SOFFIO DI COMO SCARVES GO BEYOND FASHION INTO WEARABLE ART
By: Hillary LeBlanc
Art inspiration takes many forms. People are inspired by people, items, cultural movement and even locations. For some the beauty of a place, a landscape, the way people live. The brand Soffio Di Como is built on sharing the beauty of Como with the world through their designs.
Founder Ben Kajar started living in Italy in 2016. He started exploring his own fashion brand and was inspired by the city of Como, the capital of silk in Europe. Fashion has always had an important place in his family. His family has always appreciated dressing well, elegance, and the way personal style can express character and confidence. Creating a fashion brand did not feel like entering a completely new world; it felt connected to something familiar, something he had grown up around and absorbed over time. Logically, he felt making silk scarves would be ideal given the location and the love of silk. Kajar started educating himself on manufacturing this product, visiting factories and meeting manufacturers on site. Eventually he connected with someone who could bring his vision to life through both design and creation while Kajar passionately worked on brand and product development.
Credit: @nsbkim
Kajar knew he wanted the Como landscape to be the integral design for the scarves. Kajar hired a lead designer to craft the current scarf version that looks like a postcard of Como. “There were several hours of creative process behind each version created. Each scarf is connected to nature, atmosphere and the ambiance of the area of Como.” The scarf is a drawing style image of the mountains - with tuscan-style houses all along the mountain, Lake Como and a serene landscape with people walking by this water area where there are cafe-style seating, trees, planters and trees.The scarf shows a slow-pace life in Italy, a picture of the scene of life there, transformed into a wearable luxury item, like a scarf waving in the breeze on a woman on the back on a Vespa.
For Kajar, scarves felt like the most natural starting point for Soffio Di Como because silk scarves are deeply connected to the Como region. “Como has a long history of silk production, printing, and craftsmanship, so the scarf is not just an accessory; it is almost a cultural product of the area. I wanted the brand to begin with something that genuinely belongs to that heritage.” What also attracted him to scarves is their versatility. A scarf can be worn in many ways: around the neck, over the shoulders, as a headscarf, as a top, as a belt, or even styled as part of a dress or skirt. He shares that It gives the wearer freedom to interpret the piece in her own way which is what makes it feel like a luxurious accessory to the founder . It is not only about the material itself, but about how much personality, movement, and creativity a simple piece of fabric can carry.
For Kajar, the pillars of his company are extremely important. The brand is inclusive, working to expand their sustainability efforts and has an appreciation for femininity. The brand works with sustainable factories with specific certifications to produce their scarves. In terms of women and empowerment, Kajar sees the scarf as a very personal object. It can be elegant, modest, expressive, artistic, or bold, depending on how it is worn and does not force one fixed image of femininity. The Soffio Di Como scarves allow each woman to decide how she wants to present herself. That sense of choice and self-expression is very important to the brand according to Kajar.
Credit: @jimorgillphotography
The color palette was inspired by Lake Como and the surrounding landscape. The teal and light blue tones reflect the lake, the sky, and the freshness of the region. The deep navy gives the brand depth and sophistication. The natural green connects to the mountains, gardens, and landscape around the lake. The ochre/terracotta tone is inspired by the rooftops, historic villas, and warm architectural details of the area. Together, the colours are meant to feel elegant, feminine, natural, and rooted in Como without being too literal.
Soffio Di Como is currently available in Italy and will soon be expanding as Kajar and his team want to share this piece of luxurious wearable art with the world.