Franco Puppato

Tailor

©Pietro Lucerni

Trigonometry in tailoring

Franco holds the secrets of Master Antonio Napoliello
International prizes celebrate him as an outstanding sartorial craftsman
He is a guardian of Venetian style

Franco Puppato has reached the 50-year mark in his career, but his spirit and energy are still those of a beginner. His tailor shop, founded in 1964 a few steps from the San Marco square in Venice, attracts clients from all over the world, eager to experience the Puppato treatment: a unique blend of subtle sartorial technique and passion for “quality, elegance and distinction”. His secret is mastering his craft so keenly in the design phase that he then has the confidence to set his creativity completely free in the expressive part, working on embellishments that make every piece unique. This has earned him several national and international awards.

Interview

©Pietro Lucerni

©Pietro Lucerni

How did you start?: I started at 14 years old with my uncle in Treviso, but my life-changing meeting was with master Antonio Napoliello, a genius who taught me all his secrets. The years I spent in his atelier in Venice were so enriching that I feel like I lived his life too: I have a century's worth of experience!
What was his greatest teaching?: His patented methodology to apply trigonometry to calculate a client’s measurements. It is so reliable – especially for designing and applying sleeves – that I have the confidence to set my creativity free in terms of artistic expression.
What is your goal when crafting your creations?: Any sartorial piece must have a footprint, something different. That’s why it is absolutely key to have a perfect design, allowing you to really focus on details and ornaments which make a piece unique.
What is your link to Venice?: I am so grateful to the city that adopted me many years ago. One of my commitments, and now of my son Alessandro too, is to make the classical Venetian style shine again in a contemporary way, in the name of quality, elegance and distinction.

Franco Puppato is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1960