Even absent the daily rhythm of our artisans and craft in the stillness of gears and of the factory at rest a presence is felt

Our new Giudecca showroom was inspired by Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo’s vision of the theater. Housed in a former convent which the Fortuny founder converted into a textile factory almost a century ago.

Se cuenta que al día siguiente de morir Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (Granada, 1871-Venecia, 1949), las aguas del Gran Canal veneciano amanecieron teñidas de fabulosos colores para pasmo de visitantes y locales. La primera explicación que hoy nos vendría a la mente sería una acción artística, pero no era el caso.

Elsie McNeill Lee, The Countess Gozzi, was a media darling. Publications around the globe loved to report on her winning smile and fabulous wit, as well as the fine fabrics produced under her leadership. As we dig deeper into our archives, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite press stories from Elsie McNeill Lee’s time at Fortuny.

In 1576, Venetian Doge Alvise Mocenigo turned to the heavens to plead for an end to the plague that ravaged the city for over a year. He vowed to build a basilica in thanksgiving should his prayers be answered.

Best are those friendships unchanged by the distance of time or place. Neither the changes within us nor the length between meetings can temper the comfort that immediately sets in. The cadence of speech continues as if the conversation’s flow began earlier that same day. Venice is very much like a best friend in that sense.

I first met Mariano in the spring of 2000. I’d known of him for years, told his story numerous times, worked on the machines he invented with the techniques he developed, but my introduction to the Fortuny company would forever be through Countess Elsie Lee Gozzi.

Join storied Interior Designer Nina Campbell, Fortuny scholar Wendy Ligon Smith, and Fortuny Artistic Director Mickey Riad as they discuss the legacy of Mariano Fortuny on the occasion of his 150th birthday.

Mariano Fortuny’s printed fabrics made their debut in March of 1906. Ballerinas from the Opera de Paris wore his textiles as veils on the Comtesse de Bearn’s private theater stage. Fortuny’s Knossos scarf was hence born, featuring Minoan-inspired motifs in exuberant asymmetrical patterns.

For the last year, brands big and small have danced a delicate dance addressing the enormity of the global pandemic. On social media and television, a message of optimism and escape provides relief from heartache and melancholy. No one is untouched.

“This patent is the property of Madame Henriette Brassart, who is the inventor.” This simple note in the margins of Mariano Fortuny’s pleating machine patent perfectly tells the story of the shared passions and collaborations between Mariano & his wife and muse, Henriette Negrin. A tale of partnership and inspiration.

Unlike any other place on the planet, it is the unique connection between Venice and the sea that both defines the city and threatens it. There are no walls to protect this floating city, only the lagoon. 

Since its inception, the force that has driven the Fortuny brand is a pursuit of beauty. Born into a family of artists and patrons, Mariano Fortuny’s life was an education in the human hand and mind’s creative output.

When one space is delineated, two are created. Outside wouldn’t be outside if there were no inside to define it. Drawing lines gives structure and creates thresholds and boundaries that both hold us and compel us. Architecture is the human art and design of these structures, both inside and out.

C’est sur l’île de la Giudecca que se tient la fabrique des tissus vénitiens Fortuny, mondialement connue pour ses fameux plissés de soie. Le nom se lit en majuscule, de très loin, sur l’imposant bâtiment de brique, en bordure du canal.