12/12/2025
The heart of the Cruise 26 collection celebrates 50 years of partnership between Chanel and Mantero with a new-gen reinterpretation of a ’80s and ’90s Chanel silk satin scarves drawn from the Mantero archives.
In addition, the Como-based silk maker has just joined the ecosystem of manufactories collaborating with the house. The distinction between a manufactory and a maison d’art lies in the volume – a manufactory is able to produce larger quantities with a high level of savoir faire.
Established in 1902, founder Riccardo Mantero left his native Piedmont and opened a silk-dedicated warehouse near Lake Como in the “il distretto della seta” (or the silk district) known for its mulberry cultivation. He developed the family business with weaving in the ’40s before diversifying into printing in the ’60s.
Today, the fourth generation of Manteros, Franco and his sister Lucia, runs the manufactory with a team of 550 people, spread across two sites. One of the two locations is dedicated to silk printing, where the development atelier has about 100 employees – comprising designers, jacquard technicians, colourists and prototypists – to interpret artistic directors’ inspirations on Mantero’s fabric of choice.
A print specialist for over a century, Mantero has built up an incredible archive of more than 200,000 items, spanning from printed fabrics, scarves and designs from the manufactory to collections acquired from the specialists, antique bandanas and even 19th century kimonos. Though it requires four specialists to manage, it also provides an endless source of inspiration for the creative teams.
Swipe to pull the curtain back on Mantero’s silk-printing processes.
