1884
The first headquarters 

The first home of the knitwear company “Gallo & Bellia”, on the bank of the Quintino Sella canal in Cilavegna

 

It was during the reign of Umberto I of Savoy and of Pope Leo XIII that Gallo came into being to carry out, as its corporate purpose, “l’impianto e l’esercizio della filatura e tessitura di cotone a maglia” (i.e. the setting up and running of cotton spinning and knitting operations). The duration of the company was fixed at 32 years, the period of the concession, granted by the government, to use the waters of the Quintino Sella canal.

1902
The first international orders 

A request for wool and cotton shirts received in 1902 from a British customer, a certain Klumann & Co. of London. The letter is written in French, which was the official business language of the time.

 

Gallo started to see its sales expanding on the foreign markets, where its men’s, women’s and children’s wear in brushed knitted fabrics was becoming increasingly admired in non-European countries, too.

1906

The Mortara plant 

The Gallo Tessile plant in Corso Piave, in the town of Mortara

 

This was the year that Gallo moved from Cilavegna to Mortara, where it still has its headquarters today. In this period the company continued to produce the underwear in brushed knitted fabrics that was increasingly in demand on both the domestic and the foreign market.

1950-60
Men’s and women’s outer knitwear 

A view of the knitting department at the start of the 1950s.

 

These were the years of the transition from the production of underwear in brushed knitted fabrics to the production of men’s and women’s outer wear using the finest wool or cotton yarns. The world was changing fast and Italy, in the midst of the post-war boom, was undergoing a profound and rapid transformation. In this setting, it was becoming necessary to meet the needs of customers who, thanks to the greater well-being generated by these changes, were becoming increasingly demanding.

Winder
A company outing to the Sanctuary of Oropa (Biella)

1980-90
Investments in technology 

Weaving mill

 

This was the decade of investments in technology. To be able to meet the growing demands of the international markets, the company made a huge financial effort to adapt its equipment to the new needs. Thanks to these costly investments, Gallo soon became established as a leading company not only in Italy, but also on the North American market and above all in the Far East.

Circular knitting machine (detail)
Cad knitting programming
Fabric checking using an inspection machine: one of the many checks that are carried out to ensure the high quality standards of the products.

2000
and…beyond

Automatic cutting machine

High precision computerized cutter

Circular knitting electronic machine with striping and inlay kit

Computerized yarn feeder for a perfect fabric