中國(guó)網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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Editor's note: This piece, and several others on Milan, complement the CNNGo TV series. Starting with a tour through the city with two top fashion models and a photographer, this month's CNNGo TV episode then ventures into the "fashion quadrangle," arguably the most fashionable shopping district on the planet, and also takes a trip to the city's most famed umbrella maker. (CNN) -- With his white hair, tweed jacket, a pince-nez and sharp wit, he's clearly a sophisticated man of the world. But Francesco Maglia is also one of Italy's most exclusive umbrella makers -- and looks every inch the craftsman. "Chino," as he likes to be called, is the fifth-generation descendant of another Francesco Maglia, the man who in 1854 founded the Maglia Umbrella Company in a town near Brescia, in northeast Italy. The company relocated to Milan in 1876. Today, Maglia's workshop is tucked away in the residential area of Via Ripamonti, 20 minutes or so from the city's most fashionable quarters. Every umbrella produced here is handmade using an 80-step traditional process. They retail for more than $300. Maglia decorates them in an "English style," either in plain colors or patterned with pinstripes, tartan or regimental stripes. Each umbrella is produced from a single shaft of wood -- usually chestnut, ash, walnut or cherry, but more exotic Malacca cane and whangee bamboo are often used. Concerns for the future In the workshop, a small team of mostly female artisans works on one or two stages of the production. "Our workers have been with us for 30, 40 years -- some of them will retire soon. It's like a big family," says Maglia. While Francesco looks after the design and international sales (he speaks fluent German, French and English), his younger brother, Giorgio, supervises the production and sourcing of materials, which is increasingly becoming a challenge. Every umbrella is made of about 25 parts and the number of the Italian suppliers have dwindled. "It's hard to find suppliers that specialize in umbrella parts, especially metal ones like the ribs, which are the only parts produced in China at huge costs," says Giorgio. The Maglias are one of only a handful of specialist manufacturers left. Francesco is worried about the future of the craft in which his family has made its name. "When I started we were 110 umbrella makers. Now for handmade umbrellas there are two, three, but the other five or six companies produce 80% in China and 20% in Italy. "I am the biggest producer even if I am very small. "In the early days we used to sell hundreds of umbrellas even here in Milan. Now people can buy one made in China for €5 ($6.75), so our umbrellas have become an item of luxury." Two-handled umbrella? Despite the challenges, both brothers still take pride in their work and enjoy