As part of the enhancement interventions of its heritage, Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia pays tribute to the weaver, artist, and artisan from Venice, Elda Cecchele who between the '50s and '70s was an important figure that contributed to the development of Made in Italy and in particular to the success of various Italian designers.

Elda Cecchele distinguished herself for her talent in creating artistic fabrics using the most diverse materials, from leather to plastic, from silk to cotton, from fur to trimmings, to lace with their colors, expressing herself with extraordinary creativity and originality. All the documents from the archive and a large part of the textile materials left in her workshop at the time of the closure of the business in 1991 were donated by the heirs to the Museum of Palazzo Mocenigo in 2014 which, after ordering, photographing, and digitizing it (we are talking about over 4,000 documents and materials), preserves and enhances it by making it available to scholars.

A first selection of these materials is now presented to the public in an exhibition from November 18 to March 2, 2025 retracing the professional path of the Venetian weaver in the lively world of fashion that was emerging in post-war Italy. A journey divided into two parts: the first mainly dedicated to the documentary section of the archive, with photographs, work notebooks, technical weaving sheets, and deposited samples; the second, scheduled for January, focused more on the main collaborations with other Venetian companies and beyond, ranging from the clothing sector to accessories and furniture.

The museum received as a donation not only the textile material but also the documentary material, thus constituting a unique case in the history of Italian fashion of the twentieth century, excluding the major haute couture ateliers and big names - states Mariacristina Gribaudi, President of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia – the path now proposed to the public will allow to discover the life and professional history of a key figure in the development of fashion in Italy who has always remained behind the scenes.