Recent Posts
10 menswear brands to know
This is a very personal list of menswear brands that I believe offer unalloyed authenticity and remarkable value. These are brands sharing a few common threads. They are not overexposed or over-retailed and have not grown unwisely for the sake of growth or pleasing investors. Nor have they expanded leaps and bounds overseas chasing the…
An American in Sicily – what I did after discovering Sicilian tailoring
“For me, clothing is more cultural. It’s about how these things came to be used, designed and created. I’m basically an anthropologist in the supply chain of menswear.” Quoted in Deni Bechard, “The Accidental Maven of Menswear”, Stanford Magazine (July 2019) I learned that this summer’s issue of Stanford Magazine has just been published, featuring
An afternoon with shirtmaker Freddy Vandecasteele
Last month I had the great pleasure of reconnecting with shirtmaker Freddy Vandecasteele who recently retired from a 40+ year career as a shirtmaker in Los Angeles. We met in Brussels where he is enjoying his retirement. When I was living in LA about a decade ago, Freddy made the bulk of my dress shirts
Sicilian tiemaker Silvio Fiorello
I first came across Silvio Fiorello at last year’s winter Mrket menswear trade show in NYC thanks to the deft introduction by Gigliola at the Italian Trade Agency. She introduced me to Gregory Colaco who was representing the brand at the show. I quickly learned from Gregory that Silvio Fiorello makes their neckwear in northeast
Sleevehead Forum x Sartoria Arrigo
Both Sicilian Reserve (SR) & Sleevehead’s Guide to Sicilian Tailors (SGST) are platforms to help connect Sicilian artisans to new customers. They make it possible for a Sicilian tailor or artisan organize a trunk show in your city. In particular, you can help artisans like Sartoria Arrigo visit your city by engaging with them in
Launching Sleevehead Patreon page
After some deliberation and planning, I have decided to create my own Patreon page for Sleevehead. The timing seems right to join a popular platform connecting creators and their supporters. Patreon is also one of the most effective platforms to directly support creators like myself. Conceptually, Patreon is quite similar to what I am doing