SILK IS NOT THE MOST DURABLE MATERIAL. Rather, it’s the sumptuous, insect-spun fabric of shawls, slippers, and the linings of better coats—a textile that transcends commodification, more shimmering asset than sturdy cloth. Lovely, but with the integrity of a pecorino shaving. Silk, in its grained opulence, is party-at-night, not workaday. Even as automakers outfit their cabins with materials seemingly poached from a high-luxe spaceship—carbon fibre, open-pore wood, fibre-optic lighting, and glove leather—silk has remained off the menu, too delicate for the interior of a sporting car.
That’s exactly what the head of Maserati, Harald Wester, thought. Looking to add a dose of exclusivity to his company’s already rarefied sedans, the Quattroporte sporting limousine and the smaller, stiletto-quick Ghibli, Wester turned to another century-old Italian powerhouse, the textile manufacturer and fashion…
