Bottoli Wool’s history has been defined by five generations of an entrepreneurial family from Veneto who began producing wool blankets and cloth around 1861. Throughout the decades, the Wool Mill has remained faithful to its mission of using excellent raw materials to create exclusive fabrics.
In 1949, Tito Bottoli, father of the current owner, developed the Mill on its present grounds; an area that had once belonged to the military school of the Serenissima Republic of Venice before falling into the hands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and subsequently that of the Italian defence forces (its perimeter walls can still be seen to this day).
Just a few metres from the Mill, the Meschio-river, an ancient source of hydraulic energy for all the factories in the area, flows lively and distinctly through the landscape. As a result of the Bottoli family’s continuous investment and development, the facility now covers 5,000 square metres.
The Bottoli archives, which have been handed down from generation to generation and cultivated over time, are carefully guarded in a private room with reserved access. A peaceful place for reflection and study, the room is reserved for designers and fashion coordinators in search of inspiration for their own collections.
Stepping into the archives, amid the scent of antique paper, the visitor is transported to a time where textiles were not simply ornamental, but a way of life.
Binders are meticulously classified according to fabric type (from Cheviot, Saxony and flannels from the early 1900s to the most contemporary Lambswool, Sportex, renewed Shetland and Tweed fabrics). The collection attests to the magic and beauty of the craftsmanship Bottoli has conserved over five generations.
