The Antonio Ratti Foundation was founded in 1985 with the aim of making an active contribution to the world of culture in its various forms, starting from Antonio Ratti's personal passion for art and textiles.

In the 1950's Antonio Ratti began collecting antique textiles, purchasing individual specimens, discontinued stocks from companies or entire collections to enrich his private collection. This passion for textiles continued for an impressive forty years, leading to the 1998 opening of a museum that houses his precious collection: more than 3300 artefacts and more than 2,500 sample books are preserved in the Textile Studio Museum, which is located inside the foundation's headquarters, in Villa Sucota, on the shores of the beautiful Lake Como.

Along with its breathtaking location and in addition to MuST, the Ratti Foundation also has a well-stocked library specialised in the textile industry and contemporary art, established as a study and research tool for the Foundation's staff, which has been open to the public since 2010 with a loan service. The library, with its considerably large, modern and continuously growing collection, also houses antique volumes devoted to textiles and fashion.

The Antonio Ratti Foundation is currently chaired by Annie Ratti and directed by Marco De Michelis, who pursue the founder's will in the promotion of initiatives, studies, artistic, cultural and technological research related to both the textile industry and the field of contemporary art. The foundation investigates the past as well as current Italian and foreign trends, also in collaboration with other institutions.