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Take a look at our AW18 Lookbook.
Inspired by the birthplace of Nonna, Siciliy, the natural hues and rugged textures brought this collection to life. Wools and Cashmeres blended together to create one of a kind colours, textured silks added pops of colour to the neck accessories and soft organic cotton was use to create cozy socks for the season.
This collection was created with a selection of fabrics sourced in Northern Italy. We searched high and low to find the best collection of textured natural fabrics. The strong textures complement the light fabrics and shades of the warmer seasons. The world is full of natural textures and echoing these into our day to day outfits can bring a sense of balance between ourselves and the natural world.
Look at that, Christmas is just around the corner!
40 Colori will be open until Christmas Eve afternoon to ensure you can grab all your last last minute gifts. We'll even gift wrap your goods for you! Be sure to check our Holiday Hours to avoid missing out on last minute shopping.
Happy Holidays,
The 40 Colori Team
It's dark early, the wind is chilly, layers are doubling, and the pubs are full to the brim. That could only mean one thing; the holiday season is upon us! As the holidays are fast approaching, we decided to put together our top gift recommendations for the men in your life to help you out. Let's get one thing off your holiday to-do list!
Wool and Cashmere, the perfect duo. The combination of these two threads in this beanie makes it incredibly soft, so soft you may not want to take it off. Guess what, you don't have to take it off if you don't want to, where it to sleep even, we won't judge. Also, did we mention it's reversible aka two beanies in one?
Lift his spirits and pants with dashing wool braces. A functional addition to any outfit to add a dapper touch. Thinking about when he can wear these braces? Braces are friendly for work, dates, pubs, parties, events, dinners, shopping, almost everywhere!
Have a mate that loves a good bandana? Why not get him a soft printed wool bandana which is rich in autumn hues ensuring it will work well with winter attire and keep him warm!
Knitted Ties; they're in, they're vintage-inspired, they're soft, they're classy & unique. What more could you want? Gift the man in your life a standout silk knitted tie with small embroidered triangles. This knitted tie is sure to bring a new element to his already dapper attire.
There you have it, our top picks for gifts this holiday season. Click on the photos to see more colour options in each product. Now that you have your selection sorted be sure to take advantage of our free gift wrapping online when you place your order!
Happy Holiday Planning!
We are lucky enough to work in a field which is full of diverse creatives, and we decided to take a moment to interview some of our favourites. We had the pleasure of interviewing the very talented Arran Cross who is the founder and editor in chief of the curated blog The All Night Listening Post. But that's not all; he has taken his passion and built his very own business, Department Two. We asked him about his thoughts on menswear, blogging, ethical fashion, and more. Go on and grab yourself a cup of tea and enjoy this creative interview!
Alright, Arran thanks so much for joining us today! Let’s start by having you tell us a bit about yourself.
I have always been a creative person, I studied film production and photography when I was younger and worked as a freelance photographer for a while. The passion for blogging came later when I discovered blogs like A Continuous Lean, WM Brown Project the Hand & Eye and even Thousand Yard Style. It feels surreal now to call these people contemporaries and in some cases friends. Eventually, I combined all my passions into one project and the blog was born.
What does artisanal mean to you? And is it important to you?
Craft and Artisanal products are very on trend right now and have been for some time. Bigger companies are picking up on this trend and using it to sell their products - many of which aren't artisan made goods at all. To me, artisanal means something made with skill, passion, and purpose. It’s very important to me that products are well made and honest about what they are - whether that’s a physical product, food or drink.
Heritage, quality and reputation are everything. Many established brands still fail to realise this though. Over the last ten years I’ve built up a roster of brands I trust and it’s difficult for me to justify shifting away from them when I know they are consistently excellent at what they do.
What does ethical clothing mean to you? Is ethics something you think about when purchasing goods such as clothing?Ethics are paramount. From the sourcing of the fabric, to the welfare of the workforce and the environmental cost of production, the way a business conducts itself should be a badge of honour, not something to hide. I want to know that the company that made my shirt is doing their utmost for their workers and the world, both ethically and fiscally.
More than where or how, I always want to know why - Why were these shoes made? Why did it take 3 people 5 days to make them? Why did they make them this way? Were they made just to make a profit or a statement about the maker’s dedication to their craft?
Despite the traditional notions of quality, I find it’s almost always an intangible thing that sets quality product apart.
What does a Made in Italy brand mean to you?I love Italy and I’ve visited many times. I can see myself living there one day - maybe in an apartment in Trastevere or an old house down on Ischia. Brand Italy is synonymous with style and quality and I think there is a strong basis for the connection people make there. It’s a well earned reputation.
Family businesses are an incredible thing. There is always a special kind of pride found in family businesses and the skills and knowledge passed down through generations of artisans help to keep the story of a brand alive.
If you had to choose five staple pieces for a gentleman’s wardrobe what would you recommend?At this time of year - a great pair of selvedge denim, a slim fitting blue oxford shirt, a well cut tweed blazer, a waxed jacket and some sturdy boots. Simple but effective.
