In the countryside of Mantova there is still someone who continues to produce handmade bespoke umbrellas and distribute them in every corner of the world, using a brand name that has passed the half century mark: PASOTTI.

“The company was started in 1956” – explains the owner, Eva Giacomini – “and was founded by my mother, Ernesta Pasotti, who began producing 'one of a kind' umbrellas that she sold directly, sometimes riding her scooter. Then, with my father Vittorio Giacomini, who mainly took care of sales, the company grew from a small artisan company to a large one with over one hundred employees. Today there is no room for such an industrial production, due to competitors from Asia, so we have downsized and we mostly concentrate on limited edition umbrellas".

Eva continues, “we have a huge collection of designs, styles, handles and we also do a lot of private label projects with the biggest fashion brands worldwide. This is the result of the imagination and creativity of my parents first of all and today of my husband, Mauro Begotti. In addition to designs and fabrics we work on the handmade handles and on the trimming: from Swarovski crystals, sewn by hand to garnets, just to give two examples.

We produce 35,000 handmade umbrellas a year: they are very high quality products that are sold in the most prestigious boutiques in 75 countries all around the world. And the overseas market is truly continuing to grow, thanks to Nicola and Andrea Begotti, the next generation.

Italian luxury umbrella manufacturing lives on from generation to generation.