en

Our Story

Historical company in the heart of the Italian silk district.

Historical company of the world textile scene based in the province of Como, heart of the Italian silk district

Federico Argenti

Silk dealer - Como
Federico Argenti

Silk dealer - Como

It began as a manufacturer of silk hat linings....

An envelope flap yellowed by the passage of time,

an address traced in large letters in black ink and a postmark dated 1896. "Federico Argenti Silk dealer in Como."

This is one of the oldest documents testifying to the activity

of Seterie Argenti, which, however, must have already begun before....

The years went by and Federico son Icilio was born.

Argenti Icilio fu Federico
Argenti Icilio fu Federico

Icilio now grown up was called into the Army and assigned to the Italian contingent leaving for Ethiopia...

He was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Adua. On his return he resumed the family business then turned the company over to his daughter Gina Argenti who was married to Attilio Viganò.

“That silk, that viscose, those cottons, and those polyesters reinvented in weaves and weaves, revolutionized in blends, combinations and colors, strong in intrinsic new qualities, recycled and declined, never like today, in the "uncountable" coordinates, that the segment more and more luxury research to combine the so-called “noble” bases with the killing of technical “surprises” with effect.

The archive lives, overflowing with creativity, but also thematically and digitally cataloged for a faster and more refined consultation.

Here lives the research, with traditional and technological means, to maintain that bridge between past and future, necessary to understand and value.

Here lives the love for young people and the promotion of all their personal abilities, constantly reinvigorating a fresh and enthusiastic work team contaminated by young interns from the most famous fashion and design schools.

Here lives, dominates and guides ART, that family passion that Carlo and Rosanna Viganò have passed on to their sons, but which, in the contemporary world, dares unexpected partnerships and languages, interacting with artists and entrepreneurs, inflaming talents, promoting exhibitions, combining sustainability to ethics, another "mission" that has always been pursued. “

Cit. Marina Nelli

Attilio's 3 sons
Attilio's 3 sons

After the war, the business then passed to Attilio's 3 sons, Peppino, Alberto and Carlo Viganò.

Thanks to their hard and unceasing work and foresight, Argenti had from the postwar period to the present, its great boom.

todaySeterie Argenti spa
todaySeterie Argenti spa

Today led by Cristina and Michele, Carlo Viganò's sons, entrepreneurs of a new generation, young not only in age but in ideas and enthusiasm, with much attention to the careful and conscious study of materials and suppliers who know how to guarantee the quality of an iconic product of the “Como tradition”.

Seterie Argenti today creates, produces and sells worldwide about 2 million meters per year of Contemporary and Luxury womenswear fabrics. Production ranges from plain fabrics with innovative finishes, to yarn-dyed jacquards, to printing with both traditional and digital techniques. All available also in a sustainable version.

THE LOGOA Project by Max Huber
THE LOGOA Project by Max Huber

In the 1980s Carlo and Rosanna Viganò frequented many contemporary artists and graphic designers.

Prominent among them was the Swiss Max Huber with his Japanese wife Aoi Kono, with whom they formed a close friendship.

At the end of a dinner at Viganò's house, Max Huber, still at the table, draws freehand the logo of Seterie Argenti, which was later registered on August 20, 1986.

Who is Max Huber Graphic designer of the 20th century
Who is Max Huber Graphic designer of the 20th century

Max Huber (1919-1992) is counted among the most significant graphic designers of the 20th century. The teachings of the great masters of the Modern Movement and the influence of the post-World War II Milanese artistic climate are discernible in his work. Huber, of pragmatic Zurich training, applied the aesthetics of the European avant-garde and rationalism to graphic design, translating its themes into formal inventions. His many works include graphics for posters, books and magazines, as well as publications for some of Italy's most important publishing houses, such as Einaudi and Etas. He is thus the protagonist of graphic works that still emerge and reaffirm themselves today for their singularity, nor should we forget the notoriety he achieved with the creation of logotypes for La Rinascente Department Stores, for the Esselunga Supermarket chain and the conception of the Coin brand. Together with Castiglioni architects, he also oversaw the graphic design of installations for RAI, Eni, Montecatini and the Italian Radio.

The cultural contribution of Max Huber's artistic research -especially in the field of graphic design-, developed around an interest in abstract composition and inspired by the experiences of the European avant-garde,  qualifies Max Huber’s work as a significant international credit.