This is the second in a series of interviews with the Sicilian tailors who participated in the 2020 Trofeo Arbiter tailoring competition in Milan. They were the largest representative body to represent Sicilian tailoring in at least 20 years. This interview is with Claudio Italiano of Sartoria Italiano based in Palermo. The pandemic interrupted our …
How would you achieve an artisanal longevity measured in centuries or even millennia? I found the answer to this question in an excellent New York Times article on the remarkable phenomenon of centuries-old heritage businesses in Japan. Now you might be asking what does Ichiwa – a 1,200 year old mochi shop in Kyoto – …
Artisanal longevity, or how to sustain an artisanal business for the long haul Read More »
2020 has been a challenging year for the world of tailoring and tailored clothing. The pandemic has certainly seized the headlines this year but there have been bright spots in tailoring – Sicilian tailoring in particular. Most notably, Sicilian tailor Giuseppe (Pippo) Arrigo joined a group of his peers and participated in the relaunched Trofeo …
The age of globalization has been an enviable growth engine for the luxury industry spearheaded by Western luxury giants like LVMH, Richemont and Kering. The last 20 years have been a story of steady growth with low risk and few obstacles to global expansion. But what are luxury’s prospects in the face of a shifting …
The geopolitics of luxury and end of low-risk globalization Read More »
Beyond the public health impact, the current pandemic has also disrupted the global economy at all levels from ordinary citizens to the world’s largest companies. But it has become clear that some of the hardest hit economically are small businesses, especially craft-related ones. For me, a key question is how to support craft in this coronavirus …
An essential part of what I do is traveling, specifically flying. I fly domestically in the US to meet customers for Sicilian Reserve and abroad to Sicily to meet with artisans whom I write about on Sleevehead. Now the question of course is whether one can fly safely in the absence of a vaccine. My …
I enjoyed reading this excellent New York Times piece summarizing the current state of Panama hats, which, contrary to its name, originates in Ecuador. The finest versions of this classic hat are made near the town of Montecristi. Traditional weaving of Panama hats involves no machines – just hands, eyes and enormous focus. The author …
I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that Stanford Magazine’s article on my work in Sicilian tailoring has just won an award for feature writing – the 2020 Circle of Excellence Award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Congratulations to the editorial and creative team of Kathy Zonana, Deni Bechard, Timothy Archibald …
Stanford Magazine award for article on Sleevehead Read More »
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