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 …
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 …
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 …
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 »
In my article “7 rules on becoming a better bespoke customer” I included a quote from menswear author Bruce Boyer on what you should look for in a tailor. If you have any passing familiarity with his writing, it should be abundantly clear that he has far more to share on the topic. I am …
In 2017, I discovered a tailoring circle in the small southern Sicilian town of Ragusa. My trip was initially prompted by coming across the name of Giuseppe Schembari. His signature appeared on a certificate for the jury-reviewed Forbici d’Oro selection for Sicily in 1986. This certificate was hanging in the workshop of Giovanni Cinturrino, a …
Sicilian tailoring in Ragusa – a sartorial gem worth keeping Read More »
I had the pleasure of meeting with Erik Mucska this weekend in the lovely city of Prague. Erik handles sales, marketing and customer service while his brother and father oversee the tailoring part of Slovak tailor Maximilian Mucska. I originally visited the Bratislava shop in 2016 and remain impressed with their ability to construct both …
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