SARTORIA VERGALLO: THE BESPOKE TOUR IN LONDON

We met up with tailor Gianni Cleopazzo, the owner of Sartoria Vergallo, one morning at the beginning of March. He comes across as both passionate and modest. Here, in his own words, he tells us the story of a business built through perseverance and dedication.

“Sartoria Vergallo was founded in the 1980s, when my father moved from Puglia to Varese to open his first tailor’s shop. It was a small store where he and my mother worked together. In the mid-80s my father passed away unexpectedly and I was catapulted into his place. I was only 18 years old, but I was considered an adult in a trade that – traditionally – people would enter at a much younger age. I began by spending two years at a dressmaking school in Turin. It took a lot of time and a lot of patience, and on at least a couple of occasions I was ready to give it all up. Dressmaking was in my blood, but before truly realizing that it was going to be my life, I first had to try to distance myself from it. It’s not enough to be the child or grandchild of a tailor to become one yourself. You have to choose it.”

“From there I gradually started to build something of my own and to become a real tailor. We then moved to a larger space in a more central location, where we stayed until last year when we moved Sartoria Vergallo to its current space in a Liberty villa in the heart of Varese. Right now, we make around 200 suits a year, most of which are made here.”

Within half an hour of his article being posted on Simon’s blog, we had at least 30 appointments

Cleopazzo continues by showing us some special truly special fabrics. “In the last few years the world of tailoring has changed completely thanks to social media (Instagram and Facebook in particular). Many pseudo-tailors have opened up. In these cases, the so-called “tailor” mainly takes care of the business side of things, often without even knowing how to sew on a button. These businesses are a superficial reflection of what it means to be a tailor and many don’t have workshops – instead they choose to produce everything externally.”

“When it comes to real artisanal tailors”, Cleopazzo continues, “there are very few left in Italy. Most are in the south of the country, concentrated in and around the Naples area. The tailor’s real trade hasn’t changed much over the years, it is basically the same as ever. On the other hand, the world that revolves around the tailoring has changed a great deal. How do we deal with these changes? We made the decision that we had to compete, to not be left behind, and that it was fundamental to keep up with the times. We have always thought and believed that it’s the quality of the product, of the suit, that speaks the loudest and that counts the most. Today however, we have come to realize that that’s no longer the case – or at least not always.”

Dressmaking was in my blood, but before truly realizing that it was going to be my life, I first had to try to distance myself from it

“How has my clientele changed? A good 50 or 60% of my clientele used to be made up of locals. However, over the years and with the economic crisis, several loyal clients from Varese haven’t been back to visit us. Today, my clients are from all over Europe. How has this switch from local to more international clients come about? The turning point was five or six years ago when an English blogger, Simon Crompton (his blog is called Permanent Style) selected and visited a series of English and Italian tailor’s. He knew that we occasionally worked in London, so he contacted us to arrange a visit and to have a suit made to measure.”

“Simon became famous because he’s very frank, his writing style is direct and he holds nothing back. He told us, ‘you need to know that if this jacket isn’t any good then I’m going to write that it isn’t any good’. He came to our workshop with his photographer and we spent some time together. Once we delivered his bespoke suit he went about writing his article.”

“I have to be honest, I can still remember the words he used, he wrote that ‘right now, this is one of the best tailor’s in London for value for money’. Within half an hour of his article being posted on Simon’s blog, we had at least 30 appointments. Following that initial success, I’ve been heading to London once a month for the last six years.

We have always thought and believed that it’s the quality of the product, of the suit, that speaks the loudest and that counts the most. Today however, we have come to realize that that’s no longer the case – or at least not always

“How do we organize it? Each month, we set off to London for two days. This is how it works: we send an email with the dates of our ‘tour’ and clients can book a 30 minute slot. We always go to the same hotel and book the junior suite where we carry out between 16 and 20 appointments a day – they are always incredibly busy days. The digital sphere gives us the edge we need to make this happen, while in such an international context word of mouth is crucial.”

“In fact our international clients, who are not only English but are from all over Europe, want a discernably Italian product, which means made by an Italian tailor with Italian fabric and Italian style. We create soft, fluid suits – the opposite of traditional English tailoring. As such, we source our material from Italian textile manufacturers, Vitale Barberis Canonico, Zegna and Loro Piana.”

At this point, we ask Cleopazzo about the next step in his journey. He gazes out of the window, far away for a moment before replying, “Switzerland, I think. Zurich probably, as many of our clients are from there. It’s only a few hours by car from Varese, so it would be completely doable. Two days a month”, he tells us before smiling. “Actually, we get a lot of requests from the US – New York in particular. But that’s another story. Much, much more complicated.. but who knows?”.