Milan, December 10th, 2025 – Archivio Mantero unveils Variazione01, the newest chapter in its ongoing investigation of the intersection between textile heritage and contemporary creative expression.
The project is the result of a collaboration with Dentsu Creative Italy and David Rivillo, the Venezuelan chemist and pasta designer internationally acclaimed for transforming pasta into an experimental aesthetic medium.
Following the inaugural edition curated by designer Giorgio Di Salvo, Variazione01 expands the mission of Archivio Mantero—guardian of one of Italy’s most important textile heritages—by reshaping materials, visual codes, and sartorial memory into unexpected, forward-thinking forms.
Working from his studio in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Rivillo reinterpreted patterns, chromatic palettes, and textures from the Archivio, translating them into striking, edible surfaces. For this edition, he drew inspiration from the historic Staron & Fils collection (1928–1972) —renowned for metallic yarns and sophisticated jacquards— and transformed it into three handcrafted pasta creations made with natural pigments such as cacao, spirulina, turmeric, spinach, paprika, and beetroot, applied like textile dyes.
The three works — Chiné Fita Ribbon, Degradé Borboleta Papillon and Silky Foulard Listrinhas — were unveiled in November during a special event at Sandì restaurant in Milan. The evening transformed conviviality into artistic inquiry, with pasta becoming both an aesthetic gesture and a cultural bridge to textile craftsmanship.
In close collaboration with the brand, Dentsu Creative Italy’s luxury division oversaw the entire strategic and creative development of the project: from seasonal concept and narrative architecture to visual identity and tone of voice. The collaboration extended to event design and digital content production, creating a cohesive narrative ecosystem that highlights each stage of this experimental journey.
Founded in Como in 1902, Mantero Seta preserves one of the world’s most significant textile archives. With Variazione01, the Archivio further asserts itself as a cultural platform where heritage, material research, and visual innovation converge to inspire designers, art directors, and creative practitioners worldwide.
