TODAY
A story of entrepreneurship, creativity and industriousness that is handed down from generation to generation, capable of resisting the passing times, and indeed, of predicting their changes. A great Italian story, that of Achille Pinto, a company that has celebrated 90 years in 2023, reinventing itself, once again, always looking to the future.
Founded in 1933, Achille Pinto is an Italian textile company operating within the Como and Biella textile districts, with expertise spanning textile printing, weaving, garment manufacturing, and logistics, as well as research and development.
Its headquarters are located in Casnate con Bernate, in the Como textile district, while the Group also has a presence in Senna Comasco, San Fermo della Battaglia, and the Biella area. The company’s registered office is in Milan.
TODAY
Divided into two company branches, as at the origins – fabrics for clothing and finished products – Pinto is today led by Matteo and Paolo Uliassi as CEOs.
Its presence is worldwide and sees the most profitable markets in France, Italy, England and Germany. Pierre-Louis Mascia, the brand of which he is the majority shareholder, is present in 400 multibrands around the world, and two single-brand stores, in Milan and Portofino, while the Franco Ferrari brands, 100% owned by Achille Pinto, and Alonpi reach 150 multibrands each.
Alongside its international reach and brand partnerships, Achille Pinto operates within a network of expertise and collaborations spanning various sectors of the textile supply chain. In 2026, Canepa 1966 was established within the Pinto Group, bringing expertise in Jacquard weaving, knitwear, and textile production. Achille Pinto also participates in Magnolab—an entity dedicated to research and innovation in the textile sector—and Slow Fiber, a network of companies committed to promoting a more responsible, transparent, and conscious supply chain.
In terms of production, 90% of Achille Pinto’s output is based in Italy, covering everything from weaving and printing to the manufacturing of finished products. This enables the company to maintain high quality standards and direct control over processes; all fabrics and finished products undergo rigorous quality checks and comply with international standards.
The company utilizes state-of-the-art machinery and technology while investing in the development of its workforce’s expertise. The innovation concerns in particular: the different printing processes, which include digital printing and twin placed digital printing – the most recent and innovative technology introduced by the company, cylinder printing, square printing and square printing on a packaged item; the finishing techniques and weaving, which combines silk weaving, typically from Como, with the traditional wool weaving of the Biella area.
OUR STORY
The astral conjunction between Achille Pinto, then a worker in a dye house in Como, and three disused looms is the strange but curious beginning of a story of Italian entrepreneurship.
In 1933 he took over three looms that would otherwise have been thrown away, and decided to restart them in the home cellar. In the following ten years, fueled by passion and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Achille Pinto opened and developed the eponymous weaving company, a textile company based in the center of Casnate con Bernate, in the province of Como, specialized in the production of printed fabrics and jacquard for ties. A weaving that for several years coincided with his home, demonstrating an all-encompassing dedication to work.
Once the company was consolidated, in the following years the three sons of Achille Pinto and his son-in-law Mario Uliassi, husband of Giuliana Pinto, joined it. A visionary made in Marche, Uliassi – who graduated a year early in Economics and Commerce – soon won the respect of even the granite founder. Mario Uliassi works with dedication, reaching the position of CEO already in the 1970s. One of the first decisions given to the company structure was to divide it into three sections – which still exist – each managed independently but all subject to the central coordination of the administration: fabrics for clothing department and industrial wing.
OUR STORY
In 1987 Mr. Achille Pinto passed away and with him the Mille Miglia – his great passion – and the tuning of the cars before the races, handled by the company’s mechanic who, if necessary, started from the textile machines to the engines.
A passion that the founder had passed down to his children, making Raffaele Pinto one of the first professional Italian drivers and European rally champion in 1972, aboard a Fiat 124 Abarth.
Despite the loss of the founder, Achille Pinto continues to prosper thanks to the decisive presence of Mario Uliassi and his saving management until 1992 when Uliassi disappears. It’s time to pass the baton to your children. Determined to continue in the footsteps of their father, and before that, their grandfather, guided by a sense of responsibility and the desire to replicate the successes of their predecessors, the young Uliassi, Paolo and Matteo joined the company.
In the following millennium, strong with an entrepreneurial DNA and an entire childhood spent among the corridors and rooms of the weaving mill, they held the role of managing directors, and respectively responsible for the fabric part and the finished product. The younger sister, Lisa, is responsible for the style office. The property thus replicate the family model, adapting it to current times, giving it a fluid connotation, free of barriers, aimed at facilitating communications and speeding up work. Their modus operandi proves effective and the company achieves successes and important acquisitions including the Como companies Comoprint Srl and Franco Ferrari Srl, specialized in textile accessories for high fashion, and the historic Ibiella Srl, expert in the production of natural fibers like wool and cashmere. Over the years they also acquired gems of craftsmanship such as Pierre-Louis Mascia and Alonpi, a brand specializing in cashmere.
After having innovated the sector by working with artificial fibres, the Uliassi family changed the paradigm of printing again, being the first to import twin printing into Italy, the flagship of the digital printing sector. A step forward that allows them to become leaders in their field, important interlocutors of the Italian and French fashion houses with which they collaborate.
OUR STORY
In recent years, Achille Pinto’s presence in the Biella area has evolved through its entry into MagnoLab, an ecosystem dedicated to textile research, development, and innovation.
Here, the company’s expertise in fabric, warping, and weaving—with a particular specialization in wool and cashmere—engages with complementary skills across the supply chain to develop new projects, experiments, and product and process solutions.
This presence establishes a tangible link between the silk tradition of the Como district and the wool specialization of the Biella region, while also placing a special focus on sustainability, the circular economy, recycling, and new materials.
OUR STORY
Canepa 1966 was established within the Pinto Group in February 2026, marking a new milestone in the Group’s history.
This new entity brings with it expertise in Jacquard weaving, knitwear, garment manufacturing, and quality control, alongside a significant heritage of archives and textile culture.