Fratelli Tallia di Delfino

Soft, fluid worsteds from Strona, since 1903

Fratelli Tallia di Delfino has made cloth at Strona, a village in the Biella hills, since 1903, when Delfino Tallia opened a fine drapery business there. In 1921 his sons put their name on the door: Fratelli Tallia di Delfino, the Tallia brothers, sons of Delfino, trading in fine cloth. They added a worsted spinning business in 1929 and brought the two together in 1933. Italy has since listed the name among its historic trademarks of national interest.

Everything is still made at Strona. Over the years the actors Carlo Dapporto and Alberto Lupo lent the house their names, and so did the cycling champions Fausto Coppi and Vittorio Adorni.

Tallia di Delfino is known for luxury with a sense of play. It has woven 24K, a fine wool blended with 24-carat gold, and Honey Way, a wool and silk cloth finished with beeswax. Archivio 1903 takes its name from the founding year, and the cashmere and Suprema Lana lines sit at the soft end of the book. Throughout, the house style is a soft, round hand: cloth that feels gentler than its weight suggests and drapes rather than stands.

Part of that softness is local. The mill draws its water from the Strona, which runs unusually low in calcium, and soft water is prized for washing and finishing wool. The fibre comes from further afield: fine Australian merino, Mongolian cashmere, South African mohair and silk.

For the house's 120th anniversary, Italy issued a postage stamp showing the mill at Strona. Few weavers can say the national post has put their building on an envelope.

We reach for Tallia di Delfino when a client finds crisp English suiting a little stern. The cloth is fine and fluid, and it rewards careful making. The Mayfair Avenue Prince of Wales Check Grey Suit in our range is cut from it: a classic check in a soft hand, double-breasted with six buttons and made to measure. The Tallia di Delfino books are best judged in the hand, so ask for them at your fitting.