As an exclusive feature of Parisian Gentleman, today we have the great pleasure and honor to introduce the Belvest Spring/ Summer 2015 collection!
For a while now, I’ve kept a close eye on the collections of this formidable Italian house, who is in my opinion, among the best sartoria in the world—along with a very short list of other companies.
The garment factory of Belvest is located in Padova, Italy (120 miles east of Milano), with more than 300 employees working together to make well-crafted jackets, suits and overcoats, which are among the finest on the planet.
The Belvest brand can be described as a well-kept secret known mainly by serious menswear professionals and connoisseurs. The company has built its reputation as a maker that crafts clothing for the most famous luxury houses in the world (French and Italian in particular), who in turn sell these sought-after products under their own luxury brand names.
A few weeks ago we had the luck, together with Sonya and our photographer Lyle Roblin, to pay a visit to Belvest during the preparation of my next book,”The Italian Gentleman”, to be published at Thames & Hudson in 2016.
During the visit, we had the chance to be welcomed by Mrs. Maria Teresa Nicoletto, daughter of Aldo Nicoletto (founder of Belvest in 1964), and Mrs. Nicoletto’s son Riccardo Della Piazza who is now managing the company.
The Belvest operation breathes quality into its products and keeps close to traditional modes of craftsmanship—a commitment which gets a nod from enthusiasts who value garments made according to the rules of the art. This is the type of factory that you can, by definition, find only in Italy.
Among the 300 employees at Belvest, several have worked with the company for several decades, following in the steps of their fathers or mothers —a tell tale sign of a truly traditional sartoria in Italy, where we often witness the continuum of family members working at the same place, generation after generation.
You will not find any fused crap nor industrial finishing here, since everything is made according to the gospels of tailoring and each product is fully canvassed, beautifully constructed, and finished and controlled by hand.
When visiting the factory, I couldn’t help but ask Riccardo Della Piazza the question on the minds of almost everyone who knows the company : With Belvest’s undisputed reputation, why does the company not invest in developing its own brand, and offer Belvest products directly to the public (as other sartoria do like Caruso, Santandrea or even Kiton) ?
The truth is that today, it remains challenging to locate Belvest branded products on the market– even though the company aims to develop a selected worldwide distribution by keeping its high end craftsmanship manufacture niche.
However, after discussing this subject openly with the Belvest owners, I strongly believe that by offering its own brand, Belvest could play a great role in the classic menswear market, which is experiencing a deep revolution, and where real sartoria are getting more and more respect and attention.
In an era where gentlemen are educating themselves on men’s style (on PG and elsewhere) and where well-versed gentlemen clearly prefer product quality over branding…the future, in my opinion, lies in the hands of high end crafters like Belvest.
Thus, we’ll have to wait and see…
For now, the Spring/Summer 2015 collection matches the great reputation of the house : immaculate lines, impeccable natural shoulders, flawless fabric selection and indisputable flair.
The linen jackets are splendid, the silk coats magnificent and the wool suits superb. Enjoy !
Belvest is the kind of house that we love at PG…a sartoria that adds a lot of oomph to its game, as well as an institution that will likely continue to evolve as one of the greatest names in tomorrow’s menswear.
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Official website : http://www.belvest.com
Belvest Head Quarters : Via Corsica 23. 35016 Piazzola sul Brenta. Padova. +39 049 9699111
Belvest Showroom : Via Sant’Andrea 2. 20121 Milano. +39 02 77331795
Belvest USA : 5 East 57th Street. New York. NY 10022. + 1 212 317 0460
Contact : Belvest@Belvest.com
