Japanese tailors transform bespoke suiting with their blend of meticulous detail and classic training
Japanese master tailors are behind the latest bespoke trends that combine classical styles with Asian aesthetics
Bespoke suits at the menswear label Ciccio can easily set back a discerning gentleman a cool HK$35,000. However, despite its Italian-sounding name and its classic Italian looks, Ciccio suits are not made in Naples or Florence, but in an atelier in Tokyo's trendy Aoyama district.
The label comes from the nickname of its founder, Noriyuki Ueki, who had a stint with master tailor Antonio Pascariello in Naples about 12 years ago. Ciccio is one of the new breed of Japanese brands - albeit the most famous - including Camoshita, Ring Jacket, and Tomorrowland, that are beginning to attract international the attention of global audience with their mix of traditional classic men's suiting and Asian aesthetics.
"The heritage behind classic Italian suiting is [impeccable]; I went to Naples to learn all that. Japanese [tailoring] is very exquisite," Ueki says. The result, for Ueki and his fellow Japanese artisans, is a style that merges Italian classics and Japanese craftsmanship.
Not all of the new breed of Italian-trained Japanese suitmakers have returned to Japan. It's not difficult to find Japanese master tailors at work in some of the most prestigious bespoke suiting houses too, and artisans such Kotaro Miyahira has set up Corcos in Florence while Kenjiro Suzuki has established himself in Paris.
The emergence of Japanese tailors focused on classic sartorial style has much to do with the country's deeply rooted artisan culture.
"Young, promising tailors are very committed to their craft," says Alan See, co-founder of The Armoury, which stocks classic menswear and represents bespoke tailors across the globe. "This commitment, almost obsession with details, is in [the Japanese] culture. There's a [major] sense of artisanship."
Sam Lobban, the buying manager for online men's retailer Mr Porter, agrees. He says that in addition to the worship of heritage, precision and dandyism are two other elements of Japanese culture that complement classic suiting, helping to make Japan one of the first countries in Asia to embrace the style.
"A fine-tailored suit with impeccable craftsmanship can represent the ultimate uniform for a working man," Lobban says. "Japan also has dedicated magazines to men's suiting and tailoring, signifying the significance it plays in men's fashion."
