Half a century ago, Loretta Caponi started her first embroidery shop, offering bespoke services to high-profile clients in Florence – and last year, the family-owned brand finally launched its first retail collection worldwide.

Elegant Florence-based embroidery brand Loretta Caponi got its start in 1967 when its eponymous founder, who had been honing her embroidery skills since the age of nine, opened her first shop on Borgo Ognissanti, a road named for the baroque-style Ognissanti church.

Loretta, who died in 2015 at the age of 91, was a staple of the high-society scene in Florence. As her brand's renown grew wider, bespoke services began to extend to an overseas clientele, from royal families including the House of Windsor and the House of Orange-Nassau to celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Madonna and George Clooney.