DISCOVER THESE 10 ITALIAN BRANDS
Thanks to the support of the Italian Trade Agency, 28 Italian brands will be on display exclusively at the Chicago Collective this season from August 8-10.
Get to know some of these brands below.
ALPHA STUDIO
Alpha Studio has been a milestone in the world of knitwear for the past 35 years, when its founder Franco Rossi gave life to a corporate project based on the love for quality and respect for people and their individual value, in a deep fusion with the surrounding area and with the beauties of the city of Florence.
ANDREA BOSSI / ITAL WEAR
It was back in 1974 when Vincenzo Merafina, armed only with his great experience, embarked on a new path to open an artisanal tailor’s shop for the production of men’s shirts. Today, the label produces shirts and T-shirts manufactured with high-quality fabrics yarns and materials with special emphasis on styling and details reflecting the best of the Italian heritage.
BELVEST
The Paduan men’s fashion company founded in 1964 offers men’s tailoring made with perfect harmony between ancient artisanal knowledge and continuous technological innovation. While the brand remains faithful to traditional tailoring, its continuous innovative research leads Belvest to find original solutions that answer to the needs of the modern man, through ingenious materials such as the antibacterial-antiviral fabric, or the study of garments whose forms are feats of engineering.
CALABRESE 1924
It is said that Eugenio Calabrese had more than 300 ties and that every day he chose one according to his clothes and mood. For his impeccable taste, those looking for style advice turned to him. So, he decided to open a workshop in the heart of Naples, where sartorial ties were made, with innovative models and refined designs. Today, Gaetano and Annalisa, third and fourth generation, lead the company with the same determination, bringing their inspiration and precious family experience to the world.
CLEOFE FINATI
The brand Cleofe Finati is a precursor in the most fashionable clothes for businessmen and grooms for the total look and formal wear in the haute couture. Its leading line of work is based on high quality, 100 percent made in Italy, natural fibers as silk and wool and premium level finishes. The luxurious fabrics, which are imported from fashion capitals around the world, go through a handmade development process in the best manufactures in Italy.
DI BELLO BY FONTANI
Di Bello by Fontani is a company that works in the tailoring industry since 1953. The production includes leather articles, furs, shearling, raincoats, and down-jackets. Design, styles, and production are totally made in Italy.
DI CHIO
It was 1947 when Carlo Maria di Chio began his work as a shirtmaker tailor, sewing silk fabrics obtained from parachutes left on Italian soil during World War II. Following this experience, he decided to export his work beyond the Atlantic Ocean, landing in the Americas. He began his business, moving continuously in the different cities, between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, along the famous route called “Greyhound Route”, from the name given to the beautiful racing greyhounds. The development of urban territories, the long bus crossings in these cities influenced the tailoring vein of Carlo Maria Di Chio, whose surname was translated and brought to popularity by friends and consumers in “Dickson.” This skillful Italian-American union gave life to a shirt with a metropolitan sports philosophy. the taste and experience of a shirtmaker have been handed down from then until today, giving life to the Dickson shirt, proposed in a new and modern way.
FIORONI
This brand offers high-end artisanal knitwear, sportswear, lounge & leisurewear made in Castiglione del Lago in the Umbria region of Italy. Fioroni is highly specialized in all knitting techniques and the development of exclusive fine yarns. From cashmere to cotton, the brand always offers products made from the most precious materials, integrating the art of manual knitting experience with the new production technologies.
FLY 3
The Fly 3 collection combines quality, handcrafted tradition, technology all made in Italy. Originally created for a sailing-oriented customer, Fly 3 is now identified as a sophisticated leisurewear style able to satisfy who needs to wear garments for different contexts. Thanks to the two-shade patent, all sweaters are seamless, reversible and bicolor.
GALLIA
Gallia is an Italian brand of tailoring garments that aims to create men’s shirts of the highest quality. Headquartered in Galliera Veneta, a town near the city of Padua, the entire production of Gallia garments is internal or entrusted to local partners distributed in Veneto, thus maintaining a short supply chain. The wide range of collections for spring/summer and autumn/winter consists of shirts in various fabrics from the purest cotton, to gabardine, satins, silks, up to more technical products such as non-ironed or specific materials for the needs of the modern metropolis.
