Earlier this season some of you may have noticed we shutdown for just over a week to visit some of our makers in Napoli. One of the highlights was of course KITON. A visit to this Mecca for tailored clothing is like nothing else. From the half a football field sized main tailor shop, to the shoemaking facility, the custom tailoring school, the private museum, to the... well we could go on and on. There simply isn't anything else like KITON's setup in terms of scale & quality.
One of the things you will notice in the main tailor shop, other than the size, is how quiet it is. You will hear people conversing & the iron's working. Outside of that, you won't be hearing one of the most common sounds in 99.99% of other tailor shops... sewing machines. Each master tailor (their are dozens here), equipped with his own personal sheers is hand cutting, drawing or sewing ready made or custom made garments here.
Handwork is the name of the game here.
Beyond the main tailoring facility lies a museum housing the late founder Ciro Paone's private collection of historic clothing: Many items from the Duke of Windsor's own wardrobe can be found here. Including a Naval Bridge coat, Scottish Kilt & a full tie & tails outfit. Just outside this building past the dog paddock is KITON 2, another building housing the handmade shoe division, leather dyeing, shirt makers, accessories division & KITON's own tailoring school- training the next generation of master tailors to continue on the legacy. It is inspiring & impressive to see the talent of such young tailors coming into the fold.
The next generation in training...
KITON welcomes any and all to visit & take in the full breath of their artistry. If you're every in Napoli or Amalfi, give us a shout & we will gladly set you up with a tour. Cheers!
Below is a SMALL sampling of exclusive KITON jacket cloth from their own mill in Biella Italy- Carlo Barbera. The fabrics for KITON garments cannot be purchased to be made by any other tailors. Almost all of these fabrics involve some cashmere & many are offered in 100% cashmere & vicuna.
Their motto helps to hold them to their own impeccably high standards- the best of the best, plus one.