Sicilian Tailoring

[uppercase]

I’m already in enough trouble with the Neapolitans but could not resist looking up this Sicilian tailoring house - Sartoria Crimi -mentioned by Akamine as one of his favorites. And there’s a picture of him in the photo gallery as well.

“Sober and Natural” in house style.

What do you think??

Anyone interested in pushing further south?

http://www.sartoriacrimi.com/chi-siamo

http://www.sartoriacrimi.com/wp-content ... eman_2.jpg

[uppercase]

From Sartoria Crimi:

May 25, 2016 post:


“CRAFT 2.0: ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Not just historical memory. Today, craftsmanship is increasingly a very important resource for the future. What we are able to achieve through our tailoring makes us more and more aware of how craftsmanship can offer ever new and prosperous prospects.

The history of our tailoring tells the story of a trade whose secrets are jealously guarded and handed down from generation to generation to those who are willing with sacrifice and passion to "get their hands dirty", recovering ancient knowledge.

Craftsman work is a form of work in which body and mind work tirelessly in order to achieve a goal, in order to effectively realize what until a few moments before had only been imagined, what until a few seconds ago was only a product Of the mind.

The hand of the craftsman is never guided by automatism. Through each gesture the tailor-craftsman conveys his thoughts, his baggage of ancient knowledge, the experience of years of work and the passion for his work.

The shop world is never a stale universe. It always feeds on new stimuli, new influences, and today, while keeping its artisan soul and its link with tradition intact, the shops relive in a new vision that also opens up to new technologies and high tech.

Recovering the past by updating it has always been one of the objectives of the greatest artisans and it is in this direction that we too, through our tailoring, have decided to move.

Our work must never be a memory of the past, but must live its time and must interpret it by always returning that uniqueness and originality that is the result of a craft work in step with the times.
That of the shop is a conscious and counter-tendency choice made by those who want to redesign a career path focused on the value of quality and time, ingredients that are inevitable in any craft business.

A production that qualitatively returns a unique, original and irreproducible product, in which every detail is taken care of and built on the actual needs of those who commissioned the product.

Far from the logic of industrial approval, the craft process puts man and his uniqueness at the center. A vision that can be well reconciled with new technologies that do not replace human thought but are used and modeled according to the latter's needs.”

[old henry]

In what way do we keep the artisan soul but open up to new technologies ? I may agree with you. But I am not sure of your meaning and need an example.
And also the technologies that will not replace human thought ? It's vague. I would just like an example.
How do the old shops open up to high tech ? My mind is open.

[uppercase]

Hi OH - that was a post on the Sartoria Crimi website - not from me.

I also didn’t get what they were referring to when talking about new technology; its not clear.

But anyway, when you have a chance, take a look at their photo gallery, particularly their DB suits; lots of photos there. They look pretty good to me even though their sitting on a mannequin.

[alden]

I just love the Italians....translation: "We don't have anyone who knows how to do it anymore, anyone who knows how to cut or sew. Our last coatmaker passed away. We tried to get him to stop smoking. And my wife can't sew another buttonhole. Arthritis. Haven't found a trouser maker on the island anywhere. Yikes, we need technology....FAST. That's it Carmelo, we need to modernize, we need technology! (Do you think they will fall for it? Hell no. But its worth a try.)"

They are a riot...in more ways than one...a real barrel of monkeys



Palermo used to be a benchmade tailoring mecca, but now the Palermitani clients are in search of tailors all over the island...because there are none around town. All the tailors on the island are desperate for help. Some have tried to recruit from Eastern Europe to no avail. We are at the very end....

[old henry]

Oh, uppercase, I thought it was you and I wanted to be respectful. I was also surprised that you would write such tripe. All makes sense now. My apologies. What they are doing is justifying MTM. That's all. All makes sense now. And,as Michael reminds me, my old pant maker is not well.

[old henry]

Now it is myself guilty of not reading.

[alden]

UC

It makes me laugh especially given the pushback on the LL about little one man tailor shops. These guys don't want to be one man tailor shops. They would love to have some trained, competent help. Its bloody lonely and they are overworked to keep pace. I know guys working seven days a week, all day and sometimes into the night. There is no one to help them. No one, not a soul.

Its too late UC. You were there at the right time, at the last few glimmering moments. You should have stocked your closet with treasure. OK Hindsight is 20-20. But I told you!!!

Cheers

[uppercase]

You know, every time when I think that I have discovered something new, a new source, a new inspiration, a new sartorial trip, along comes Alden and bursts my bubble with his particular brand of reality.

I was already planning in my head my trip to Palermo, fantasizing about fried patella and a tasty cannoli, while waiting for a fabulous Crimi DB to be delivered at the end of the week...and then Alden pops up.

It’s OK, I have had these recurring dreams before, most turning into mini dramas and minor disappointments, but soon forgotten, back to reality, but then... off we go again. You really can’t warn a fool for this kind of stuff: let him find his own way in the jungle.

And don’t blame me, I’m only a sartorial tourist (this phrase also coming from the Crimi site; I think they’ve already got my number !)

Anyway, Now to be fair and accurate, Alden has not given Sartoria Crimi the thumbsdown; No, he was only commenting on that little article in Italian translated into English (thanks Google!) which I guess is justifying industrializing the bespoke craft....not enough tailors/makers so sartoria in Sicily trying to recruit East European tailors. Fair enough.

OK, the Sicilians don’t want to sew anymore and the Sicilian sartoria are overworked and need to import labor.

Now, I can’t get into that level of detail - my brain is blocked up and anyway I am not sufficiently discerning to distinguish a Sicilian hand from a Cypriot or Bratislavan

I just want to know how these guys - this Sartoria Crimi -make such damn beautiful suits??

Akamine recommends 3 tailors - Crimi (Sicily), Liverano (Florence) and Caraceni (Milano); I assume he means A.Caraceni?; don’t know.

Now Akamine is a damn fine dresser and his suits are impeccable.
There must be something there to find in Sartoria Crimi....right?

Yes, I missed the boat in Florence, I know. That was a great trip; one of the best. Bugelli introduced me to Loris Vestrucci, and a custom tie maker whose name I forget, and a customer jewelry maker making exquisite one-off cuff links, and rings also if you wanted one, actually he would make you anything you could dream of. And then there was Bemer, and Ugolini, and all sorts of other makers then; I couldn’t even begin to scratch the surface in Florence. And it wasn’t that long ago....what, maybe 10 years? Can’t remember.

But can’t I jump on board another boat. Just for the trip?

[alden]

UC

Bite the bullet and go see Liverano. He is the real deal. Antonio is a Master.

1 suit..OK.....1



Cheers