It’s well known that Italian craftsmanship is highly valued all over the world. For this reason, the Chicago Collective, held this season from Saturday to Tuesday, dedicates a section to more than 62 Italian brands which, thanks to the Italian Trade Agency, are able to show their new collections and the innovations introduced in terms of materials and know-how. Here are three brands to get to know at the fair.
Valstar
Founded in 1911 in Milan, the storied outerwear specialist is credited with manufacturing the first waterproof jacket. In 1935, Valstar launched the Valstarino, a model inspired by the A1 leather flight jacket from the 1920s and worn by pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
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While the jacket drew its design from the military uniform, it was reimagined in a sporty way for a general audience and soon became the signature piece of the brand, embodying the essence of the Made in Italy craftsmanship exhibited through the jackets and coats.
For its latest collection presented during Milan Men’s Fashion Week in June, which it will also bring to Chicago, the brand introduced truckers and bomber jackets made of ultra light fabrics such as unlined suede and Italian linen to enhance comfort and freedom of movement featuring two slanted exterior pockets, cotton ribbing and a two-way zipper.
Thanks to the garment-dyed nylon process, the pieces are available in colors inspired by American colleges, from pink and orange to beige, military green and brown. The collection includes double-faced leather and reversible goat suede jackets with a waterproof lightweight technical fabric interior.
The suede is traditionally sourced from a Leather Working Group-certified tannery in Italy.
Average retail prices run from $750 for Valstarino in garment-dyed nylon and swing between $1,700 and $1,900 for lightweight jackets in suede and between $650 and $750 for jackets in Italian linen.
Alessandro Gherardi
Alessandro Gherardi established his namesake brand in 1970 in a small city in Tuscany called Pieve Santo Stefano. Best known for shirts, the brand rapidly became the reference for an international audience seeking quality Made in Italy products.
The brand has a longstanding history of collaborations with textile brands and that continues for spring 2025 where it is partnering with the silk weaving factory Riva, fabric mill Reda and the fabric manufacturing company Albini Group.
The 100 percent silk shirts from the collaboration with Riva are available with prints and in different colors. Thanks to Reda, the collection includes garments in linen as well as blends with linen and wool, voile and muslins. And the brand continues its project called “Aloe Vera” with the Albini group enriching the pieces with new patterns and more colors for this season. That project stands out for the special finishing applied to the fabrics that transfers the beneficial healing and protective effects of the aloe plant from the garment to the skin.
In addition for the spring season, Alessandro Gherardi launched a capsule which pays homage to painter and poet Onelio Dalla Ragione from Arezzo, Italy, whose works are featured in a selection of shirts. The aim here is to promote artistic and cultural heritage, together with manufacturing excellence.
The collection retails at between around $190 and $270.
Maglificio Gran Sasso
Maglificio Gran Sasso was founded by four brothers, Nello, Eraldo, Alceo and Francesco Di Stefano, in 1952 and manufactures its high-end line in a knitwear factory in Abruzzo, Italy, designed by architect Guido Canali.
Best known for the high-quality materials used for the collections, the brand’s yarns include cashmere originating from goats of inner Mongolia; extra-fine merino wool obtained from the Australian breed of merino sheep; linen from Holland, Belgium and France; GOTS-certified organic cotton, and Alcantara yarn, 100 percent made in Italy, that is soft, durable, long-lasting and easy to care for.
The palette ranges from shades of beige, white and grays to blues, pink, tobacco and teal tones. In recent collections, it Introduced two new yarns, a full-bodied cotton and a malfilè cotton.
The Gran Sasso brand offers a number of sub-collections including the Leisure Time offering consisting of cotton-cashmere knit leisure suits, zippered jackets, crewneck sweaters and cargo Bermuda shorts. The Beachwear line is made of polyester fibers produced by the Eco Circle recycling system which reduces energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 50 percent. The Riviera capsule includes a beach towel in different colors, as well as a beach bag and espadrilles along with T-shirts, polo shirts and other tops decorated with retro patterns, stripes and dots. Irish beanies and caps in linen or fleece with alcantara and knit sneakers complete the collection.
Average retail prices start from $95 for swim trunks and top out at $400 for a cashmere crewneck while shirts and polos sell for between $184 and $216.