Veleria il Ponente was born in 1982 on the island of La Maddalena, Sardinia, in the home of a boatswain of the Italian Navy, thanks to his wife Giovanna and his daughter Antonella. The family, passionate about the sea (Franco, the brother, has been a sailing instructor in the Centro Velico Caprera since 1969), offers technical support for passing boats.

The company begins by fixing the sails of the Centro Velico Caprera and other sailing schools, as well as those of the Italian Navy’s sailing department, and soon begins to be known as a point of reference for repairs and assistance among seafarers in transit in the Archipelago.

At the end of the 80s the company starts to produce its own brand of sails. Workmanship is still artisanal with traditional parquet tracing. Afterwards, with almost 40 years of experience, Veleria il Ponente becomes universally recognized as one of the most important activities for those sailing in the Archipelago of La Maddalena. Over the years, in fact, several hundred sails have been produced, mostly lateens and auric sails, for traditional boats such as wooden goiters and cruise vessels.

It is during the participation in an important lateen regatta in Stintino (in the Gulf of Asinara) that an idea for a new product was born. It is the end of the 90s and, a bit for fun and a bit as a bet, we created a jacket with a used sail. The unexpected success of the product – still in its infancy – hinted at its potential and convinced us to start a small production of these jackets, alongside the main business of making sails. After a period of study during which the garments were perfected and saw an increase in requests, in 2000 we opened a new store which has now surpassed the main business in revenue.

Danilo (3rd generation and now business owner) takes care of this new initiative and also produces bags with the same characteristics, using scraps such as fabrics that are too rigid or parts that are not usable for jackets.

Videomaker Elisa Silvestri

These products, however, remain in limited quantities in order to maintain their status as unique pieces, and because they were conceived as in a perfect balance with the surrounding environment which cannot provide for large-scale industrial production. They are highly appreciated especially by those who are particularly sensitive to environmental protection and that, in addition to recognizing their uniqueness, are attracted to the repurposing of fabrics otherwise destined for the landfill.

Other technical garments such as blouses, shell jackets and work trousers, suggested by seafaring people’s practical way of dressing, are packaged with simple and robust materials (linen and canvas) and made with attention to detail and sartorial quality. These lines draw inspiration from past uniforms of the Italian Navy, heir to the Royal Sardinian Navy which was born on this very island at the beginning of the 19th century.