But Francesco Maglia is also one of Italy’s most exclusive umbrella makersand looks every inch the craftsman.
“Chino,” as he likes to be called, is the fifth-generation descendant of another Francesco Maglia, the man who in 1854 founded the Maglia Umbrella Company in a town near Brescia, in northeast Italy.
The company relocated to Milan in 1876.
Today, Maglia’s workshop is tucked away in the residential area of Via Ripamonti, 20 minutes or so from the city’s most fashionable quarters.
Every umbrella produced here is handmade using an 80-step traditional process.
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Today, the company produces about 25,000 umbrellas a year, of which 90% go to Maglia’s international clientele — mostly in Japan, Europe and the United States.
At 71, Francesco shows no signs of slowing down.
Holding up one of his favorite umbrellas, he breaks into almost predictable song.
“I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling and I’m happy again.”
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