descendent Luigi Bevilacqua formally established the
company that thrives today, turning out a collection
of fi ne fabrics, including its handmade soprarizzo vel-
vet that combines both cut and curly velvet for a truly
resplendent product. The workshop in the Santa Croce
area is chock-full of eighteenth-century looms once
belonging to the Silk Weaving School of the Republic
of Venice and now operated by highly trained weavers.
After several years following fashion- and theater-
related pursuits, Spanish-born Mariano Fortuny
opened his factory on the island of Giudecca in 1921.
When a scarcity of silk escalated prices, he experi-
mented with cotton, developing a fi nishing technique
that is still a closely guarded secret. When New York
interior designer Elsie McNeil introduced his imagi-
native patterns to America, Fortuny became a favorite
of women around the world, who used his fabricsAbove left and below: Mariano Fortuny built his
factory on the site of an ancient convent on the Venetian
island of Giudecca. The fi rm still operates here, using
the original machines and the same secret techniques.73 Victoria October 2019