Manteco for Fortela

Manteco-for-Fortela Womenswear: Fortela founder Alessandro Squarzi’s collaboration with the Mantellassi family, owners of Manteco, is based on the mutual esteem and a shared sensibility toward their products. Both brands avail themselves of high-level Italian know-how and a vision that combines tradition and innovation. They came together in 2019 for a unique and ambitious project – to pay tribute to Sir Winston Churchill and his iconic World War II-era overcoat, adding the style and quality typical of Fortela. The coat is a timeless symbol of elegance and durability, reborn thanks to the distinctive outlook of Fortela. The decision to work with Manteco, the storied textile firm based in the Tuscan province of Prato, was only natural – Manteco is renowned for its commitment to sustainability and its excellence in the textile sector. Through painstaking archival research, Squarzi and his team of Fortela designers carefully studied the fabric of Churchill’s overcoat to recreate its distinctive texture and exceptional durability. Each detail, from the selection of the wool to the processes used in the finishing, was studied in-depth to guarantee authenticity and excellence. Throughout the Manteco-for-Fortela Womenswear collaboration, sustainability and respect for the environment were the watchwords when it came to innovation and output. Since the 1940s, Manteco has stood out for its commitment to textile sustainability, when it began recycling army surplus, transforming it into new fabrics through mechanical and water-based processes rather than relying on the use of chemicals, in a veritable pursuit of “textile archeology”. The result of the Manteco-for-Fortela Womenswear collaboration is our Winston Coat, a masterpiece that not only celebrates the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill, but is testimony the dedication to craftsmanship and sustainability that is Manteco-for-Fortela Womenswear.