Cultural
Silk Road Textiles: From Samarkand to the Rialto
Published · 1 min read · ORBIS Editorial
Venice was the West's port of entry for silk, and the city never quite stopped unloading.
“The brocades in her surviving workshops are the road's living archive.”
Article references
From the Atlas
- Barena Venezia Venice / Online
Barena Venezia grew from Venetian workwear and countryside clothing into a relaxed tailoring house, founded in 1993 by Sandro Zara after decades in the textile trade. Soft unlined jackets and fabric-led sportswear remain central to the label. store page → · open in the atlas → - Barovier & Toso Murano / Venice / Online
Murano glass dynasty since 1295 — handcrafted blown-glass chandeliers and lighting by master artisans using traditional techniques. store page → · open in the atlas → - Ca' Macana Venice / Online
Ca' Macana has made papier-mache carnival masks in Venice since 1984 from its workshop at Dorsoduro 3215. Each mask is formed by hand from a gesso mould and finished with fabrics and feathers, or with gold or silver leaf. Classic bauta and moretta forms follow paintings by Pietro Longhi and Francesco Guardi. Its masks appeared in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, and the workshop runs mask-making courses. store page → · open in the atlas → - Emilia Burano Burano / Venice / Online
Family lace and linen house in a 1700s building on Piazza Galuppi, Burano, where four generations have worked Burano lace. A family museum upstairs keeps 18th century wedding garments and antique lace. Beyond lace it makes bespoke home linen for residences and hotels, and it also furnishes yachts and private jets. Three boutiques: the Burano flagship and workshop, one inside the Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice and one in Los Angeles. store page → · open in the atlas →