Failure is the most productive outcome. If you try and fail, you’ll learn more about yourself than if you succeed. You’ll be better prepared next time you try.
Do you have someone in mind we should interview? Or more questions to ask Arran? Be sure to comment below with any ideas.
At the Angkor Silk Farm, we went ahead and purchased a small collection of their hand weaved silk fabrics directly from the weaver. Buying the woven materials directly from the weaver who's hands cultivated and spun the material is in our opinion is the best option for ethical and transparent sourcing. There's not much more artisanal or personal than that!
Once the vacation was over and we were back in Italy we brought the lovely new silk materials to our workshop and had our skilled artisans create a small number collection of ties and pocket squares. The exclusivity of these pieces highlights just how special this fabric is.
Shop the exclusive Artisans of the World Cambodia Collection:
Grazie,
The 40 Colori Team'
Down a quiet street in a small village just on the border of Como is where you will find the heart of our operation, our family run workshop, our ditta. Our workshop has been within our family since Nonna started the whole thing herself some 50 years ago. She moved away from the sunshine of her home in Sicily and made her way up North to Como for bigger and better things. There, in the basement of her home, she started to craft artisanal ties by hand. Soon enough, her son Giuseppe joined her during her craft and after enough time learning Giuseppe attempted to make his very first tie with his own hands. Then and there Giuseppe had found his niche and grew to love and master the craft.
After the basement got too small and her business was picking up Nonna decided to upgrade. She opened up the first family Laboratorio in 1979. From that point on it’s been history, family history to be exact. Giuseppe joined the Laboratorio from the beginning right by his mother’s side and never looked back. Now, some 50 years after the first Laboratorio opened, we have moved into a newer and bigger sustainable workshop, increased our team from Nonna alone to a group of artisans, and a third generation of family has joined the business. Though time has passed and logistical changes have occurred with our Laboritorio the manner of which our business is done has not changed, it still runs with the same passion and care as Nonna ran it on her first day.
Our workshop now has a team of 15 artisans who have been the caring and skilfull hands carefully crafting our pieces for many years. As we craft a collection of varied products each and everyone of our artisans has a crucial job to do which requires the skills of a true artisan.
When you enter the workshop you’ll first be greeted by a wall of photos from various travel destinations all over the world. If you look closer you will see that these are all family holiday photos. You couldn’t have expected a family factory to not have some make-you-blush childhood photos out for everyone to see.
After turning the corner you will find yourself looking at the lines of desks and work tables covered with colourful fabrics and tools. Organization is essential in this business but, let's be honest, this is easier said than done. After weaving through the sewing machines and other tools you’ll find a wall full of fabric rolls. You'll find fabric from years ago, brand new fabrics, one of a kind fabrics, last of their kind fabrics, and everything in between. Perhaps you could see this as hoarding but this is far from the case, this collection is more like a museum showcasing fabrics throughout time, making for a great stock for us to upcycle in our pieces instead of the fabric being wasted.
This concept of upcycling materials is just one of the ways we bring sustainability into our workshop. We've also installed solar panels to power our entire workshop, we work as much as possible with our hands versus machines, and we have a small garden around our factory to bring some much-needed greenery to the workshop neighboorhood. As opposed to the usual far away factories and long distance shipments, our dedication to using solely local materials and producers allows us to go and meet our producers face to face and bring home our products ourselves, which is greener and much more personable in the long run!
Behind the museum of fabrics, you’ll find the knitting part of our workshop. Shelves of spindles of various threads of vivid colours take up the majority of this section. There are 14 knitting machines total in our workshop. Each one of these machines crafts unique knits that can only be reproduced by that specific machine, using specific mechanical codes designed and implemented by our artisans. After the machine is done knitting, the product is inspected and all the following production steps are done by hand.
Walking through our workshop is something of a sensory overload; with all of the varied colours, fabrics, machines, tools, artisans, materials and of course our family golden retriever, Whiskey! There's no way we could introduce our family factory without giving a moment of appreciation to Whiskey. He keeps smiles on everyone's faces and is a big ball of love and tail wags that has won Employee of the Month every month since 2007.
We hope you enjoyed your tour of our workshop. Watch this space for more Meet The Artisans features introducing you to all our artisan workshops as well as more specific posts on the crafts themselves.
Grazie!
The 40 Colori Team
The world needs love more than ever today so, we promise to spread all the love and peace we can and we sincerely hope you will to.
Yes, it’s cliche and you’ve heard it a million times before but, it's a perfect quote to introduce our big news to you. Maybe you've noticed that our website is looking a bit different? Everything from our logo, website and identity have all been revamped.
With this brief introduction, we are so excited to welcome you all to the new 40 Colori. Keep an eye out for our next blog posts which will go more into depth in each of these artisanal, ethical and bold pillars!
