May 29, 2015 |
Berluti is about beautiful, beautifully made clothes. Yesterday, I visited the Italian-turned-French brand’s suitably beautiful New Bond Street store, to meet the brains behind the operation, Alessandro Sartori. Sartori himself is exquisitely well-mannered and well-dressed (naturally). As he talked me through his collection – from the cashmere coat that is dyed four times to achieve its deep saffron colour to the wafer-thin, silky-smooth and butter-soft leather jacket made from lambskin – I got a real sense of his sincere concern of quality, attention to detail and championing of craftsmanship. This is a man who understands luxury clothing and makes it very, very well.
TED STANSFIELD: So, how would you describe the Berluti man?
ALESSANDRO SARTORI: He is a man with a strong sense of style. He could be from London or New York, could be from Paris or Tokyo, could be 25 or 70. He has a lot of passion – or let’s say he has passion for beautiful things – like art pieces, photographs, old movies and new cars.
TS: So cultured?
AS: Yes absolutely, absolutely.
TS: And so in terms of this Berluti man, is there one man who kind of epitomizes him? Do you have a muse?
AS: No, I have a group of customers – famous customers. People like Marcello Mastrioanni or the artist Maurizio Cattelan. And then I have men I adore for what they did, like the German artist Joseph Beuys and, of course, Alberto Giacometti.
TS: Yeah I heard you love Giacometti, why do you love him so much?
AS: Giacometti created amazing sculptures with his own hands. There are photos of him working in the atelier, working in the street or going to a brasserie to have lunch. He was a beautiful artist with jackets, with a completely chaotic shirt and woven tie.
TS: And do you think the elegance of Giacometti’s sculptures influences the elegance of Berluti’s silhouettes?
AS: No, it’s more him as a person and the work he created. And also when he was sculpting and putting all the forms together, I love the imperfections in them – I love the little imperfections! I love it! If you see an imperfection, don’t change it. No! The man has personality. I want to dress him but respect his personality. I love the man with the clothes that make him strong in who he is.
TS: That’s interesting, so the rip in my jeans is OK?
AS: Yeah I love it! It’s you! But it’s you – that’s why I don’t want to use 18-year-old or 20-year-old boys. When you talk to casting agents they say, “Oh, you know what’s this season? Blonde, Brazilian, 18?” I want the opposite – I want beautiful men as they are.
TS: Well that was my next question how do you cast your models?
AS: A tribe of beautiful characters.
TS: That’s nice.
AS: Yeah.
TS: And what is your favourite thing about menswear at the moment?
AS: I like that we can have a link between innovation, design, the best cut, the best materials and the best quality. At Berluti, for example, we are mixing these elements and creating new things.
TS: How much is Berluti an extension of your own taste in menswear?
AS: You know, I find myself in the Berluti brand. I could be one of the customers. Because there is soul in these clothes and that’s what I look for myself.
TS: And what can we expect for next season?
AS: Something fresh, light and deep. A beautiful wardrobe for a modern man.
TS: And one last question, how would you define style?
AS: It’s a personal thing. It’s a magic combination of multiple factors.
TS: What are those factors?
AS: It’s your aura, it’s you; together with what you wear or how you wear it. It’s not necessarily related to being beautiful but, of course, it’s easier for men who are beautiful. But I know men who are not beautiful but who have amazing style. It’s an aura, it’s a way to behave, it’s a way to introduce yourself, it has to do with self-confidence. And then, after all that, clothes.
TS: Do you think men are born with style or is it something that can be learnt?
AS: Both. You need to have the soul but you can work on it. It’s difficult to work on it if you don’t have anything. But if you have it you can work on it. But that’s my opinion.
TS: It’s a good opinion!
AS: Thank you!
By Ted Stansfield
