It will come as no surprise that England, France or Italy, the world’s fashion capitals, are the countries that own many of the oldest famous tailors. However, in recent years, Asia is also developing very strongly to become a new destination for lovers of permanent style.
Savile Row, the cradle of suit
When talking about bespoke suits, it is impossible not to mention Savile Row of London, England, which is considered a paradise of handmade suits with the oldest and highest-end fashion stores.
Savile Row is the street of origin of bespoke tailoring. The street, famous for the elite, mysterious and brilliant, is where the highest quality and most unique suits for a gentleman are produced.
In terms of style, suits from Savile Row tailors naturally have all the most typical features of traditional British style: strong lines, structured shoulders with thick shoulder pads.
Typical tailors: Anderson & Sheppard, Edward Sexton.
Italian generosity
Italians are famous for their flamboyance, and Italian fashion style is therefore much more free-spirited than the British. However, in terms of Italian suits style, this country can be divided into two distinct parts: the North and the South.
The North, Milan and Rome are major fashion capitals, of course they also have extremely high quality tailors. However, the suit style of this region is quite close to the British suit, with strong curves at the waist, chest and hips, and structured shoulders.
The South, or specifically Naples, goes in a completely different direction, largely because of the region’s year-round hot climate. They even gave birth to a new, extremely unique suit style, called the Neapolitan suit, with creative and uplifting details like Spalla Camicia, La Pignata or Barchetta…
Learn more about Neapolitan suit style HERE.
In addition, Florence, although located near the North, has a fairly gentle style similar to Naples. Florence-style suits (or Florentine cut) also have unique characteristics that are not confused with other localities, such as no front darts, wider shoulders, open quarter…
Typical tailors: Rubinacci, Cesare Attolini, Sartoria Dalcuore, Salvatore Ambrosi (specializes in making pants) (Naples), Musella Dembech (Milan), Liverano & Liverano, Sartoria Vestrucci (Florence), Cifonelli (Rome).
Asia’s astonishing rise
Asia, surprisingly, is developing very strongly in suit tailoring techniques. Inherently meticulous, industrious and with cheaper labor than the West, Asia is becoming a fresh and exciting destination for connoisseurs of classic clothing.
Here, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong are pioneering countries with product quality that is no less than (even more sophisticated in terms of craftsmanship) than Europe. In addition, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are also making great progress thanks to their focus on investing in tailoring techniques as well as significantly more accessible prices compared to the world.
