GIORGIO ARMANI MADE TO MEASURE: ITALIAN TAILORING SU MISURA

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THE ULTIMATE IN MENSWEAR

Giorgio Armani is a name associated throughout the world with luxury menswear. Indeed, the designer is credited with redefining the idea of modern tailoring and ushering in a new era of comfortable and relaxed clothing for men.

In 2006, Giorgio Armani decided that there was a need for something different. "It was a time of big fashion corporations, globalization and an impersonal approach to design. I believe it is important to remember where fashion design started – with the desire to make beautiful clothes for people to wear," he says.

Made to Measure service was born; a bold decision for an established ready-to-wear designer to take, but Giorgio Armani believed that the time was right to return to the heart of the creative process, and produce a collection using the finest materials.

Giorgio Armani's Made to Measure suits are literally a study in the fine art of tailoring, and combine the world famous spirit of Armani with the premium quality of made to measure craftsmanship.

The designer explains: "I realized that I have clients who really do want a unique product, made specifically for them. Hence I decided to create a made to measure service, where a customer gets all the benefits of a tailor made garment – unique fit, fabric, lining, buttons, details – as well as the signature Giorgio Armani look. This collection really does bring the traditional and the modern together, combining the origins of the tailor’s craft with the innovations of a contemporary design studio."

A SUCCESS STORY

Since launch, Giorgio Armani Made to Measure has captivated a growing number of discerning customers. Originally only available in a select number of stores around the world, the service can now be found in almost every Giorgio Armani boutique, headed up by dedicated staff who have been trained in the finer points of tailoring.

Giorgio Armani Made to Measure has its fair share of celebrity followers too; from Academy Awards winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Paolo Sorrentino, to Batman’s Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, Will Smith and George Clooney. But there is also a growing band of high profile executives who choose to have Armani tailoring created uniquely for them.

THE LUXURY MENSWEAR EXPERIENCE

The customer who wears Giorgio Armani is accustomed to excellent service. When he comes in for a fitting for a Made to Measure suit he will discover the ultimate in the luxury shopping experience.

He will be helped and guided by highly trained staff. He will be able to feel the fabrics, select those he likes, choose his own lining and style of button, and select a silhouette, specifying the details: the type of lapel, pocket positions, single or double-breasted fastening, pleated or non-pleated trouser.

Giorgio Armani’s Made to Measure service allows access to the designer’s studio, and invites the client to become part of the design process; the result is a truly exclusive and unique suit, customized to his specifications. This even features a personalized label.

The process of making a Made to Measure suit has been streamlined by Armani to fit in with the busy working schedules of executives. Customers are measured in store and are given the option of returning for a fitting before delivery, or just taking away the final suit, which can even be sent to the customers’ homes or offices. Of course, the beauty of this process is that Armani will now have a unique pattern for the customer, so he can order new suits without actually coming into a store.

THE STYLES

"To qualify as a made to measure garment, there are certain things you need to deliver," says Giorgio Armani.

Silhouettes
There are a number of silhouettes on offer, with different lapel, button and pocket combinations. Customers are offered a choice of two main "families" of garments – the “Soho” (for a contemporary and sophisticated clientele) and the "Wall Street" (with classic and traditional silhouettes). Both lines feature garments from the ready-to-wear collections, for daywear and eveningwear.

Trousers
Trousers have features to increase comfort, like a pleated waistband that allows them to adapt to your body size. Other trouser details help to ensure longer life (reinforced jet pockets), or are there to add character (button flies).

Details
Customers can choose from a selection of linings and buttons.

Fabrics
Customers are offered a large choice of the finest fabrics in the world, including wool with a thread count that makes it feel finer than cashmere. There are classic fabrics (Prince of Wales, herringbone, houndstooth), as well as more seasonal fabrics (Armani checks and pinstripes, for example) that come from the current Giorgio Armani ready-to-wear collection so that you can look up-on trend, should you so wish. A real luxury, customers can select vicuña, a rare fabric made from the wool of the vicuña, a relative of the llama and native of South America.

Quality
A Made to Measure suit from Giorgio Armani will be made to the highest possible standards. As well as the visible details that come with the Made to Measure manufacturing technique – hand stitching on lapels, working sleeve buttonholes etc – there are also the invisible benefits: inside the jackets, a canvas made of a complex combination of natural materials like horsehair and goat’s hair makes up the hidden structure of the garment. Interfacings are stitched, so they “float”, and this ensures that jackets feel light and fluid. Furthermore, the use of natural materials means that these garments have tremendous powers of recovery should they be squashed in luggage, or caught in a downpour. Natural materials also mean that heat retention and heat disposal is more efficient.

Made to Order (MTO)
This season, the Giorgio Armani Made to Measure collection is enhanced by the addition of Made to Order, a service that enables customers to personalize details on a selection of classic Armani pieces, typical of the designer’s work, including the deconstructed sweater-jacket famous as a ready-to-wear signature staple.