A Glimpse Inside a Florentine Silk-Weaving Workshop

Outside the walls of the Antico Setificio Fiorentino, the art of producing handmade textiles is largely vanishing, Mr. Meucci, the technician, said. Making industrial silk fabrics with modern machines is faster, easier and cheaper. Most manufacturers can’t justify the expense.

But for Mr. Giachetti, the weaver, the final product encompasses so much more than just the technical processes involved in its creation. When he weaves, he told me, he supplies not just his time, but also his heart, his passion.

“You are not just buying a fabric,” he said. “You are also receiving a part of my heart.”

“This,” he added, “is the real difference between an artisanal textile and one made industrially.”

Susan Wright is an Australian photographer based in Italy, where she has lived since 2003. You can follow her work on Instagram.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/11/travel/antique-florentine-silk-mill.html