For the last two centuries, in Signa, hats have continually been produced in the shadow of the Grevi Factory’s smokestack.
A survivor of wars and industrial changes, the smokestack is a living reminder of the antique way of making hats, when the straw for braiding was a local product, and the unfinished hats were hung to dry in the sun. Many aspects of this craft have changed, but memories remain in the DNA of those who know how to think beyond their own time, cultivating passions to transmit to future generations. This is the Grevi family’s vocation: they have maintained the “made by hand” art since 1875.
The story of Attilio Grevi is touching. The family pioneer entered the employ of well-established firm “Felice Marinesi & C” when he was young to work in close conjunction with founder Felice Marinesi and his partner, Ulderigo Fantacci. The three men’s alliance created a conjunction of manual skill and business acumen; they held each other in the greatest mutual esteem. Today the fourth generation of the Grevi family is custodian to the brand’s tradition on the largest international markets. Since the 1980s, Roberta, Silvana and their brother Giuseppe manage the “Grevi” line, offering models where elegance and eccentricity are the key ingredients of the factory’s brand.
The Grevi style is characterized by a design of harmonious and imaginative forms, in prized high-quality, but never conventional materi als, such as wool sheared from Tuscan lambs and a vast array of Oriental straws in natural and artificial fibers. A successful company cannot limit itself to the manufacture of products. Relationships and contacts are essential ingredients in ensuring a company spreads its corporate image through cultural and artistic milieux: such as the cinema, for example. We can admire “Grevi” creations in hit films such as: “Valmont” (1989), “Pretty Woman” (1990), “Tea with Mussolini” (1999).