{"id":194634,"date":"2023-08-27T23:02:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-27T21:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/?p=194634"},"modified":"2024-05-30T18:15:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T16:15:39","slug":"history-of-italian-tailoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/blog\/history-of-italian-tailoring\/","title":{"rendered":"The history of Italian tailoring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Italian tailoring is one of the artisan sectors that has made Made in Italy<\/em> famous worldwide. Have you ever wondered how and when this noble art was born?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tailoring boasts a history spanning centuries. Its origins date back to 1575, when Pope Gregory XIII established the first Universit\u00e0 dei Sartori<\/em> (university of tailors). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The etymology of the Italian term “sartoria<\/em>” (tailoring) dates back to the Latin language, and more precisely, it derives from the verb “sartor”, which means to restore. In ancient times, the tailor was a craftsman who cared for patching up clothes. Today, its meaning has a much deeper and nobler value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The coat of arms of the ‘sartori’ (tailors) – image from accademianazionaledeisartori.it<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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From Botteghe<\/em> to Made in Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the Kingdom of Italy (1860-1946), no true national identity or an Italian style existed. The botteghe<\/em> (artisan tailor workshops) mainly used the English style for men’s clothes and the French one for women’s clothes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Each regional school had its nuances, with the Neapolitan school differing from the Florentine one, and so on. But the taste, the attention to materials and the centrality of the customer were already common characteristics all over Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Italian fashion only began to appear globally in the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to stylists still known today, such as Ottavio Missoni and Krizia, up to Giorgio Armani and Valentino. In these years, Milan became the world capital of fashion, together with Paris and New York, and Italian fashion became a point of reference worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Micol Fontana (Italian stylist and entrepreneur, co-founder of the Sorelle Fontana fashion house) with Ava Gardner – image from Fondazione Micol Fontana<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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With industrialization and the birth of ready-made clothes sold in standardized sizes, the sector had significantly lower production and labour costs, achieving great success among most customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was a hard blow for Italian tailors, who had to reinvent themselves, focusing on manual skill and the quality of the finished product, the choice of fabrics and details, and the ability to make every fold of a dress or suit fit naturally to the customer’s build. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These were the years of the Fontana Sisters and Elsa Schiaparelli, who relaunched the sector until it reached the Made in Italy label in the 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Italian tailoring today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That of the sarto<\/em> (tailor) is a complex art of precision and attention to detail. The choice of raw material, quality, comfortable and durable fabrics is essential. It takes creativity, versatility, and passion. Tailoring is the art of elegance and patience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Modern tailors know how to constantly renew their artisanal botteghe, reinterpreting the classic style and adapting it to the contemporary with taste and creativity, and designing their own collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are you dreaming of sewing as an Italian tailor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to become a tailor in Italy: study sewing in Cesena<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Check out our courses to learn sewing or become a professional tailor in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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