Borrelli factory visit

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

Despite what the Savile Row press pieces may have you believe, I have yet to meet a tailor who is immaculately dressed when sewing or cutting. The majority I have met (whether in the US, UK or Italy) wear sweatshirts.

I've noticed it's often the cordwainers who are really casually dressed, and with rather bad shoes on.

 

[Soph]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I agree. I think this is the single best RTW jacket on the market as far as style and wearability go. Nobody matches it.

It's my favorite casual jacket.

 

[Homme]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

I've noticed it's often the cordwainers who are really casually dressed, and with rather bad shoes on.

Begs the question, would you have shoes made by someone who was shoddily shod ?

 

[bengal-stripe]

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

Despite what the Savile Row press pieces may have you believe, I have yet to meet a tailor who is immaculately dressed when sewing or cutting. The majority I have met (whether in the US, UK or Italy) wear sweatshirts.

There is a difference between "˜front of the house' and "˜back of the house'. If it is part of your job to have customer contact, then you dress up: after all, you want to present your merchandise/services in the best possible light. Just the same as a hairdresser or make-up artist. They have to be immaculately groomed.

The days when a tailoring house would have insisted, that someone, entirely out of the public's view, dresses in suit, tie and other regalia of respectability, are long gone.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

I've noticed it's often the cordwainers who are really casually dressed, and with rather bad shoes on.

Go to Edward Green. The management wears smart EG shoes, The workers wear whatever they like. I haven't seen a single pair of nice shoes EG shoes on the shop floor. (And you would think, they'd get EG shoes, pretty cheap.)

 

[pabloj]

Originally Posted by bengal-stripe

...
I haven't seen a single pair of nice shoes EG shoes on the shop floor. (And you would think, they'd get EG shoes, pretty cheap.)
I don't think they get the same paycheck of the average EG customer, the same for the Borrelli guys above.

 

[The False Prophet]

I'm just about to pick up my first "serious" piece of suiting, a Borrelli soft 3 button in French navy with reddish-bronze pinstripes, and if there was one thing that would heighten my excitement, its reading this excellent article.

One thing that's always puzzled me though: Borrelli use such fantastic materials for everything, but their suit buttons are decidedly mediocre, and actually look a bit plasticky. No matter, as I'll replace them, but it still seems strange!

 

[jposhea3]

The sad thing is that so much of this is really skilled labor, to some degree art, and it's being driven out in pursuit of high volume by so many firms that decide 'big is best'.

Notice that most of the folks in the shots had grey hair? Sourcing young people who want to go into tailoring is becoming an increasing challenge for the industry. Wonder how long it'll take to go the way of the dodo...

 

[academe]

Hopefully as long as there are people like us on SF there'll continue to good tailors out there. I know it's a lot less common in the US for consumers to by quality clothing, but I think the story is different in Europe and some of the more affluent Asian countries (e.g. Japan, Singapore, HK)... Consumers seem more ready to spend on a unique product.

 

[Ich_Dien]

Can't believe I just read this!

 

[Naka]



Can't believe I just read this!

+1

Excellent article. It's a shame some of the pictures are missing.