Not many countries can claim such a reputation for the finer things as Italy. The food is fresh, rich, and normally tops the list when picking somewhere to eat. It's a country that’s almost as ubiquitous with the best strong coffees as the early mornings that require them. Their wine is quaffable, their architecture sublime.

"Those famed Italian family values, and that deep-seated Italian pride..."

But it’s Italy’s clothing that is renowned as its forte amongst fortes. As a country that takes its appearance seriously, they’ve become the tailors that dress the rest of the world when it needs to look good. The Italian eye for detail and passion for luxury has meant that Italy produced some of the most respected and well-known high-end brands of the last century. And those famed Italian family values, and that deep-seated Italian pride, has kept many of them, not just in business, but still independent to this day.

The Fedeli Story

At the forefront of this great Italian heritage is Fedeli. Now famous for luxurious cashmere and striking performance swimwear, their story actually starts with hats. Setting up shop in the Italian city of Monza in 1934, Fedeli founding father, Luigi Fedeli first started producing the fine felt hats the city was famed for. But, being an even bigger stickler for innovation than tradition, Luigi eventually wanted to try something different and turned his attention towards knitting.

Fedeli founder, Luigi Fedeli crica 1940

Joined by Luigi’s son, Nino in 1945, Fedeli established itself as a firm favourite at home in Italy and had its eyes set on gaining international customers. After a chance trip to a Swiss factory, Nino was inspired to bring their aging machinery and techniques up to date. In 1948, Fedeli purchased its first knitting machine and became one of the first Italian companies to master the cable stitch. By the 60s, hungry to inject more Italian luxury to their product, Fedeli reached for the most luxurious of yarns, becoming one of the first Italian companies to produce knitted cashmere.

Without straying from the values that made their sweaters and cardigans such high quality originally, Fedeli expanded throughout the 70s and 80s. Joined by the third Fedeli generation, Gigi and Maria Luisa, Fabio Conserva, and Bruno Civati, they took Fedeli garments to an international market, expanding first to South America, and later to the wider world. 

Fedeli Swimwear

Towards the end of the 1990s, Luigi, Luigi Fedeli’s grandson, helped to develop a line of beach wear. Building on their reputation as a world famous producer of high-quality knitwear, they wanted to apply their principles of quality, colour and material selection to a line that didn’t just look good, but performed well wet and damp.

After some experimenting, Luigi and his team developed a material that made the perfect trunks. Using a special polyester blend they could produce clothing that was light, quick-drying, and suitably comfortable. Opting for bright colours and stylised designs, Fedeli created swimming shorts that could let a man show his appreciation for the finer things, even when he wasn’t wearing much.

The Fedeli Madeira Swimshorts in Yellow and Pink

Whether it's in their cashmere products or their swimwear, you can find luxury stitched throughout each Fedeli product. We're proud to stock a brand with such a rich and passionate history, but that also continue to fly the flag of innovation that's ensured that they're still around today. Take a look at our full range of Fedeli here.