Fishtail / Flannel

Few fabrics carry as much value and emotion as flannel, with its typically British softness. The French word “flanelle” is ancient, coming from the English flannel, borrowed from the Welsh “gwlanen”. Technically, it is a fabric whose plain weave is blurred by abrasion of its surface, revealing a light fluffy cover. In the 19th century, flannel was opposed to the much denser worsted twill and other gabardines. Therefore, flannel was considered lighter and more breathable, and therefore a summer fabric, which is something to smile about nowadays.

As one should never confuse the material and the way of weaving, let us specify that the flannel is a way of weaving. And which can be made of various materials, even if it is generally made of wool, or wool & cashmere. We can also find cotton flannel, in fact quite similar to moleskin. Our elders generally hate flannel. They have the memory of a material that scratched their thighs terribly as little boys that their mothers wanted to see well wrapped up. The wool manufacturers have reacted vigorously to not let themselves be affected by artificial materials. No more scratchy wool, hello softness, and flexibility. The flannel pants obviously continue to be the alpha and omega of any self-respecting closet!

The “quinternetto delle taglie” (size book), dating back to 1663, is a particularly significant historical document for the Barberis Canonico family. It is, in fact, the first official document that not only testifies to the company’s wool activity but also describes the mastery of the dyeing process, which was not possessed by everyone at the time and which has been handed down from father to son until today. The difference is that the industrial revolution has made it possible to export and expand production.

Location: Portugal / Porto region

The manufacturing of complex models not being possible with our former provider in Romania, we looked for a workshop in Portugal to develop our Gurkha and Fishtail models. This small artisanal structure founded and directed by a Franco-Portuguese textile baron gave us carte blanche to design qualitative and challenging products, with small series.

The thirty or so seamstresses of this workshop perform wonderfully and for us, it is a real pleasure to be flexible and reactive. This relative proximity allows us to reduce our carbon footprint while producing locally.

Dry cleaning is highly recommended for wool trousers. However, it should not be done often: only once a year, or even less! A simple steam ironing at home or at the dry cleaner’s is enough in most cases to remove odours, bacteria and to make the trousers look good again.