Bellucci

Italian manufacturer of fabric for luxury prêt-à-porter, headquartered in Prato. It was established in the post-war period to manufacture carded yarn with recycled wools. The famous rags from Prato were for the Lanificio Mario Bellucci the beginning of success in the early 1950s. The rags came from the U.S., which produced a lot of waste at the time. Hand-selected and processed by ragmen, they allowed the production of heavy carded yarns for overcoats, very much in demand at the time. An increase in the cost of artisanal labor, along with more affordable prices for fine wool, and an increased taste for attractive fashions, combined to cause the almost complete disappearance of recycled fabrics. The firm, which covers the complete manufacturing cycle, from spinning to warping and from weaving to finishing, was able to transform itself, maintaining a top position in skilled design, high quotas for Australian wools, and for linens, silks, cottons and viscose fibers, all subject to accurate quality control. Looking at the numbers, if you put the figures for the turnover in 1996, 1997 and 1998 all in a row, they are like hitting the jackpot: 54, 59 and 63 billion liras. In 1998 the annual production was 3.9 million yards. The benchmark for comparison is that of the big players: Max Mara, Marzotto, and Vestebene in Italy; and abroad, Hugo Boss, Donna Karan, Marks & Spencer, and Zara Inditex.
The company is represented at the 45^th edition of Prato Expo by the firm’s heir Simone Bellucci.