PRODUCTION
Credits: www.alessiazampieri.com
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WHAT IS SOPRARIZZO VELVET
The Soprarizzo velvet is the most complex of the operated velvets because it consists of the cut velvet at the top, which defines the pattern, and the curly velvet at the bottom, which forms the background velvet. The two layers also differ in colour: the cut velvet is darker, the curly velvet lighter. Every millimetre of the first layer is cut by hand by the weavers.
THE FABRIC PATTERNS
Our handmade velvets and other fabrics boast patterns drawn from our extensive archives, spanning from Byzantine art to Art Deco, with a total of 3,500 designs. We regularly update their colours to suit modern tastes, and we also create new designs in collaboration with our customers.
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LOOMS AND MACHINERY
We are proud to produce handmade velvets on eighteenth-century looms, the same looms Luigi Bevilacqua recovered in 1875 from the Silk School of the Serenissima. We also use the same machinery to prepare the warp threads.
THE JACQUARD MACHINE
Initially, looms were operated manually, which made producing complex fabrics a time-consuming process. However, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Jacquard machine was invented, which revolutionised the world of weaving. This machine automatically moves the warp threads that create the pattern. While this innovation greatly increased the productivity of weavers, the process of soprarizzo velvet remains time-consuming and intricate. The meticulous hand-cutting of each millimetre of fabric results in a daily production of between 30 and 80 centimetres of velvet.
Photo credit: Angela Colonna