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Our Suppliers

Trip to Naples

How is our handmade products crafted? That’s the question we asked ourselves when we jumped on an early morning flight to Naples in late February to visit some of our suppliers.

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What is Neapolitan tailoring?

Before we start, let us explain the Neapolitan way of tailoring. The heritage of Neapolitan

tailoring dates back to 1351, but let’s make a jump to the 1930s; a time when Neapolitan tailoring was mostly of heavy, padded English ancestry. Then Vincenzo Attolini, the former cutter at Rubinacci, decided to remove the jackets’ shoulder pads and heavy inner lining to create a product that was light, airy, and suitable for the warmer climate of the area. The jackets were lightweight and could be folded as many times as a sheet of paper with the feel and comfort of a shirt. This was the birth of “Sartoria di Napoli”.

 

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Massimiliano Attolini, the son of Cesare

Part 1 – Cesare Attolini

Early in the morning, we were picked up by our driver and went to the new factory of the

legendary brand Cesare Attolini. Stepping into the glass-covered building, we were greeted

by Massimiliano Attolini, the son of Cesare, and led into an office on the second floor to overview the whole production.

Back in the atelier, we got to witness how an Attolini-garment is crafted the old Neapolitan way, from the blueprint invented by Cesare himself.

This factory houses around 100 skilled artisans that produce 40 pieces a day, from suits to coats and shirts, all by hand. The line of production starts in the pattern room where every single pattern is kept, from ready-to-wear to the unique patterns of a measured customer. The fabric is chosen from the archive – storage spanning over two floors with different fabrics from the best weavers around the world. In this room we lost Bob; he was nowhere to be found until we got to where the Vicuña, the world’s most exclusive fabric, is kept. The Joaquin-Phoenix-in-Joker-smile on his face could not be mistaken.

 

Back in the atelier, we got to witness how an Attolini-garment is crafted the old Neapolitan way, from the blueprint invented by Cesare himself. Not to exaggerate, it is done with brilliant perfection and needle-sized precision – pun intended. The manual skills of the tailors are tested when tacking the collar and armholes. The part we were most eager to watch? The cutting of the buttonholes. Finally, we thought, we were going to witness some hardcore action but of course, we were disappointed since these were made in such a delicate way.

 

We really encourage you to view and feel all these small details made by hand next time you visit Gabucci.

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Simone Finamore

Part 2 – Finamore

Upon entering the factory of Finamore we were invited to sit down and have a familiar lunch with the brothers, Simone and Andrea Finamore, and some of their employees. We were told that they recently moved to this larger factory and now have 60 artisans divided over two floors.

 

On the second floor – where the shirts are cut – the collar, sleeves, and buttonholes are attached and made by hand. On the first floor, they keep the laundry room for their garment-washed products and this is also where the final finishing is made, such as the significant “Zampa di Gallina” or crowfoot stitched buttons are fastened, all by hand.

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Maurizio Marinella

Part 3 - E. Marinella

One of the best makers of ties in the world, with a history that stretches back over a century, is E. Marinella. When first stepping into the store at Riviera di Chiaia in Naples, you get surprised by the number of customers browsing through some of the hundreds and hundreds of ties. When we had been watching the excitement in the shop for a while, the owner of Marinella, Maurizio, saw Bob and cracked a big smile.

 

Since we had not booked a meeting, we asked tentatively if it was possible to have a small tour and if it was possible to later visit the factory. When asking, we did not realize that the very same building houses the complete production with their fifteen tie makers. We got guided to what they call “Il Labratorio” – the laboratory where we got an in-depth view of how making a tie the sartorial way is done.

worn by politicians and style icons such as Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and the late Gianni Agnelli.

Every tie is cut from different patterns depending on the style – no different to a jacket – and then gently sewn together by hand. Thereafter, if it is not a multiple folded tie, they sew a light wool lining into the tie for structure. Every tie takes approximately 45 minutes to make and each day they produce around 150 ties; some of which get worn by politicians and style icons such as Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, and the late Gianni Agnelli. If the delicate craftsmanship would not enough, the Italian silk is printed in England by the Adamley mill in Cheshire, all by hand of course.