What does a Historical Archive represent for a company? What critical issues did the company face in structuring it? What are the pluses for those who visit it? Annamaria Coda, Human Resources manager of the company and of the structure that preserves its history, which has been entrusted to Acta Progetti for 12 years, tells the story of the adventure that lies behind the Tollegno 1900 Historical Archive.
“A historical archive, in general, is a pool of information of great value, a treasure trove of precious elements which, outlining the key points of the evolution of a company, are not only its narration, but also the mirror of the times and the Country in which the company operates. A silent witness who has a lot to say and to tell thanks to its memorabilia. The Historical Archive of Tollegno 1900 is a full expression of this: rare for completeness, it affirms the company’s long history of excellence thanks to the narratives entrusted to illustrious customers, to cutting-edge fabric collections and to texts that reveal innovative entrepreneurial choices that represented the pillars of an ante litteram globalization. At the same time, the Archive allows to have a one-of-a-kind overview of Italian style and culture,” explains Annamaria Coda.
To immerse yourself in a world made of yarns and fabrics, of books and collections, just write to archiviostorico@tollegno1900.it to plan a visit, during which it is also possible to request some specially texts created to testify the particularity of the structure. “To make our Archive known – concludes Coda – we have created, stanting from ad idea of Niniqa, two products that, written by Acta Progetti, are its mirror and flywheel: “I Quaderni dell’archivio storico” and the “Campionario illustrato”. “I Quaderni dell’archivio storico” are biennial, thematic and based on documents from the company archive. Tollegno 1900 is the first Biella-based company to create a work of this kind. The issue “0” is dedicated to the history of the company and the archive, in particular it traces the work phases in the archive from the situation of recovering the papers and fabrics from the company attic to its computer cataloguing. Number 1, the first of the series to be truly thematic, is centered on the famous brand of Lana Gatto yarns which had a wide diffusion since the 1920s thanks to its precious yarns”. Quaderno number 2 is instead based on women’s fashion, from the forties to the seventies, with reference to the fabrics produced by Tollegno 1900, with a focus on LanBe, brand linked to the production of fabrics for high fashion. Fashion that is the protagonist in the men’s version of Notebook n.3 which traces the style from the forties to the seventies with reference to the fabrics produced by Tollegno 1900 and the events of the first men’s fashion festival held in Sanremo from the fifties to the seventies. “Number 4 tells of 88 years of participation of Tollegno 1900 in national and international fairs, while thw number 5 is an overview of the shops opened by Filatura di Tollegno in Italy in the 1930s. Already in that season the company had contacts throughout the peninsula, a widespread presence of agents and its shops sold the many varieties of Lana Gatto brand yarns”.
Another chapter is instead represented by the “Campionario Illustrato” which offers a journey through the history of fashion related to the company’s fabrics, replicated on vintage models designed by Gabriele Bollassa, Turin illustrator. “The tables that have been created aim to enhance the excellent fabrics and the long company history through the two connecting figures, the models, who join one table to the next in the changing succession of fashion, decade after decade. The first issue tells about fashion from 1880 to 1939”.
Quaderni and Campionario Illustrato represent a sui generis encyclopaedia which can be requested in its various volumes by writing to archivistorico@tollegno1900.it.
