Notes from Lake Como

Dispatch

Notes from Lake Como

The Historic Center of Silk Weaving

The Silk Capital

Como has a history of silk production dating back to the 1400s, when weavers came north from Milan for the mulberry trees and clean water needed for dyeing. By the 1800s it was the silk capital of Europe, turning out intricate silk jaquards for royal courts and church officials.

Today it's where we produce most of our accessories- from cashmere and modal scarves, to linen pocket squares, and of course our range of neckwear, which is both milled and sewn in Como. Discover our newest range of sandwashed printed neckties and raw shantung stripes below.

Shop Ties

We traveled to Como with Lucas and Simon of Permanent Style to trace how our silks come to be- the quality of the base cloth, the ground color, the print itself. It meant digging through archives of thousands of stripes, prints, and jacquards, then playing with scale, spacing, and color until what we ended up with felt quintessentially J. Mueser.

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Grenadine In The Making

One of the most exciting parts of visiting our silk mills is watching the grenadines come together. It's a classic tie, notably worn Connery's James Bond- ours are woven in Como at one of the last mills that still has the machines and the skill to make it, with some of the wooden looms well over a century old. The weave gives it a solid, matte color, which makes the grenadine maybe our dressiest offering, and an easy partner to a navy or charcoal suit.