Alcantara

Spanish city on the Tagus river near the Portuguese border. Also a brand of synthetic fabric manufactured in the early 1970s as the result of a collaboration between the Italian firm Anic and the Japanese firm Toray. Very fine and expensive, it has the consistency of velvet or suede, and is treated like leather. Very resistant, it doesn’t crease, can be printed and embroidered and is available in an endless range of colors. Water-resistant, it is ideal for fur-lined cloaks.