experimenting with new materials. They also make bespoke umbrellas -- even if the demands of their customers can at times be unorthodox. "The clientele has changed a lot over the past few years," Giorgio says. "Very recently someone asked us to make an umbrella with two handles -- one for him, one for her -- but there is only so much we can do with an umbrella." Like many luxury products, the Maglias' business has managed to weather the recent financial crisis, winning over some of the world's most exclusive retailers and brands Today, the company produces about 25,000 umbrellas a year, of which 90% go to Maglia's international clientele -- mostly in Japan, Europe and the United States. At 71, Francesco shows no signs of slowing down. Holding up one of his favorite umbrellas, he breaks into almost predictable song. "I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling and I'm happy again." |
編者按：本文與其他幾篇關(guān)于米蘭的報(bào)道構(gòu)成了CNN旅游休閑網(wǎng)站（CNNGo）系列電視節(jié)目。一開(kāi)始，CNNGo電視節(jié)目的一名攝影師和兩位頂級(jí)時(shí)尚模特游覽了這座城市，并在本月探索了“時(shí)尚四角”，這可以說(shuō)是世界上最時(shí)尚的購(gòu)物區(qū)。之后他們拜訪了該城最有名的傘匠。 據(jù)美國(guó)有線電視新聞網(wǎng)報(bào)道，他頭發(fā)發(fā)白，身著粗花呢夾克，戴著副夾鼻眼鏡，看上去機(jī)智敏銳，顯然深諳世故。 但弗朗西斯科·馬利亞也是意大利最時(shí)髦的傘匠之一，看起來(lái)就是一名手工藝人。 他喜歡人們叫他“基諾（Chino）”?！盎Z”是另一位弗朗西斯科·馬利亞的第五代后裔。而這位弗朗西斯科·馬利亞于1854年在意大利東北部布雷西亞附近的一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)創(chuàng)辦了馬利亞傘業(yè)公司（Maglia Umbrella Company）。 1876年，該公司搬至米蘭。 現(xiàn)在，馬利亞的作坊隱藏于米蘭Via Ripamonti住宅區(qū)，離這座城市最時(shí)尚的地區(qū)約20分鐘路程。 這里生產(chǎn)的每把傘都是純手工制作，經(jīng)80道傳統(tǒng)工序，零售價(jià)為300多美元。 馬利亞將傘裝飾成“英倫風(fēng)”，要么純色，要么各種圖案，如細(xì)條紋、格子呢和闊條彩色花樣。 每把傘都是用木軸制成——通常是栗木、白蠟?zāi)尽⒑夷竞蜋烟夷?，但更常使用馬六甲白藤和黃竹。 為未來(lái)?yè)?dān)憂 馬利亞的作坊，工人不多，且大部分是女工，她們負(fù)責(zé)一至兩個(gè)生產(chǎn)工序。 馬利亞說(shuō)：“這些工人和我們一起干了三四十年，有的快要退休了。我們就像一個(gè)大家庭?！?/p> 弗朗西斯科負(fù)責(zé)雨傘的設(shè)計(jì)和國(guó)際銷售（他能說(shuō)一口流利的德語(yǔ)、法語(yǔ)和英語(yǔ)），他的兄弟喬吉奧則負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)督生產(chǎn)和采購(gòu)原料，而采購(gòu)正逐漸成為一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。 每把傘由25個(gè)配件組成，而意大利配件供應(yīng)商日漸減少。 喬吉奧說(shuō)：“很難找到專門生產(chǎn)雨傘配件的供應(yīng)商，特別是像肋材這種金屬配件，只有中國(guó)在生產(chǎn)，成本頗高。” 馬利亞公司是少數(shù)專業(yè)雨傘制造商之一。 這種制傘工藝使他的家族成名，但弗朗西斯科卻開(kāi)始擔(dān)心這種工藝的未來(lái)。 “一開(kāi)始，我們這兒有110家雨傘制造商?，F(xiàn)在，手工傘制造商只剩下兩三家，其他五六家在國(guó)外生產(chǎn)，80%在中國(guó)，20%在意大利?！?/p> “雖然我公司小，但卻是最大的供應(yīng)商。” “早期，即使在米蘭，我們也能銷售不計(jì)其數(shù)的雨傘。而現(xiàn)在，5歐元（6.75美元）就能買一把中國(guó)制造的傘，所以我們的傘就成了奢侈品。” 雙柄傘? 面對(duì)這些挑戰(zhàn)，兩兄弟仍以他們的工作為豪，嘗試使用新材料，并享受其中樂(lè)趣。 他們也定做雨傘，雖然有時(shí)顧客的要求很另類。 喬吉奧說(shuō)：“過(guò)去幾年里，顧客已經(jīng)發(fā)生了很大的變化?！?/p> “最近，有人要我們制造一把雙柄傘——一個(gè)給他自己，另一個(gè)給女朋友——但我們做不出來(lái)?！?/p> 跟許多奢侈品一樣，馬利亞公司也設(shè)法在金融危機(jī)中幸存下來(lái)，打敗了一些世界高級(jí)零售商和品牌。 現(xiàn)在，馬利亞公司雨傘年產(chǎn)量約為25,000把，其中90%銷給馬利亞的國(guó)際客戶——主要在日本、歐洲和美國(guó)。 年逾71，但弗朗西斯科一點(diǎn)也不顯老。 撐著其中一把他最喜歡的傘，他突然唱了起來(lái)。 “我在雨中歌唱，就在雨中歌唱。感覺(jué)幸福滿滿?！?/p> （譯者 紫盈sis 編輯 丹妮） 掃一掃，關(guān)注微博微信
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