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Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Friday, 14 December 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Marco Facchetti, Designer for ‘Thomas Mason’ and Dante Cortinovis, Head of Sales, both of Italy’s Albini Group were in Sri Lanka over the Christmas season to establish and introduce the Thomas Mason brand to its Sri Lankan clientele.
The brand goes back to 1750 England when Sir Thomas Mason, one of the leading entrepreneurs of the English textile industry, started working right in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. He was a man ahead of his time and one who was capable of taking the opportunity in a sector that, up until then, had only counted on a large manual component.
Nearly half a century later in 1796, Sir Thomas Mason foresaw the current potential and founded one of the first cotton fabric factories in Leeds for shirts. The fabrics, which were top quality even then, were used by West End London tailors for the aristocracy and rich upper class and were later exported all over the British Empire and everywhere else in the world.
With the expansion of the British Empire during the Victorian era, the industry founded by Sir Thomas Mason grew and consolidated itself, becoming a benchmark for British male elegance.
“We’re happy to bring the Thomas Mason brand to Sri Lanka and thereby join hands with the Envoy Mansion, Colombo’s ultimate men’s lifestyle store. The Sri Lankan clientele is one that is constantly exposed to world sartorial trends. It is very discerning and knows exactly what it wants. The Thomas Mason brand which has become a universal standard for men’s elegance fulfills just that requirement. I’m confident more and more Sri Lankans will migrate to Thomas Mason and thus be at their sartorial best”, said Dante Cortinovis, Head of Sales, Albini Group.
Two decades ago in 1992, Thomas Mason, the celebrated fabric brand was acquired by the Albini family of Italy, together with its two-century long history of excellence. Thomas Mason fabrics, inspired by the collections inside the historical archives, then created the Silverline and Goldline collections, besides the seasonal collections, which all still represent the benchmark for lovers of the fine British taste.
“With such an impressive array of shirt fabrics, Albini has become a major player for shirting fabrics in all three major markets: high-end bespoke, made-to-measure and ready to wear”, Cortinovis added.