Vitale Barberis Canonico: The Mill That Has Never Stopped Weaving Since 1663
When a mill has been operating since 1663, it has had a long time to get things right. VBC — Vitale Barberis Canonico, known across the tailoring world simply by its initials — is one of the oldest continuously operating wool mills on earth. Founded in Pratrivero, Biella by the Barberis Canonico family, VBC has been weaving suiting cloth for more than 360 years, supplying Savile Row tailors, Italian bespoke houses, and the global made-to-measure industry with fabrics that consistently rank among the finest in the world.
What makes VBC remarkable is not just its age, but its continuity. The same family. The same valley. The same obsession with Merino wool. In a fashion industry that reinvents itself every season, VBC has maintained the same fundamental commitment since the seventeenth century: to make the best suiting cloth that Biella can produce.
At MTM.Design, VBC is available through our partner Artextile, giving brands access to the full range of active VBC bunches — spanning warm-weather suitings, all-season perennials, flannels, sport jackets, and occasionwear.
A Mill Older Than the Industrial Revolution
VBC's founding in 1663 places it before the industrial revolution, before the mechanisation of textile production, before virtually every institution that shapes the modern world. The Barberis Canonico family built their mill in the Sessera valley — the same Alpine foothills that would become the global centre of fine wool production — and have never left.
Over three and a half centuries, VBC has adapted to every shift in technology and taste while maintaining the fundamentals that define a great Biella mill: exceptional raw material, rigorous construction, and an understanding of how suiting cloth needs to behave on a body. Today, VBC produces approximately 4.5 million metres of cloth per year, making it one of the largest as well as one of the oldest premium wool mills in Italy.
Their sustainability programme is equally serious: VBC holds multiple environmental certifications and has committed to reducing their ecological footprint at every stage of production — from raw wool sourcing through to finished cloth.
The VBC Collections: Active Bunches on MTM.Design
VBC organises its made-to-measure offer into named collections that recur across seasons, each with a distinct character and end-use. Below are all active VBC bunches available through MTM.Design, organised by season. VBC is distributed on the platform via Artextile.
2025 — Most Current Season
Flannel and Covert — 2292 (Jun 2025) The most recently added VBC bunch — a flannel and covert coating collection for the AW25 season. Flannel is one of VBC's great specialties: the softly raised surface of a well-made Biella flannel has a depth and warmth that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Covert cloth — the dense, tightly woven overcoating fabric associated with English country tailoring — rounds out this bunch as a complete cold-weather jacketing and suiting package.
Sunny Season Solids — 2124, 2224, 2244 (Feb 2025) Three Sunny Season Solids bunches cover VBC's warm-weather plain-weave suiting offer. Solid colourways in lightweight Merino wool constructions — the ideal fabric for a clean, contemporary summer suit in navy, mid-grey, stone, or warm neutral. The three bunches cover different weight and weave profiles, giving brands genuine range within the solid suiting category.
Sunny Season — 2128, 2138, 2238, 2258 (Feb 2025) Four Sunny Season patterned bunches extending the warm-weather range with stripes, checks, and fancy constructions. VBC's Sunny Season line is one of the most complete lightweight suiting offers in the market — genuinely seasonal fabrics engineered for warm temperatures, with the construction quality that the VBC name guarantees.
Perennial — 2291 (Feb 2025) The Perennial line is VBC's all-season backbone — worsted wool suitings designed to perform across the full calendar year. Medium weights, classic constructions, and a palette that works from September through to June. The Perennial is the foundation of any serious MTM suiting programme built on VBC fabrics — reliable, refined, and consistently excellent.
2024 — Active Bunches
Sport Jacket — 2260 (Jul 2024) VBC's dedicated sport jacket collection — constructions designed for blazers, odd jackets, and the smart-casual tier of a made-to-measure programme. Textures, patterns, and colourways that would look wrong in a matched suit but exactly right as a standalone jacket. Hopsacks, fancy weaves, and bold patterns feature prominently.
Revenge — 2273 (Mar 2024) Revenge is one of VBC's most characterful collection names — a bold, high-personality bunch that pushes the palette and pattern further than the Perennial or Sunny Season lines. For the client who wants to make a statement with their cloth choice. Strong pattern direction, confident colourways, constructions that stand out.
