9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Bespoke umbrellas – Francesco Maglia umbrellas are also sometimes made from exotic Malacca cane and whangee bamboo.
Hide Caption
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Long history – The
Maglia Umbrella Company was founded in 1854 in a town near Brescia, in
northeast Italy. It moved to Milan 20 years later. Perhaps it was wetter
in Milan.
Hide Caption
6 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Eighty-step process – The manufacture of a Maglia umbrella involves a painstaking 80-step process. The finished product can retail for upward of $300.
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7 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
International market – Maglia
Francesco's umbrella sell all over the world. Most of the international
demand comes from Japan, the United States and Europe.
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8 of 9
s
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Made by women – Most of the small team of artisans employed by Francesco Maglia are women. He says many are nearing retirement age.
Hide Caption
9 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
The umbrella man of Milan – Francesco
Maglia is known for his sharp dress sense and sharper wit. He's also
known to indulge in a spot of rain-related singing.
Hide Caption
1 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
"English style" design – The
umbrellas are decorated in an "English style," either in plain colors
or patterned with pinstripes, tartan or regimental stripes.
Hide Caption
2 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Wooden canes – Each umbrella is produced from a single shaft of wood -- usually chestnut, ash, walnut or cherry.
Hide Caption
3 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Made by hand – Many
of those involved in making the umbrellas have been with the company
for three or four decades. "It's like a big family," says Maglia.
Hide Caption
4 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Bespoke umbrellas – Francesco Maglia umbrellas are also sometimes made from exotic Malacca cane and whangee bamboo.
Hide Caption
5 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Long history – The
Maglia Umbrella Company was founded in 1854 in a town near Brescia, in
northeast Italy. It moved to Milan 20 years later. Perhaps it was wetter
in Milan.
Hide Caption
6 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Eighty-step process – The manufacture of a Maglia umbrella involves a painstaking 80-step process. The finished product can retail for upward of $300.
Hide Caption
7 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
International market – Maglia
Francesco's umbrella sell all over the world. Most of the international
demand comes from Japan, the United States and Europe.
Hide Caption
8 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Made by women – Most of the small team of artisans employed by Francesco Maglia are women. He says many are nearing retirement age.
Hide Caption
9 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
The umbrella man of Milan – Francesco
Maglia is known for his sharp dress sense and sharper wit. He's also
known to indulge in a spot of rain-related singing.
Hide Caption
1 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
"English style" design – The
umbrellas are decorated in an "English style," either in plain colors
or patterned with pinstripes, tartan or regimental stripes.
Hide Caption
2 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Wooden canes – Each umbrella is produced from a single shaft of wood -- usually chestnut, ash, walnut or cherry.
Hide Caption
3 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Made by hand – Many
of those involved in making the umbrellas have been with the company
for three or four decades. "It's like a big family," says Maglia.
Hide Caption
4 of 9
9 photos: The umbrella man of Milan
Bespoke umbrellas – Francesco Maglia umbrellas are also sometimes made from exotic Malacca cane and whangee bamboo.
Hide Caption
5 of 9
Story highlights
- The Francesco Maglia Umbrella company makes every umbrella by hand
- Umbrellas are assembled using an 80-step traditional process
- The company was founded in 1854 by the ancestor of its current owner
- The umbrellas are exported all over the world
On the latest episode of "In 24 Hours," James Williams visits Milan. Catch the series online here.
(CNN)With his white hair, tweed jacket, a pince-nez and sharp wit, he's clearly a sophisticated man of the world.
But Francesco Maglia is also one of Italy's most exclusive umbrella makers -- and looks every inch the craftsman.
"Chino,"
as he likes to be called, is the fifth-generation descendant of another
Francesco Maglia, the man who in 1854 founded the Maglia Umbrella
Company in a town near Brescia, in northeast Italy.
The company relocated to Milan in 1876.
Today,
Maglia's workshop is tucked away in the residential area of Via
Ripamonti, 20 minutes or so from the city's most fashionable quarters.
Every umbrella produced here is handmade using an 80-step traditional process.
They retail for more than $300.
Maglia decorates them in an "English style," either in plain colors or patterned with pinstripes, tartan or regimental stripes.
Each
umbrella is produced from a single shaft of wood -- usually chestnut,
ash, walnut or cherry, but more exotic Malacca cane and whangee bamboo
are often used.
Only wooden shafts -- usually chestnut, ash, walnut or cherry.
Concerns for the future
In the workshop, a small team of mostly female artisans works on one or two stages of the production.
"Our workers have been with us for 30, 40 years -- some of them will retire soon. It's like a big family," says Maglia.
While
Francesco looks after the design and international sales (he speaks
fluent German, French and English), his younger brother, Giorgio,
supervises the production and sourcing of materials, which is
increasingly becoming a challenge.
Every umbrella is made of about 25 parts and the number of the Italian suppliers have dwindled.
"It's
hard to find suppliers that specialize in umbrella parts, especially
metal ones like the ribs, which are the only parts produced in China at
huge costs," says Giorgio.
The Maglias are one of only a handful of specialist manufacturers left.
Francesco is worried about the future of the craft in which his family has made its name.
"When
I started we were 110 umbrella makers. Now for handmade umbrellas there
are two, three, but the other five or six companies produce 80% in
China and 20% in Italy.
"I am the biggest producer even if I am very small.
"In
the early days we used to sell hundreds of umbrellas even here in
Milan. Now people can buy one made in China for €5 ($6.75), so our
umbrellas have become an item of luxury."
Many of the company's workers are nearing retirement age.
Two-handled umbrella?
Despite the challenges, both brothers still take pride in their work and enjoy experimenting with new materials.
They also make bespoke umbrellas -- even if the demands of their customers can at times be unorthodox.
"The clientele has changed a lot over the past few years," Giorgio says.
"Very
recently someone asked us to make an umbrella with two handles -- one
for him, one for her -- but there is only so much we can do with an
umbrella."
Like many luxury
products, the Maglias' business has managed to weather the financial
crisis, winning over some of the world's most exclusive retailers and
brands.
Today, the company
produces about 25,000 umbrellas a year, of which 90% go to Maglia's
international clientele -- mostly in Japan, Europe and the United
States.
Now in his seventies, Francesco shows no signs of slowing down.
Holding up one of his favorite umbrellas, he breaks into almost predictable song.
"I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling and I'm happy again."
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