Let me introduce Giulia Polli who, together with Silvia, represents the fourth generation of the family. The same family has “held the reigns” of the great Manifattura di Domodossola for over a hundred years.

The Domodossola factory, established shortly before the two wars, specialises in the art of weaving, a process useful for supplying ships and armies with cables and ropes. Immediately after, understanding the value and unique aspect of this technique, the Polli family began to imagine the various and new uses that weaving could have and thus the idea to produce belts, rucksacks, bags, dog leashes, etc. Accessories different from what had been seen up to that point, not only from an aesthetic point of view but also from a functional point of view: more comfortable and flexible belts or stronger bags, made from weaving leather and copper, for example.

Today Athison is a special brand like the weaves that characterise each item made. Cotton, wool, viscose and leather yarns, copper and cork threads that create sturdy, durable fabrics with an unmistakable style. Timeless accessories that do not follow trends but only Italian good taste. Those who choose an Athison bag do not buy the brand but the quality: Athison is destined to arrive in the hands of those who recognise the value of an art, that of the weaving that has taken the company to the top. High quality raw materials and natural processes that respect the environment and people, those involved in production processes and those who buy and wear the accessories. Within the huge Factory, the industrial innovation of looms and a young female leadership are intertwined with the history and natural tanning methods, already used by the Egyptians, for dyeing leather using vegetable tannins. The result is a refined Made In Italy accessory that combines Italian savoir faire with modern style.

Twenty-five steps, the same ones back from the Bourbon period in Italy in the South that witnessed the birth and succession of a large number of artisans. Omega is the name of the family business that Alberto today, a 5th generation maître guantier, runs with passion and with all the experience developed as a child alongside his father Mauro.

The oldest glove shop in Naples still produces “leather hands” today with the best raw materials available, such as strong lambskin and cashmere for the comfortable inner linings. The works, carried out with the fascinating Singers of the past and by the skilled ladies of the district, are true works of genius.

Proud of keeping a part of a Neapolitan tradition in their hands, the Squillace family design items without trying too hard in seeking a nod from the fashion industry. Those who choose to wear Omega already have their own style, certainly elegant and refined. The quality of the materials used and the work done in an Omega glove are first perceived with the eyes, where you cannot help but observe the details, then with the nose with that unmistakable smell of leather, and then with the hands, when you touch the softness and warmth of the selected fabrics with your fingers.

SEE THE WHOLE COLLECTION

The Melillo family has assimilated the codes of the Italian style from an early age and used them to create refined and timeless collections, aimed at the elegant man who wants to feel special during a ceremony or in his spare time, at work or on the road and, at the same time, at both young and older men, because authentic style has no age.

Melillo 1970 skilfully shapes the fine fabrics carefully selected from companies adhering to the Made in Italy brand because it is the raw materials, together with skilled hands, that guarantee the success of a garment.

Classic jackets, men’s suits and coats are the Melillo products. Micro patterns or checks, pure virgin wool in classic colours ranging from different shades of blue to intense greys, including the colours that, varying each year, interpret the trends of Italian men’s fashion.

Over the years, the Melillo tailoring centre has researched and invested in modern sewing methods that allow the company to create a greater number of garments in less time, namely cutting-edge tools supervised by the master’s gaze and touch. The new Melillo sewing systems have combined the value of hands with the precision of the machinery, without ever having a negative impact on the product.

The production chain of the Melillo 1970 Brand starts by listening and interpreting needs: creating a garment that conforms to the individual’s physical and aesthetic needs is what the company intends to continue doing to make its customers happy.

2020 will see the company engaged in the production of new collections for lovers of the classic jacket for all seasons. What will not be missing in the new proposal? Classic blue, of course. The colour of the year will characterise Melillo garments: an iridescent blue in typical Solaro garments, houndstooth in coats and navy blue for single-breasted jackets.

Maestro Melillo explains his art with simplicity and the importance of the Campania tradition, the “flagship” of Italian craftsmanship, with devotion.

Every year Alpo offers collections for men and women that reflect trends starting from colours and materials and enters the international fashion scene at the same time. In a process of exchange Alpo is inspired by and interprets the major players and, in turn, they are attracted to Alpo thanks to the knowledge of processing it holds. Simple and linear leather gloves or elaborate, elegant and refined gloves for ceremonies and festive occasions, with fur inserts or buttons; gloves designed and manufactured to perform various functions; gloves for young customers or adults…gloves for all hands created to be comfortable and beautiful. 

