A man in full

Behind the savoir faire and elegant craft of Berluti resides artistic director charged with expanding the label’s offerings. He tells how he went about creating a contemporary silhouette for the new Berluti man

Justine Lee

Can you tell us how you first came across the brand? It was actually when I was still in school; I remember I was still a student in Italy and we were reading an article about Andy Warhol. It covered such great details, including how Warhol had a pair of

Alessandro Sartori,

shoes made in 1962 by a brand named Berluti. I wasn’t familiar with the French brand at the time, but I made a point of visiting the store during my next school trip to Paris. I eventually went back to buy a pair on my second trip that very same year. Do you still own them? Believe it or not, yes I do! They’re at home in Milan and they look strikingly similar to the ones in stores now. I remember I styled them with everything from the classic suit to a shirt with jeans or chinos. I even wore them a year ago. Let’s fast-forward to your time as a designer; how did you get your foot in the door at Berluti? It was almost four years ago and I was invited to Paris to have a meeting with the current CEO of Berluti, Antoine Arnault. At the time, I didn’t know the brand I was interviewing for, but I was ecstatic to learn that the position was for Berluti. Antoine and I shared our visions about the modern man, and also our idea for a brand that offered both a curated and a bespoke wardrobe for the discerning man. We were both so in sync with our ideas that it wasn’t long before we began working together. What makes Berluti’s collection of clothing so special? Antoine and I almost immediately decided that we were looking to design a lifestyle. We felt there was a need for bespoke tailoring and even sportswear in the market, which also echoes the brand’s heritage in custom-made shoes. Most brands start with ready-to-wear and eventually offer madeto-measure, a form in clothing construction that’s still done industrially. At Berluti, we started at the opposite end of the spectrum. We are the only label that offers men a 360-degree bespoke wardrobe— everything from tailoring