Library

Canepa has gathered a vast collection of antique volumes, which now contains over 15,000 sample books on ties, shirts, women’s clothing and furnishings. This archive serves as an incredibly important source of ideas and inspiration for our clients and creative staff.

This unique resource has been collected over many years by the company purchasing treasured pieces from historic libraries or from collectors of tracings. Collections by some of the most exclusive brands begin at these very archives thanks to two unmissable annual events we hold here.

15,000 antique volumes and documents, ranging from the mid-19th century up to the present day, subdivided into: print and jacquard ties, print and jacquard garments, print and jacquard shirts, tricot knitwear, outerwear, furnishings, vintage bandanas and foulards, vintage scarves, ethnic fabrics, vintage clothes, vintage ties, garment sketches from the 19th century up to the present day, sketches on fabrics for women’s garments in contemporary styles, historical magazines from the sector, contemporary illustrated books, trend books from the 50s up to the present day and antique color charts. All acquired over time through research, auctions, markets, companies and historic archives.

The archive covers a 500 square meter space where history meets the future. Inside the library, you’ll find our in-house bookbinding with 19th century machinery, where we run a book restoration service with original materials; while through digitization the archive is constantly updated and expanded.

The library is something special for the creation of our products: it is the initial point of inspiration for our clients’ collections. Their research begins with our archive of garments and ties, in addition to the support they receive from our in-house creative staff, either in terms of content research or for the preparation of customized materials upon request.