“Made in Como” has become a promise many make and few keep. The name of Europe's most important silk district appears on labels of ties that have seen, at best, Como's silk — and sometimes not even that. This guide explains what a tie made in Como really means, why provenance changes the product, and the five concrete signs for recognising an original.
Why Como is Como
The Lake Como district has woven silk since the fifteenth century. When sericulture reached Lombardy, Como already had pure water for dyeing, constant humidity for spinning, and a network of weaving families passing the craft down. Five centuries later, that concentration has no equal: jacquard looms, dye works, printers and makers operate within a few kilometres of each other, and the world's great luxury houses still source here. It is an ecosystem, not a single factory — and that is its strength. The full story is in our guide on how Como became the capital of the tie.
What “made in Como” must mean, exactly
An authentically Como tie is so twice over: in the weaving — the silk is woven in the district's mills, on jacquard looms or gauze looms for grenadine — and in the making — bias cut, folding and hand sewing. Many “Italian” ties use Como silk but are made elsewhere, often by machine; others are sewn in Italy from Asian silks. Both things together, Como silk and artisan making, is what the label should mean. The difference with the generic wording is explored in Como silk vs Italian silk.
The five signs of an authentic Como tie
1. The hand of the silk
Como silk has a recognisable density — fine jacquards reach around 112 picks per centimetre — giving a hand that is compact and soft at once, with a deep lustre that never looks plasticky. To the touch, it is the first thing you notice.
2. The bias cut
Gently pull the tie on the diagonal: it should stretch slightly and recover. Cutting at 45° to the weave is what makes a tie hang straight and keeps it from twisting. Cheap production cuts on the straight grain to save fabric.
3. The slip stitch and the bar tack
On the back, the seam should be a continuous, slightly irregular loose stitch, closed by a small loop of thread — the bar tack. It is the signature of hand making, and it lets the tie move with the knot. A perfectly straight seam is a machine seam. The detail is told in our guide to the slip stitch.
4. The weaves only the district can produce
Some cloths are effectively proof of origin: grenadine, woven on a handful of gauze looms left in the world, nearly all in the Como area, or high-density jacquards with the motif in relief. If the tie is genuine grenadine, the odds it comes from the district are very high.
5. The maker's transparency
Those who genuinely produce in Como are happy to tell the story: they name the mills, show the making, explain the construction. Those who stop at an evocative label usually have little to show. Be wary of “Italian design” with no indication of manufacture.
The Lorenzi Como supply chain
Our ties are born entirely within the district: silk woven in Como's mills — high-density jacquards and grenadine in garza fina and grossa — then bias-cut and hand-sewn, with the slip stitch, the bar tack and the embroidered monogram included. Three-fold and extra-fold up to five folds, from €160 to €200: the price of a short supply chain, without traditional retail markups. It is the model told in Italian handmade ties.
Made in Como, from loom to knot
FAQ
Are all Italian ties made in Como?
No. Italy has several neckwear traditions — Naples for tailoring, Como for silk — and many “Italian” ties are made elsewhere from silks of various origins. Como is the silk-weaving district: a tie can be Italian without being from Como.
What exactly does “made in Como” mean?
In the full sense: silk woven in the mills of the Como district and a tie made there, by hand — bias cut, slip stitch, bar tack. If only one of the two conditions is true, the label tells half the story.
Where can you buy Como ties online?
From the district's makers selling direct. The advantage is double: real traceability of the making, and a price that reflects the product, not the distribution. Lorenzi Como ties ship worldwide directly from Como.
Why does a Como tie cost more?
High-density silk, a bias cut that consumes more fabric, hand making: these are material costs, not marketing. A well-kept Como tie lasts decades — the cost per year of wear is often lower than that of an industrial tie you keep replacing.
Read also
- Como silk neckties: the definitive guide
- Como silk vs Italian silk
- Como, world capital of the tie
- Types of ties: the complete guide
Discover the silk ties handmade in Como by Lorenzi Como.
