Lella Tonet
"Things were simple once; we had little and were very happy. We lived more in rhythm with nature. I carry all of this with me always; it is a guide toward what I consider human and right.
I was born at the end of the 1950s in the Venetian hills of Valdobbiadene, an unspoiled place, with simple people, great ethics, and deep-rooted values.
My mother had emigrated to Switzerland after the war and found work in a knitwear factory. That is how knitwear came into our home.
I helped her from a tender age in the family workshop. We also had a small room where ladies would stop by to make a few purchases. I still remember when, as a child, I would ask them to hand me the garments placed higher up, because I couldn't reach the shelves.
Lella Tonet at 14 years old on the steps of the Follina Abbey
My father would go to the homes in our valleys and bring home the fruits of our labor. When things went well, he would bring home fruit and some sweets, and that was enough to celebrate.
A fond memory I have of those years is mending socks: a local restaurateur, when his establishment was closed, would collect them from houses in the area and bring them to us to repair. I still tell this story today because it is an important lesson from the past: we must value the creations of others and not waste what people have labored to produce.
As a young girl, I had a big dream: to transform our small business into a real Fashion House. It was a personal challenge; in an era when women remained in the shadows, we were primarily a company by women for women. So, at 17, I presented my first collection. Even though my name is Ornella, I introduced myself as Lella, my nickname, and everyone has called me that ever since.
We experimented a lot in those years and, little by little, I managed to combine our knitwear tradition with sartorial creations.
Lella Tonet busy working on a collection
Little by little, I managed to give a more harmonious shape to my thoughts, and they began to be appreciated even outside our wonderful Italy.
I decided that the collection would be named after my family, TONET, because, after all, it originates from the family and still finds its center in the family today. Forgetting about People, Nature, and Ethics strips fashion of all sentiment and, therefore, of all value.
Using pastel colors, which the gaze encounters in our landscape, and a sober and refined style, over the years we have ceaselessly sought stitches, finishes, and details to design the story of TONET, Our Story, creation after creation."