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When Guillaume and Pierre-Édouard launched the brand in 2018, their obsession was the men's swimsuit: a garment capable, in their eyes, of transitioning from the Mediterranean to a swimming pool, and then following its owner to the other side of the world.
A few years later, they decided to brave the winter and set out in search of an exceptionally soft mohair and a European atelier capable of knitting it. The trail led them to Tuscany. In the Prato region near Florence, they met Anita and Dino, knitwear specialists for nearly seventy years, along with the local spinners from whom Surprise sources its wool. For the sweater's first pre-order campaign in 2021, more than 550 pieces were ordered in a fortnight.
The story did not stop with that first sweater. Anita’s family-run atelier became Surprise's historic partner, and today continues to craft some of the brand's signature mohair and alpaca pieces. The house now also works with ateliers in Portugal, Turkey, Poland, and Romania—the latter recommended directly by their Italian partner.
Meanwhile, color has fully claimed the wardrobe: Stella comes in red or mouse grey, Nora in sky blue or pink, while striped and polka-dot cardigans follow one another through the collections. Anita knows exactly what she needs to knit in Prato. It is on our end that the choice becomes difficult.
Taste
Prato · Florence · Tuscany · Anita · Dino · Italian knitwear · Savoir-faire italien · Family-run atelier · Mohair · Alpaca · Angora goat · Fluffy knit · Cardigan season · Cardigan Stella · Cardigan Olivia · Pink or red
