I had the pleasure of interviewing Signore Palmisciano in April 2018. Despite numerous informal chats over the years, this was actually the first time I sat down and recorded a video interview with a Sicilian tailor. In SGST, I make it pretty clear that all the Sicilian tailors in my book deserve serious consideration but I also point out a handful of artisans for special recommendation. Palmisciano is one of them. Although I see him every time I visit Sicily, I still learned something new about his training and background in our most recent conversation.
Unlike many of his peers, Palmisciano is not a disciple of a single, well-known Sicilian tailor or other sartoria in Rome, Milan or Florence. Instead, he is an unusual example of a sartorial autodidact. This means, like fellow Sicilian and Catanese tailor Scavone, he is essentially self-taught. Rather than following a single cutting system or “master tailor”, Palmisciano embodies sartorial adaptiveness and hybridity – even a kind of restlessness in his formative years.
Practically speaking, this means observing and working with a multiplicity of teachers as he explains below in my ten minute interview with him.
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How does one join the Sleevehead community ?
Good question! I am very close to launching the Sleevehead community and discussion forum. The estimated launch window is within the next 2 weeks.
When it launches, you can join by buying a copy of my book Sleevehead’s Guide to Sicilian Tailors (SGST) or separately purchasing membership.