Borrelli Machine made?!?!?

[Soph]

I had someone involved in the tailoring trade (no names) tell me today that they were not impressed by Borrelli and that it was machine made for the most part. So I asked, so that stitching on the lapels and down the leg, you are telling me that is by machine, and they said with great confidence, "yes". Further, they claimed to have 'opened up' a Borrelli jacket and said they were not impressed the canvass and construction were all by machine. I didn't say anything but the fellow is quite a nice person but just to confirm-

So I call up L. Borrelli in New York, and they said that anyone is more than welcome to tour their facility at to witness first hand (pun intended) how they do it.

I thought except for some minor points like the zipper that
Borrelli’s suits are constructed almost entirely by hand, only the side seams on its jackets are sewn by machine.

Your thoughts?

Is there is an advantage in hand canvassing as I hear there is possibly is none?
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Also isn't Edmundo Marino, a previously Kiton head tailor(?), the one credited with creating Borrelli's silhouette? The manager at Borrelli said it comes very close to Attolini which they said they had recently purchased (took over) some of Attolini's facilities due to CA financial woes.

 

[kitonbrioni]

The North American Kiton guy (yes, the one with his own shop on W. 14th down from the Pie Shop) said the Borrelli only had visible hand-switching with the rest machine-switched.
http://whatareyouwearingtoday.blogspot.com/

 

[demeis]

I don't know if this is true of Borrelli (which i think is overrated), but as explained by the owner of Ravazzolo (which is a comparable brand) they only do things by hand that are important and make sense.

 

[Soph]

Originally Posted by kitonbrioni

The North American Kiton guy (yes, the one with his own shop on W. 14th down from the Pie Shop) said the Borrelli only had visible hand-switching with the rest machine-switched.
http://whatareyouwearingtoday.blogspot.com/

--That's funny. Considering Kiton does the virtually the same exact thing from a very knowledgeable source.

The question is are they doing it where it matters?

And is there "really" any solid evidence where they do use a machine if hand would be any better.

 

[TrojanGarb]

Speaking of Borrelli... is this the kind of stuff to expect out of it?

Need a pink borrelli jacket?

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by TrojanGarb

Speaking of Borrelli... is this the kind of stuff to expect out of it?

Need a pink borrelli jacket?

Thanks for bring this to my attention. I've never been intimidated by PINK as some have been. I have pink shirts, ties, pants, socks, etc. Maybe it's time for a jacket.

 

[Dragon]

I would assume that all of those brands (Kiton, Borrelli, Attolini, etc.) use machine in some parts...isn't that how they keep the prices lower for RTW?

 

[Soph]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

Thanks for bring this to my attention. I've never been intimidated by PINK as some have been. I have pink shirts, ties, pants, socks, etc. Maybe it's time for a jacket.

You put that with white pants and you got balls. It'll look amazingly sharp, but you gotta be secure in your manhood.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by Dragon

I would assume that all of those brands (Kiton, Borrelli, Attolini, etc.) use machine in some parts...isn't that how they keep the prices lower for RTW?

They use machines because machine work is actually better than hand for some work

Long seams are all done by machine.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by Soph

You put that with white pants and you got balls. It'll look amazingly sharp, but you gotta be secure in your manhood.

Well, today I wore a pale pink shirt with white pants. Does that count?

 

[Dragon]

They use machines because machine work is actually better than hand for some work Long seams are all done by machine

Maybe machine is better than hand for some work...I'm not really an expert so I wouldn't know.

But still...I would assume that the main reason for the companies from Napoli to use machine, would be to cut cost to make the suits affordable for the RTW market. Also it would be very difficult for them to supply the world of RTW buyers if they didn't use some machine.

Do they use machine for bespoke? My perception is that they don't...and I have heard that many top tier Napoli tailors don't even own sewing machines.

 

[Teacher]

To hand sew every seam would be prohibitively expensive and needless, and yes, even disadvantageous. Ask bespoke shirtmakers (calling Alex!), who pretty much always do side seams (among others) by machine.

Some time ago, there was a thread in which a completely hand sewn suit was detailed. The cost -- in wool -- was far into the tens of thousands.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by Dragon

Do they use machine for bespoke? My perception is that they don't...and I have heard that many top tier Napoli tailors don't even own sewing machines.

Bespoke does not speak(

) to the amount of handwork involved in the creation of a garment. It describes the process used to fit the customer. A bespoke garment could be entirely machine made and still be bespoke. Incidentally, a RTW Oxxford will have as much, even more, handwork than SR bespoke.

Please tell more of these Neapolitan tailors.