Greenhills — 2236 (Feb 2024) The Greenhills bunch takes its character from English country suiting — tweed-inspired weights, earthy palettes, and constructions that speak of weekend dressing rather than the boardroom. Excellent for brands serving clients who divide their wardrobe between city and country.
Parties and Celebrations — 2265 (Feb 2024) VBC's dedicated occasionwear and eveningwear collection. Formal constructions in the classic eveningwear palette — midnights, blacks, rich navies — alongside more festive patterns suited to celebrations, weddings, and gala events. A necessary addition to any complete MTM programme.
Perennial Solids — 2277 (Feb 2024) A solid-colourway version of the Perennial line — plain-weave all-season suitings in the clean, unadorned palette that forms the backbone of a professional wardrobe. Navy, charcoal, grey, and warm mid-tones in VBC's characteristic Merino wool construction.
Spring Summer Solids — 2254 (Feb 2024) Lightweight plain-weave suitings for the warm season — the essential solid-colour summer suit fabrics. Clean constructions in a contemporary palette.
The VBC Collection Architecture
Looking across the active bunches, VBC's offer divides clearly into five distinct categories — each serving a specific place in a made-to-measure wardrobe programme:
All-Season Suiting (Perennial, Perennial Solids) — the foundation. Medium-weight worsted wools that work year-round. The starting point for any VBC-based programme.
Warm-Weather Suiting (Sunny Season, Sunny Season Solids, Spring Summer Solids) — a complete warm-season offer in both plain and patterned constructions. One of the most comprehensive lightweight suiting ranges available from a single mill.
Cold-Weather & Texture (Flannel and Covert, Revenge) — flannel, covert, and higher-personality constructions for the AW season and clients who want character in their cloth.
Sport & Casual Jacketing (Sport Jacket, Greenhills) — the off-suit tier. Constructions that work as blazers, odd jackets, and smart-casual pieces.
Formal & Occasionwear (Parties and Celebrations) — the formal end of the range, covering everything from celebrations to black-tie.
Where VBC Fits in a Made-to-Measure Programme
VBC occupies a distinct position in the luxury fabric market: genuine heritage combined with genuine scale. Unlike smaller artisan mills that produce limited quantities, VBC can supply the volume that a serious made-to-measure programme requires — while maintaining the quality standards that the name demands. The name carries real weight with clients who understand fabric — "VBC 1663" on a label communicates a history and a quality standard that resonates. The range is broad enough to support a complete programme: from the everyday Perennial through to the Parties and Celebrations formal range, with warm-season, cold-season, and casual jacketing options in between.
The depth of active bunches available through MTM.Design — spanning multiple 2024 and 2025 seasons across every category — means that brands have real flexibility to build a VBC-focused collection with genuine variety.
Sustainability at Scale
VBC's sustainability commitment is notable precisely because of their scale — making these choices meaningful at an industrial level rather than a token level. Key initiatives include:
100% renewable energy powering the mill
Half the water usage of a typical wool mill, with natural water treatment systems
Responsible wool sourcing from certified Australian farms
Waste management and recycling programs embedded throughout production
Why MTM.Design Partners with VBC
VBC is, for many in the tailoring world, the default reference for Italian suiting fabric — the mill you benchmark others against. Their breadth of collection, consistency of quality, and depth of heritage make them an ideal anchor supplier for any made-to-measure platform.
At MTM.Design, offering VBC fabrics means offering our partners a foundation they can build their entire brand story around. Whether at entry luxury or ultra-premium level, VBC delivers. Explore our tailoring solutions or get in touch.
Sources:
[1] VBC Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitale_Barberis_Canonico
[2] Inside VBC – 1701 Bespoke – https://www.1701bespoke.com/notes/vitale-barberis-canonico
[3] VBC official website – https://vitalebarberiscanonico.com/
[4] VBC fabrics collection – https://vitalebarberiscanonico.com/collection/fabrics/
[5] Parisian Gentleman on VBC – https://www.parisiangentleman.com/blog/vitale-barberis-canonico-vbc-the-immortals-of-cloth-making
