requiring an entire week to select samples, discuss pairings, and finalize orders. It was a ritual of art and commerce that, sadly, no longer exists today.

Club was more than just a magazine—it was a true observatory of Italian artisanal excellence. It told the stories of master weavers, showcased innovations in craftsmanship, and guided readers in discovering luxurious materials like silk, cashmere, and merino wool. Among its most anticipated initiatives was the “Store of the Year Award,” a prestigious accolade highly coveted by boutiques and tailors. This award was presented with great ceremony, underscoring Club’s role as a promoter of style and quality.

With this approach, the magazine forged a genuine connection between producers, retailers, and consumers, elevating the standard of men’s fashion and making Fumagalli 1891 one of the most celebrated players in the industry. In this context, Club served not only as a guide for those seeking style but also as a driving force for the growth of Italian high-fashion businesses, helping to solidify the international reputation of Made in Italy.

The 1960s were a decade of creative courage for Fumagalli. The world was changing rapidly: the modern man traveled, listened to the Beatles, bought sports cars, and dressed more boldly. The tie was no longer a symbol of formality; it became an expression of character. It was in this context that one of the brand's most iconic campaigns was born:"The Fumagalli Cobra", launched in 1967. The images depicted a tie coiled in a spiral like a cobra ready to strike, accompanied by the slogan: "It’s not a tie. It’s a weapon of charm."The success was immediate. Sales in stores in Rome and Milan tripled. Younger customers began buying Fumagalli ties to stand out from their fathers, not to resemble them. The patterns became more graphic, featuring micro geometries, ellipses, and optical lines, often printed on backgrounds of violet, forest green, and burnt orange. Meanwhile, production in Como was growing. Fumagalli continued to rely on historic workshops in the silk region, ensuring hand finishes and rolled edges even for the most modern designs. Elegance remained the foundation, but the style evolved.

The 1990s marked a return to a more intimate and authentic concept of luxury. After the excesses of the 1980s, elegance became more understated, more refined. Fumagalli embraced this spirit with a renewed dedication to tailoring. Many clients returned to selecting their ties directly in the atelier: choosing the fabric, the cut, and their preferred knot style. Requests often included customizations based on corporate color codes, precise widths tailored to their collars, and even “speaking” ties, featuring hidden patterns visible only up close or to those who knew where to look.

Exclusive collaborations with elite boutiques, from Paris to Tokyo, also emerged, resulting in highly limited capsule collections, often hand numbered. One such collection—“Music and Silk”—featured patterns inspired by the scores of Verdi and Puccini, printed on silk using natural inks.

Fumagalli also stood out for its attention to complementary materials: linings in glossy satin or lightweight flannel, stitching done with silk thread, and hand-reinforced internal loops. Each piece was a small, portable work of art, designed for men who sought not appearances, but the truth of beauty.

Today, Fumagalli 1891 is much more than a brand: it is a cultural institution. Every tie is still cut, sewn, and finished by hand. Every collection is the result of deep aesthetic reflection. And every customer is treated as a guardian of the brand’s legacy.

Parallel to the evolution of the maison and the growing popularity of the Club magazine, an important initiative was launched to protect and enhance the company's historical heritage: the renovation and reopening, exclusively by appointment and for a highly select audience, of the Fumagalli 1891 Historical Archive in Como. This unique space serves as a true treasure chest of memory and craftsmanship, housing original fabrics, sketches, photographs, and documents that narrate over a century of Italian textile and tailoring history.

The Archive is not merely a repository of materials but a living space of research and inspiration, where designers, scholars, and enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the past to draw new ideas and continue the maison’s tradition of excellence. Every fabric, every design is a testament to meticulous craftsmanship and an attention to detail that has always distinguished Fumagalli 1891.

Visiting the Archive means stepping into a dimension where time slows down, allowing one to calmly appreciate the beauty and complexity of each individual piece. It is a space that weaves together history, art, and technique—a precious heritage that continues to inspire contemporary creativity. Thanks to this initiative, the tradition of Fumagalli 1891 is renewed and strengthened, keeping the bond between past and future alive.

The future of Fumagalli 1891 is woven into the fabric of time: it will continue to speak to those who know how to listen to the details, to those who believe that true elegance is never loud, but patiently woven and stitched.