Fabriano, which was acquired by Fedrigoni in 2002, already has stores in Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Spain, Turkey and the USA.

Its first UK store, at 21 Neal Street, London, opened on 6 December and offers a range of luxury stationery and leather goods, including Fabriano's new FAB Leather line.

Fabriano launched its first Italian retail boutique in 2000, drawing on the heritage of the Fabriano paper mills that were established in 1264.

Chiara Medioli, marketing director for Fabriano, said: "For years the English market has shown particular attention to products of Fabriano quality.

"That is one of the reasons why, besides the satisfaction to have our own space in one of the world’s most wonderful capital cities, we are happy to bring our ‘Made in Italy’ to London."