Lana Gatto
Knitting has been our obsession for over a century
From balls of yarn for crocheting, from fashion models to explanations that make knitting easy: welcome to our world of fashion and style.
It was in the EARLY 1900S when the head of a white, angora cat with long whiskers and emerald green eyes, placed in a circle with the wording “Filatura e Tessitura di Tollegno – Biella”, peeked into the world of knitwear, attracting the attention of the Italian market and, in a short time, the international market too.
Thus was our “Lana Gatto” brand officially launched which,
conceived by Daniele Schneider – CEO of the company, Filatura di Tollegno – was filed in 1908.
From that date, our ascent began, reflecting the changes in Italian culture, art, and style.
The balls of Lana Gatto merino wool, cotton, and mohair have, over the years, given life to refined and playful, casual and elegant, knitted items that women made and showed off at different times of the day whilst, at the same time, our symbol inspired professionals in the CREATIVE AND ADVERTISING INDUSTRIES who based campaigns, reviews,
and the first calendars on it.
Our brand has, though, also represented much more:
with its single-brand shops, it has witnessed events across the country and generational changes
and fashions that have followed one another over the years, whilst remaining
a POINT OF REFERENCE FOR THE KNITWEAR SECTOR, created with Made in Italy products,
today as it was yesterday.
Tracing our history are the thousands of coloured
yarns of the fashion collections that were launched,
one after the other, season after season, as well as
the various types of knitting, the techniques
for making cardigans, dresses, shawls,
and accessories, the innovative fashion models
and the constant search for new products.
The steps
which have brought us here:
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1900:the company, Filatura e Tessitura di Tollegno, establishes its brand, filed in 1908.
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1931:Filatura di Tollegno, with its yarns and balls, attends the Milan Trade Fair (Bastioni di Porta Venezia) where a stand is also taken in 1936 and 1937. -
1932:first attendance by Filatura di Tollegno at the Levante Trade Fair in Bari and where it confirms its presence in 1935 too.
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1934:we open the first shop in Biella on via Umberto (today, via Italia) designed by the architect Buffa from Milan. -
1934:we produce the first almanac which tells the story of the Marcagatto black cat designed by Giorgio Muggiani. The stories emphasise the company’s relationships with foreign countries and the opening of new distribution horizons.
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1935:the success achieved on domestic soil leads Filatura di Tollegno to experiment in exhibitions overseas such as those in Brussels, Zagreb, Vienna, Utrecht and to arrive in Tripoli in 1936 where it also attends from 1937 to 1939. The same year, it takes part in the Budapest Trade Fair and, in 1941, in the Trade Fair in Leipzig.
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1936:we inaugurate the sales space in central Naples on via Roma (today, via Toledo) in a Palazzo of the Banca Commerciale Italiana. -
1936:Filatura di Tollegno, with 3 stands, takes part in the first Biella wool exhibition, which includes companies operating in the wool, knitting and hat sectors in the area, as well as the wool mills set up and managed by Biella industrialists in various regions across Italy and countries overseas.
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1937:we expand thanks to new purchasing points in Milan (Galleria di Corso Vittorio Emanuele) and in Rome at piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, in a palazzo that once housed the Palazzo Ruspoli stables. In the same year we open in Trieste and Bari.
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1938:on the wave of the success of the shop in the centre of Naples, we open a second one in Vomero.
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1938:second almanac dedicated to family images, with particular reference to women and children, by the illustrator, Alberto Bianchi.
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1940:new calendar with the theme of Scenes from Italian Operas. An edition full of charm and colour designed by Osvaldo Ballerio and Giuseppe Grandi. -
1947:the New York Trade Fair opens its doors to Filatura e Tessitura di Tollegno.
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1949:the first International Textile and Clothing Art Exhibition in Turin takes place, where Filatura e Tessitura di Tollegno has a stand divided into three areas.
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1950:the yearbook dedicated to the celebrations for our fifty year in business focuses on “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas. From this edition, the story, at first only illustrated, is joined by text that traces the important steps of the works or the new short stories.
we look overseas and are established and found widely throughout Ethiopia. -
From 1960:the images in our calendars no longer show any indication of the illustrators and advertising changes too as a means of promotion. The publications continue until the 1970s and increasingly refer to popular culture. -
1987:Ferrè signs up with Filatura e Tessitura di Tollegno to launch the Ferrè Lana Gatto line, featuring a choice of top quality materials and stylish workmanship.
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1990:sales overseas begins with Greece and Bulgaria as destinations.
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2000:our yarns aim to be increasingly more international, as highlighted by the increase in overseas sales.
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2010:for the first time we sell in Russia. A beginning that has led the country to become one of our most important international markets.
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2013:we start a two-year partnership with the publishing group, RCS, with weekly releases. Two leading yarns: Misina and Everest. The following year sees the collaboration with Io Donna
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2021:we celebrate our 120 years of business with a limited edition Anniversary Collection consisting of 5, highly prestigious products.
