The origins of luxury Italian linen brand Pratesi lie in romance: Over one hundred years ago, a young wine merchant by the name of Remigio Pratesi fell in love with a beautiful woman in his village, just outside of Florence. To woo her, he contracted a seamstress to make her an exquisite set of linens that he could gift her as a sign of his love. They took two years to make, they were so intricate, but the end result was worth the wait. The two were married, and a heritage brand was born after local nobility came calling for their own Pratesi linens.
In the century since, Pratesi has been the house of choice for high-profile tastemakers like Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Lee Radziwell. But a luxury brand survives both by adapting to the times and by maintaining the quality which made it famous, and so, while Pratesi entered a new era after being acquired by Sferra Fine Linens in 2020, its latest iteration is no less chic than it was before. The brand still uses only rare, extra-long staple Egyptian cotton, woven in Italian mills and hand-embellished by local artisans.
“Our first priority when acquiring Pratesi was to ensure the product was created with the best of everything true to what Pratesi represents as a brand: The best Italian artisanry, the highest quality raw materials, the most beautiful designs and true to the DNA of the brand, all manufactured with the same attention to detail in Italy as it has been for the past 116 years,” said Michelle Klein, CEO of Pratesi, “We have brought back legacy designs along with new designs to keep Pratesi moving forward with the style of today.”
Pratesi CEO Michelle Klein.
The first step in Pratesi’s relaunch was establishing an e-commerce site for the house, where clients can snap up the latest offerings or restock their classics, as well as working with strategically-chosen retail partners. Next came the introduction of new collections—like this season’s take on the house’s iconic Tre Righe sets (originally created for Mme Chanel herself in 1927) in ombré shades of scarlet, or the Fresia pattern, featuring strands of florals in stunning reds.
“Throughout the years Pratesi has not only been known for the beautiful embroideries, but also for the stunning prints which are very much part of the brand’s DNA,” said Klein. “With the new Fresia collection we wanted to capture jubilant bouquets blooming across our Angel Luxe percale base fabric. The design team was inspired by nature and wanted to capture the fresh joy of a stroll to the flower market and accentuate the collection with vivid brushstrokes of scarlet and moss.”
Of course, discerning customers will also be looking for the opportunity to shop for their linens offline, too, which means Pratesi is “actively looking” for potential store locations worldwide—including, naturally, Palm Beach.
“At the top of our list is Palm Beach,” said Klein. “We know the Pratesi client is there and will be excited to welcome the brand back to the Palm Beach community.”
