Strategies

At the cinema and at high altitude, the (anti-tariff) strategy of the wool mill

The historic Bottoli company relaunches on quality and continues to promote native species - Coffee-dyed scarves in Osaka

by Barbara Ganz

8 May 2025

4' min read

Key points

Ice Temperatures
On the film set
Wool and coffee

4' min read

A product of an even higher quality than has always been recognised, for it is not only more difficult to be replicated by Chinese and Turkish wool mills, which, despite possessing advanced technology, prefer standard production, but also less affected by increases caused by any duty.

Glacial Temperatures

The historic wool mill Bottoli di Vittorio Veneto - founded in 1861, the only full-cycle wool mill now present in the Veneto region and also in the North East - relaunches with a fabric made from a particular quality of wool that is little known and therefore bearer of exclusivity, but with performance very similar to cashmere. "We have named the fabric, Altaquota, Haute Altitude: to make it, we use the fine undercoat, as soft as cashmere, of Baidrag sheep that endure winds and glacial temperatures in the Himalayan regions. The selection of these noble fibres in natural colour shades avoids the stress of dyeing and enriches the article with quality, charm and sustainability content,' explains Roberto Bottoli, CEO of Lanificio Bottoli.

The sales manager of Lanificio has visited the US and Canadian markets in recent weeks, and has had confirmation of the positivity of this policy. "In order to orient this project to a transversal interest, not only for clothing but also for home accessories, we have equipped our weaving mill with a special jacquard that allows the insertion of logos and designs. On a blanket fabric structure, for example, inserts of up to 12 cm each or special logos can be made. With the yarns produced from this type of wool, it will be possible to produce fabrics for clothing, but also accessories such as blankets and scarves,' adds Bottoli.

On the film set

And speaking of blankets, those signed Bottoli appear in the new film by director and screenwriter Paolo Costella, Storia di una notte, on cinema screens from last Wednesday. Based on the book Nelle Migliori Famiglie, published by Mondadori, and starring Giuseppe Battiston, Anna Foglietta and Massimiliano Caiazzo, the film takes place between Rome and Cortina, and tells the story of Pietro and Elisabetta's large family who find themselves forced to come to terms with an unexpected event that will change their lives.

The Vittorio Veneto wool mill blanket is used in the main scene of the film, and also appears on the poster. Filming took place in January 2024 for about 20 days.

It is since the post-pandemic period that the wool mill has elevated itself with the production and use of finer yarns, and wools and cashmere with finer counts. Today, the turnover is at 4 million, 62 per cent of which is achieved abroad and in particular 20 per cent in Asia. There are 30 employees, and among the company's characteristics is the assiduous work of valorising the best breeds, including indigenous ones, for the production of Italian merino wool (with even specimens of black sheep housed on the premises).

If the sheep of the Alta quota fabric live at other latitudes, where they are selected for fineness and colour on site and the wool is purchased through a commercial network, the project of native wools called Lanaitaliana is growing in parallel; 'We proudly claim to have been the first, already in the early 2000s, to valorise the Italian sheep heritage, starting with the beautiful Sopravissana and Gentile di Puglia wool. These are types that both Italian and foreign customers particularly like,' says Bottoli.

If the High Altitude sheep live at other latitudes, where they are selected for fineness and colour on site and the wool is purchased through a commercial network, the native wool project called Lanaitaliana is growing in parallel. 'We proudly claim to have been the first, back in the early 2000s, to valorise the Italian sheep heritage, starting with the beautiful Sopravissana and Gentile di Puglia wool. These are types that both Italian and foreign customers particularly like'.

Wool and coffee

Ettore Bottoli, sales manager, has just completed a trip to Osaka, where the wool mill has been chosen as sponsor of the Italian Pavilion thanks to its coffee-dyed scarves, the result of a collaboration with another Veneto company, Dersut, in a marriage of two Italian symbols, fashion and coffee.

The wool silk cashmere scarves dyed with the funds collected and made available by the wool mill were given as a gift to the authorities at the Italian Pavilion. Among the 21 countries Bottoli exports to is Japan, thanks to a sales network of 14 agents scattered throughout the country. "The distinctive element that makes Italian fabrics famous throughout the world stems from an elegant weave between warp and weft, between tradition and innovation, but above all between taste and imagination. This is the result of research and study, both during the creative phase and during actual production. From one such research, the Lanificio's idea of dyeing fabrics with coffee grounds was born'. The scarves and other fabrics thus acquire natural tones, in the name of sustainability and the circular economy.