Mauro & Carmelo Crimi

Tailor

©Sartoria Crimi

Tailoring for now and the future

Carmelo established Sartoria Crimi in 1970
His talented son Mauro inherited the same passion
They contribute to teaching their craft to the next generations

A successful example of an intergenerational alliance, Mauro and Carmelo Crimi, father and son, are at the helm of the internationally prestigious Sartoria Crimi, founded in Palermo by Carmelo in 1970. Conscious of the economic importance of their craft as it represents Made in Italy, Carmelo and Mauro have always invested in the education of young people. "The fact that an artisan micro-enterprise can have an excellent product that establishes itself internationally is characteristic of the Italian reality. The challenge is to remain in Palermo and, from here, to talk about Made in Italy,” they say. Their tailoring is both local, since it expresses the culture of their land, and global, because their creations reach everywhere in the world thanks to their demanding foreign customers.

Interview

©Sartoria Crimi

©Sartoria Crimi

What is your educational background?: Mauro: My dad started very early, at the age of seven, alternating between school and workshop in the two most famous tailoring atelier in Palermo in the 1950s and 1960s. As for me, my father was my Master. I started as a boy during the summer holidays, then full time. Later I attended an international men’s high fashion school in Milan.
Do you have complementary roles?: Mauro: Despite the generational difference, we have the same wealth of knowledge. We are both involved in designing, cutting, producing high-end clothing and dealing with customers and suppliers. For us the choice of fabrics is a crucial moment in our work, as is the cut that distinguishes our style.
What or who inspires your creativity?: Carmelo: Our main source of inspiration is masculine elegance. We think above all of Palermo during the Belle Epoque, when the tailors of our city, thanks to the great influence of the Florio family, dressed the best European aristocracy and bourgeoisie of the time. A Mediterranean style of tailoring with British suggestions was then developed.
Is there a specialty that makes your pieces recognisable?: Carmelo: It is the style of our clothes. The marked waistline of our jackets, the S shoulder, which gives elasticity and movement, the straight neck distributing the weight of the garment on the shoulders with balance, the round sleeve. The double-breasted jacket is our signature item and many clients come from far away to have one made.

Mauro & Carmelo Crimi are master artisans: they began their career in 1950 and they started teaching in 1980