Pitti to Prato: Fratelli Conforti

cabbage kings

The Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence, Italy is a hotbed of Italian tailoring, casual wear and accessories where we seek out beautiful products, many of which are handcrafted for our atelier in Bristol.

But Pitti is not the only place where you can meet the movers and the shakers, the ateliers and artisans for there are many off-site trunk shows and parties hosted mostly by mens magazines, shoe makers and cloth merchants where you can meet the most amazing people and experts in their field.

Arguably the most popular party in town is the WM Brown magazine party held at the legendary Harry’s Bar and which was the birthplace of our Commuter Jacket, which we made for Matt Hranek it’s founder after he had seen my Banner Jacket..

When we conducted Matt’s fitting at the palatial Sina Villa Medici hotel in Florence, Matt arrived a few moments late waxing lyrical about an Aladdin’s cave that he had just discovered full of rare treasures such as flight jacket shearlings and Japanese selvedge which was just north of Florence in Prato called Fratelli Conforti. Well, of course, I had to see it for myself but how, as we never drive when we are in Florence and Fratelli Conforti was located on a zone industrial.

Well, when WM Brown featured the Commuter Jacket in their magazine, who should be on the front cover but one Frank Conforti, cigar in mouth and sat astride a vintage Vespa scooter and shot by our friend and fellow skateboarder Lorenzo Sodi who also owns Peplor (check it out).

Of course, I now had to meet the infamous Frank and was fortunate enough to be introduced to him by our mutual friend Lorenzo at the J. Meuser party one evening (thanks Lorenzo, thanks Jay) and over smokes we hatched a plan to travel to Fratelli Conforti en famille this Summer, which we did and filled our boots!

Now, for those who do not know what cabbage is aside the polarising green variety, it refers to the off-cuts of cloth a tailor is obliged to keep having made his customer a suit. But on a grander scale like Fratelli Conforti, it is bolt ends of cloth leftover after a designer makes a collection that cannot be used again for the next season’s collections which is then sold on to traders, tailors, designers and enthusiasts.

Continuing in the tradition of their Grandparents Frank & Giovanni Conforti buy and sell the worlds most exquisite cloths and silks from the worlds most famous Fashion Houses such as Givenchy and Hermes and designers such as Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren whose madras check shirting we bought during our visit this Summer which will be turned into shirts for next Summer together with some Japanese chambray we found, woven on traditional metre wide looms.

We also found some super soft 13oz hopsack linen which is naturally dyed using blue ink and vegetable dyes which is to die for and will make a fantastic Overshirt, Chore Jacket or one of our Darby Suits, not to mention some Japanese chambray woven on metre wide looms and also some olive green and ultramarine blue cotton herringbone. We also commissioned some neckerchiefs, or bandana’s as they are known in Italy in a geometric printed silk reminiscent of early Cacharel designs.

We will be sharing our haul in due course. Watch this space.

Check out Fratelli Conforti and Lorenzo Sodi’s work on Instagram, WM Brown, Esquire and other magazines.