Sense of style: Stefano Ricci

The stalwart of tailoring and tradition considers the cost of quality

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There is a Florentine style – its soft-shouldered, more comfortable tailoring, the kind of thing my father and grandfather wore. The tailor pulls in at the sides to give more shape and that needs a lot of work, and the cost is relative to the materials and the amount of work that goes into it, but I love that and always have. Being Florentine is a big thing to me – it means we like to see things done properly, and believe that there are other people out there in the world who do, too.

Certainly our brand alone isn't enough to justify our prices. More and more people aren't impressed by ads or testimonials either. It may be a niche, but there's a customer out there who wants to dress like himself, not like some celebrity. That's why the quality has to be there, which is why for me there's no alternative but to make every last thing in Italy. But that's not for the 'Made in Italy' label, which is no guarantee of quality in itself anymore. It's for the old hand skills you still find here.

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