MORPHO + LUNA MEETS MARIA MANTERO
The Mantero family has become legendary in the world of textile production, and their entrepreneurship and skill have cemented them as one of the best producers in Italy. The family business was founded in 1902 and working with them has been a wonderful adventure.
I met Maria Mantero in Milano. We had both become Milanese by adoption with family ties to Brianza—hers in Como and mine in neighboring Erba, and after our first meeting I was struck by her grace and elegance, and immediately looked for ways that we
Maria Mantero wearing our Frida Resilk® Kimonos - Make-up artist, Raffaella Solcia
From this encounter our collaboration with Mantero Seta was born, resulting in Morpho + Luna's latest collection Dancing Butterflies, which includes robes, pyjamas, nightdresses, and the jewel of the collection, the kimono and throw blanket in Resilk®, the second life of silk, a new material that Mantero spent four years researching and developing before first putting into production.
Produced from scraps of silk waste left over during the production process, this upcycled, patented fabric is not a silk substitute but a luxurious new textile. As warm and soft as cashmere, Resilk® has a lustrous sheen: ‘It’s beautiful to touch but has more weight
than pure silk'.
Cécile Gavazzi's research process in the Mantero Archive
I used Resilk® for our latest addition to Morpho + Luna’s designs. The new, unisex Kimono works just as well as an elegant evening top as it does worn with jeans or over dresses for insouciant chic.
At Morpho + Luna, we’ve always been committed to slow fashion and traditional craftsmanship. But that doesn’t mean that we have to standstill. I was brought up to understand the importance of innovation. Using Resilk® was a wonderful opportunity for us to use a sustainable material. Circular production is the future. As a small brand, we’re well placed to be an early adopter.
Lucia Mantero, Head of Product Development at Mantero Seta with Maria Mantero, in Dee di Vita turbans.
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The Resilk project is one of Maria Mantero's favourite projects, whose intentions embody that look of admiration and respect for the female world that has also been created, together with the non-profit organisation Salute allo Specchio, San Raffaele Hospital, the charity Dee di Vita to support women undergoing cancer treatment. This is a delicate moment for a woman when it is important to continue to feel beautiful. Maria offers them a range of silk turbans with floral prints from the Mantero archive, with the commitment to donate the proceeds to various cancer units in Italy.
With love,
- CécileFounder and Creative Director