The Bourbon Naples preserved in the district of Totò resists and lives on in the taste and culture of the glove craftsmen like the Portolano. ALPO gloves embellish hands all over the world, spreading style and refinement for centuries. The Milanese atmosphere has amplified the sound of Made in Italy craftsmanship making it palpable, greatly admired abroad and by fellow countrymen who do not intend to renounce “Italian” elegance.The words of Giorgio Portolano, a young descendant of the artisan family, show the passion for a profession that has become more and more obsolete and remained in the hands of only a few Italians. And not only that, Giorgio also gives us a glimpse of confidence, certainly generated by the awareness of producing, as in the past, very high quality gloves.

Massimo Corrado, artisan maker of trousers from Campania, is a witness of the High Fashion of the 1900s. Born and raised in the family fashion house in Orta di Atella near Naples, he has consumed that productive atmosphere since childhood, absorbing the inspiration and creativity that, in the laboratory, gave life to garments of the highest quality and of unmistakably Italian style. After years of experimentation and working far away from the magnificent Gulf, in 2010 Corrado supported his need for tradition. To go home and make men’s trousers “like in the old days”.

His congenital knowledge of noble art, enriched by his experiences in other places, inspired him to create trousers from the past yet for a contemporary client. Pins and a high waist enshrine a retro style and a classic fit that people just like more and more. “I’m inspired by Cary Grant and the elegance of 1950s Hollywood cinema,” says Corrado. His boss’s strong point is the story he tells. Trousers designed and made to dress the modern man, attentive to the quality of the fabrics and that do not renounce comfort, while wearing classy clothes. And what is elegance without nonchalance? The V opening on the belt, the elasticity of the chain stitch and the containing band of his high-waisted trousers are devices applied by the designer to ensure comfort and sophistication even during working hours. A sensitive connoisseur of the trends that cyclically follow one another in terms of fashion, Corrado focuses on the timeless classic style, that eternal desire to feel elegant every day, even on the metro. 

To support change and not to undergo it, while remaining devoted to a cultural heritage, that is the real revolution. Corrado does this every day, in the shadow of Vesuvius, in a place where there is no need to explain beauty because it is in everything, in the faces and alleys of a “tailor-made” Southern Italy.

Founded in the 1950s with Angelo’s grandmother and father, today Sartoria is the third generation of artisans thanks to scrupulous work transmitting the values and know-how within, between members of the family. Sewing tailor-made clothes is a gift, and the Inglese family has learned to treasure it: it means understanding and interpreting each person’s need for Beauty and producing a customised creation with their own hands. From his grandmother, Angelo inherited his love for shirts: Giovanni’s mother made works of art. Today, with the method and rigour of the past, while leaving room for textile experiments and unconventional combinations, Angelo creates shirts and outfits with surprising aplomb. An attitude to innovation that crosses the eye of tradition.

Striped and checked fabrics are also reinterpreted, as is denim: a fabric with poor and proletarian origins that, skilfully cut by hand and sewn, becomes the raw material for a garment of quality and extremely high aesthetic value. A rigid fabric, difficult to work with—but not for the Inglese artisans’ hands. The real Made in Italy is preserved in artisan workshops like Sartoria G. Inglese, and Angelo, aware of his good fortune, has become a spokesperson. In the same way that an ambassador represents their nation abroad, the designer describes the elegance and quality of the Italian product beyond borders.

A story so fascinating that it has become a cultural attraction for its Tarantine city of origin. The atelier, theatre of authentic Italian craftsmanship, has become a reference, a niche destination chosen by Puglia for a new tailoring tourism. Getting to know the tailor’s ancient craft means sensing the smells of fabrics and steam from the iron, hearing the noises of the scissors and the mechanical hiss of the pedal-powered Singer; a sensory experience that immerses the visitor in a dimension. An experience in which the search for detail is the value that makes the difference, and which Angelo Inglese spoke to us about. 

Near Florence’s Fortezza da Basso during Pitti Uomo 2020, one could have expected a bit of, well, everything. Long traditional outerwear, such as Prince of Wales coats, match with tailored cotton trousers and a tie in the same colour. Short and double-breasted versions as well. Timeless navy blue coats, combined with a neutral and versatile wool jacket and trousers. Modern dandies inspired by sophisticated patterns, ever synonymous with high-class men, such as the single or double-breasted pied de poule in outerwear. Timeless shirts like a blue one are a must-have in reinterpreting and reviving fanciful silk ties.

Here are our favorite shots of the best street styles spotted at Pitti Uomo 2020.

Photography Christian Erra for Barròco.