An Interview with the Farella Sisters, the Fabulous Female Founders of Farella, a luxury clothes and cashmere shop on Capri, Italy.
Tell me a little about the story of Farella and how it started?
Farella is the family name of the four sisters (Margherita, Gaetana, Elisabetta and Maria) that started the company. Farella is a family from Capri from many generations back. Farella was founded by four sisters in 1990 but the story began many years earlier when our mother gave us a small knitting machine as a present. After that we used to design and make knitting styles in a tiny space on the Tiberio hill, close to our house. Soon the requests for our products started to increase and the decision to open a store and a workshop became the natural next step. This was exactly 30 years ago, April 1990, when the door of Farella opened.
Where do you get the inspiration for the designs?
Most of the inspirations come from everyday life; a morning walk to Faraglioni, our mother making “ravioli” for Sunday lunch. We love to see details in the simple things and tell the stories behind them. We prefer to tell the truth and look beyond the surface to give value to the events of real life. This is probably a consequence of the fact that our business is strongly linked with our daily, family and community life.
What’s your most popular item?
Our most popular item is the cashmere scarf handmade by loom. We came across weaving many years ago and it still today is one of the most amazing techniques we know. Manual weaving is a beautiful manual art capable of making beautiful textile objects. Every scarf we make has its own story, its own weaved plot, each one is unique and no piece is the same. We are used to making them according to our moods. Sometimes they have crazy colours, sometimes very natural or even white. Recently we started recycling the unusable ends of the cashmere balls, making beautiful pieces.
What makes your cashmere the best cashmere?
We strongly believe in the quality of the fabrics and the importance of the material. Just as a good dish is made with the best ingredients, the same is for fashion. Our cashmere suppliers are trusted Italian companies and, even more important, we try to respect the fibre and manipulate it as little as possible.
A restaurant or chef that inspires you
The restaurant or chef that inspires us is without a doubt our mother; she is the best cook we know and her magical kitchen is the best restaurant in the world. She is from Capri since generations and no one better than her knows the real Caprese cuisine. We love to see the lovely way she takes care of the kitchen garden, the spontaneity of her gestures while making the “sugo di pomodoro”. Sunday lunch at her house are the moments of the week we look forward to the most. We love Aurora Restaurant h(http://www.auroracapri.com/), just a few minute’s walk from Farella. It was started over 100 years ago by the same family who own it today and it serves the best pizza we’ve ever had.
Best Capri product
Capri has a varied and long history from the Roman period with Tiberio to the Capri Dolce Vita and so on. A good way to know this amazing history is definitely through the books of the Capri publishing house “La Conchiglia”. We highly recommend their products.
Favourite shop in Capri (apart from Farella!)
Our favourite store in Capri is the boutique “Blu” an amazing multi brand store with an incredible selection made by Tonino, but also the lovely flower store “Capri Flowers” upstairs on the main Piazzetta.
A Capri secret
We are not sure how secret it is but see the sun rising down the Faraglioni beach during summer is the most magical thing you can do in Capri.
An object you would never part with
The last meal that truly impressed you
The last meal that truly impressed us is with no doubt the “pasta e vongole su letto di burrata di bufala” which means pasta with clams on bufala burrata made by Zio Peppe, Elisabetta’s husbands, it was Mediterranean poetry in a dish.
An unforgettable place you’ve travelled to in the past year
Last November we did a three day trunk show in New York at the Upper East Side. It was an unforgettable experience and we hope to do it again as soon as it will be possible.
Where would you like to go next?
We love Europe and one of our dream is to do a little tour of Trunk Shows in Germany, France and England, so why not London as the next destination!
Your favourite hotel in Capri
We all agree that our favourite hotel in Capri is the Tiberio Palace (https://www.capritiberiopalace.it/), it embodies the perfect Capri spirit.
A recent “find”
A recent and wonderful “find” is a Chilean Alpaca Yarn Company whose owner is a kind half Capri-Chilean girl. We are ordering some of her Alpaca yarns and we are very excited to start experimenting with this fabric.
The last music we downloaded
An amazing Jazz compilation, perfect as background music in the store.
The books on our bedside table
On our bedside table always has the collection of Capri poems by Ada Negri and “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt who is also one of our beloved clients.
In our fridge you’ll always find
Mozzarella!
The beauty staple you’re never without
We love the natural look, but to have beautiful skin without makeup we always make sure we have our favourite organic face cream with us - Aesop Primrose Facial Hydrating Cream.
Favourite Place
Capri, forever Capri.