Tailoring Tradition in Sicily

Dedication and passion combined with elegance and style are the calling card of Italian tailoring, which uses only high-quality natural fibres and keeps up with the times, without neglecting details, to uphold the name of Italian textile craftsmanship. Italian tailoring is famous worldwide for quality and refinement. Patience, elegance, attention to the choice of materials and detail are just some of the ingredients of Italian tailoring.

The Sicilian tailoring tradition has a long history of admiration and appreciation throughout the world. From the suit to the shirt in Palermo, dressing to measure is an integral part of a lifestyle that harmonises with the beauty of a city that stuns. The Sicilian craftsman, drawing inspiration and lifeblood from the land bathed by the blue sea, makes the stylistic model of the Sicilian gentleman's suit unique. It was the period of the Belle Epoque and Sicily, and Palermo in particular, was at the centre of fervent commercial patronage accompanied by many cultural initiatives that attracted aristocrats and bourgeoisie to the island from America and Europe, but especially from England. The style of Sicilian tailoring was thus strongly influenced by English dressmaking but retained a greater softness and fluidity of line. Listening to the requests of Sicilian gentlemen who wanted their own style, the Sicilian tailoring school managed to blend the severe English style with the lightness of Mediterranean tailoring. The outerwear that characterises the elegance of the Sicilian man was born in this period: the waist is marked by the high hip, the shoulder follows the natural line of the waist up to the humerus area, creating a concave profile towards the top and, to guarantee flexibility and freedom of movement of the arms, the sleeve is sewn in the "shirt" style with a round "trumpet". The result is a new, harmonious garment that pays great attention to detail: high-quality fabrics and textiles, perfectly fitting trousers. Even today, the Sicilian jacket, which has skillfully blended the English and Mediterranean schools of sartorial thought, continues to evolve, always guaranteeing elegance and the dynamic style of the modern man.

Originally, the tailor was a craftsman who patched clothes, in fact sartoe derives from sarcire, or to restore, then it took on a deeper meaning, becoming Italian tailoring one of the craftsmen who have made Italy great in the world. The art of tailoring has been handed down from generation to generation, from north to south, and is still alive in the small and large craft workshops, more or less famous, scattered throughout the country, where the best Italian-made clothes are made with passion, achieving international recognition and success. Scissors, needle, chalks and tape measure are the indispensable tools of today's tailor just like yesterday's. Uniqueness and quality, knowledge of the client and the time needed to bring to light a dress that with every single detail is a demonstration of the attention and dedication of the craftsman who spares no effort in sparing his knowledge and who also sews the dress to the client's personality, a silent and profound relationship that unites souls. Today, entering a tailor's shop means being "pampered" in the choice of the right garment, from taking measurements to the final production, knowing that you are not renouncing quality and refinement. The dedication and care of Italian tailors give life to unique clothes, chosen by men all over the world, because they guarantee tradition and innovation. 

Now we are going to tell you the story of Sartoria Italiano. The art of Italian tailoring from father to son is what happened in Palermo with master and knight of labour Luigi Italiano and his son Claudio. Both have always dedicated themselves to the art of cutting and sewing. At the basis of each of their 'works' are top quality fabrics. Each suit has its own story that is strongly linked to the person who will wear it. The classic blends with the modern, the traditional knows how to dare is what the craftsmen Luigi and Claudio do for their customers who from the Italian island are now throughout the peninsula, but also overseas. Luigi Italiano trained at Sartotecnica in Milan under master Dante Severi, obtaining a diploma as a tailor cutter, and then returned to his home town where, in the 1960s, he opened a tailor's shop with a colleague, which would become a meeting place for his son Claudio after school. Claudio grew up with scissors and chalks and was increasingly fascinated by fabrics and the art his father had in his hands, so he dedicated himself to tailoring with passion and perseverance, and did an internship at the tailoring workshop of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. He then moved to Rome to attend the European Chamber of Haute Couture, chaired by master Luigi Gallo. He came into contact with prestigious textile artists, but then returned to Palermo and with his father, his life master, he opened the Sartoria Italiano's shop in 2014 and in 2017 he was awarded as the youngest artisan in Italy.