“What do people look for in times of crisis? Clothes,” says Federica Bonifaci, an Italian fashion designer and architect who followed her intuition to create her own international fashion brand focused on timeless, gender-free, democratic, and multifunctional garments such as the cape and the cape dress, a cape that incorporates a jacket and the cape she created in 2021, during Covid.
“A friend involved in activities supporting war-torn countries that provide assistance to refugees told me this,” says the California-born designer, who studied architecture and then focused on fashion at the IED in Rome.
Each Bonifaci collection revolves around the cape as a versatile garment, ranging from classic wool or cashmere models to urban pieces in nylon or denim. “All my customers love this ‘cape blazer’—from mothers, who wear it over sweaters and jackets, to daughters, who wear it as a mini dress,” explains the designer.
She produces her collection in many variations of fabrics, colors, and structures designed to express the personality of the wearer. Recently, during Milan Women’s Fashion Week, the designer presented the capsule collection “Cape: Timeless Fabric, Iconic Shape,” a high-profile collaboration with Vitale Barberis Canonico, a Biella-based manufacturer of the highest quality wool fabrics known throughout the world for over 360 years.
Fabrics are central to the construction of the f/w 26/27 collection and define its character. Textured, warm wools interact with more compact, three-dimensional surfaces, following the shapes of the cape and enhancing the volumes. Noteworthy materials include Overcoat, made with a six-ply yarn in a maxi herringbone pattern in shades of blue, gray, natural, and bottle green, and Mouliné Winter Covert, which is more structured and consistent, with a bold three-dimensional effect for outerwear with a strong, architectural presence.
Alongside these more compact interpretations is Tweedly, a multicolor tweed fabric that combines tradition and modernity in a contemporary key thanks to its sporty character. Iconic Australian wools are the stars of the Denim Stories line, a family of fabrics that recalls the aesthetics of denim, emphasizing softness, warmth, and elegance. Gabardine Revenge, in Super 150’s wool, is compact and resistant, with a tailored and refined look, available in shades of blue, gray, aqua green, and sand, ideal for clean and defined cuts.
Fabrics are central to the construction of the f/w 26/27 collection and define its character. Textured, warm wools interact with more compact, three-dimensional surfaces, following the shapes of the cape and enhancing the volumes. Noteworthy materials include Overcoat, made with a six-ply yarn in a maxi herringbone pattern in shades of blue, gray, natural, and bottle green, and Mouliné Winter Covert, which is more structured and consistent, with a bold three-dimensional effect for outerwear with a strong, architectural presence.
Alongside these more compact interpretations is Tweedly, a multicolor tweed fabric that combines tradition and modernity in a contemporary key thanks to its sporty character. Iconic Australian wools are the stars of the Denim Stories line, a family of fabrics that recalls the aesthetics of denim, emphasizing softness, warmth, and elegance. Gabardine Revenge, in Super 150’s wool, is compact and resistant, with a tailored and refined look, available in shades of blue, gray, aqua green, and sand, ideal for clean and defined cuts.
While fabrics come from the historic wool manufacturing district of Biella, the brand, entirely produced in Italy, in the Puglia region and sells well is in Italy, Europe, and the US.
Bonifaci designs it in Milan, in a small atelier in the city center, a few steps from Piazza San Babila, while she runs her own store in Rome complete with a bar, and an atelier in Rome in Via dell’Anima, as well as herown showroom, and in her own boutique in New York.
“I find inspiration to create in Rome, but it’s in Milan that I really work. It’s here that I get things done,” she says.
“The cape is one of those garments that has always been worn, but this idea allows us to make it contemporary…even suitable for dealing with climate change, which requires increasingly versatile pieces…I can even wear it with jeans and sneakers. Thanks to this collaboration, I was able to work on an iconic shape, making it cozy, soft, capable of dialoguing with fabrics that have a deep history. The collaboration with Vitale Barberis Canonico came naturally: we share the same attention to materials, time, and the value of the project,” added Bonifaci.
The Biella-based company is always on the lookout for new projects and collaborations that make its journey even more contemporary and multidirectional. I am very happy to be able to collaborate with the Federica Bonifaci brand in ‘Cape: Timeless Fabric, Iconic Shape’. For this capsule collection, Federica has masterfully interpreted our fabrics through shapes and precious details,” commented Francesco Barberis Canonico, marketing director.
“The lines and elegance she creates are a distinctive feature of her garments, from iconic capes to more unexpected creations. I am sure that this collection will be very well received and successful,” added the manager, a member of the 13th generation of the family at the helm of the company.