A day at ATELIER VERDE di Paola Della Pergola Menaggio Lake Como

In the center of Menaggio, very close to beautiful Lake Como, there is a place that will please everyone interested in crafts, natural threads, and local art.

ATELIER VERDE di Paola Della Pergola is easy to reach.

Whether you are arriving in Menaggio by boat, car, bus.

Paola is the artist and enthusiast about natural dying techniques, she used to have her workspace, atelier, and shop in Milano.

After years of working and living in Milano, she is looking for a more relaxed ambiance. You can meet her at Lake Como. Her works have been part of fashion walks in Milano, she published her book about natural fabric dying, you can purchase it also in her atelier in Menaggio. Through this book, you can learn how to dye textiles while using herbs or natural pigments.

Her drive and interest in natural textiles are not only because she finds them pleasant to work with. She is highly aware of overproducing, and over wasting of textile, fashion items. She is producing clothes by herself, but they are long lasting, produced via her own vision, feeling and what is important, they are long-lasting pieces, that will serve you for more that one fashion wave.

According to sources of Fashion Industry Waste Statistics :

Second to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world.

NPR reports, from the Environmental Protection Agency, that 15.1 million tons of textile waste was generated in 2013, of which 12.8 million tons were discarded.

A few communities have textile recycling programs, about 85% of this waste goes to landfills where it occupies about 5% of landfill space and the amount is growing. *

https://edgexpo.com/fashion-industry-waste-statistics/

That is too much, don´t we think ?

Paola is keeping all this and more in her mind, while working daily in her atelier.

Another great aspect is, that these clothes are perfectly suitable also if you are staying in Italy, as it is warm in warm and humid months, materials like pure cotton or linen are perfect to keep you fresh.

Paola has covered also colder months – she is producing lines of clothes also from warm fluffy woolen materials, in patterns that easily fit everyone, as her patterns are usually inspired by „kimono“pattern. Her approach is to use as much material as needed and to leave minimum waste of it.

Many times she is recycling materials in a way, that they are fresh and ready to be used, instead of being thrown away.

In her atelier, you can find naturally colored woolen threads of various qualities, useful for many different techniques. You can purchase at her atelier ready products, or buy materials and produce beautiful pieces by yourself.

If you don´t know how, here is another option.

There are a few different interesting workshops that are offered:

- Course of crochet

- Course of knitting

- The course of small object making

Course of crochet

In a duration of 2 hours and upon the price of 30 € you can decide the color, material type, and type of your own future hat. Then you can start learning how to make it by yourself and create your own original piece. If it would take you longer, or you don´t wish to produce it, Paola will finish it for you and within a few hours, you can come to pick it up! Paola would measure your head dimensions and settle with you which kind of decor or type of crochet would be suitable – you will elaborate design together.

Course of knitting

During 2 hours course upon price 30 €, you will receive a ball of wool of your choice and you will learn the basics of knitting.

If you love to continue after this time, you can purchase additional material and additional charge and continue enjoying your creative time on Lake Como. This process needs a bit of focus and patience, so it is perfectly needed in our busy times, to slow down and focus on one thing and to let your mind relax.

The course of small object making

This sounds pretty general, but in reality, you can enter Paola ´s atelier, and enjoy creative time for 2 hours. In 30 € price, you will be enabled to create original pieces of jewelry or small souvenir object. You will have access to Paola´s box full of different fabrics, you can experiment and create pieces that you will enjoy wearing, or can produce it as a gift for somebody.

The number of objects created will depend on the amount of material you will spend and your skills. Usually, people are able to create 1 – 2 brooches and 1 keychain. Let´s try it!

Lake Como has a rich past if we consider its silk productions. There was a huge industry producing silk materials. Since the year 1400, an area of Lake Como were being grown mulberry trees, and later on, there was a boom of silk production industries. The most famous spots of this industry were cities Como and Cernobbio. Today we can find some of these buildings abandoned, or they serve as something else.

Yes, today you can experience only a memory of it, but for example, you can purchase beautiful silk scarves and accessories in Bellagio.

If you are curious to learn more about the history of these techniques, visit Como silk museum(Museo didattico della seta) in Como.

https://www.museosetacomo.com/

Back to Menaggio. Paola is bringing to area of Lake Como something, that belongs to this place.

What is beautiful is, that she is lady full of power, and it is not only because she is a good witch( !! ) but because she loves to share her skills and enjoys creating with others.

Sometimes would put to her window announcement:"Tomorrow everybody is welcomed to bring their knitting and come to join me!"

Hopefully, people will come back to crafts, and will enjoy creating together, in a small company and to be enriching and inspiring for each other.

ATELIER VERDE di Paola Della Pergola Menaggio

Opening hours usually 9 – 14 15 – 18

Location: Via IV Novembre 10 22017 Menaggio

You are welcomed to come in and to see her offer of clothes, accessories, bags, hats, pillow covers, books, materials.

You are welcomed to take a course. To do that, you can simply walk in and settle with her time and conditions.

You can talk with her of course Italiano, French and slowly in English. In the end, you would understand each other while creating together.

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Photos and text by Karolinska 2019