Borrelli Australia - Crafting Borrelli suits

Crafting Borrelli suits

A Borrelli suit is the emblem of a menswear tradition that dates back to the tradition of great Neapolitan tailoring. Every step along the way to the final product follows a culture of perfectionism that leaves nothing to chance. Every Borrelli garment can be identified, today like yesterday, by the hours of knowing, patient manual labour that have gone into it.

1. Today like yesterday, the tailor needs a minimum of twenty-four hours to complete a single jacket. 2. First, a Borrelli pattern cutter cuts out every single part of the garment, stretching out the cloth to avoid changing the direction of the fabric and to keep the parts perfectly unified.

3. A single cut for each article: Borrelli prefers the hands of any one of its tailors over a computer
4. The linen interfacing that supports the front of every jacket is prewashed in tater, partially dried and then pressed by hand.

5. The interfacing of the chest is hand-matched with the suiting: the only way to guarantee "rounding", a prerequisite for a personalised jacket.
6. The hand-stitches that join the linen and the flet, giving the article the flexibility it needs to adjust to any upper body when the jacket is fitted to the wearer.

7. The pocket: supported and then hand-stitched according to the strict traditions of Neapolitan tailoring. An exclusive of Borrelli jackets.
8. Inserting the interfacing, a small piece of cloth that helps support and give body to boat-cut pockets or the breast pocket.

9. The breast pocket in its final phase: an expert craftsman matches up the fabric with the fabric on the left front, following the slightly rounded line.
10. The construction and the chest line are not just the result of an exemplary cut, but also the fruit of patient bastings that intersect at the most important points and support the shape from the start, even before assembly of the back and sleeves. Manual basting gives body to the lines and shapes, which are redefined and highlighted by the final pressing.

11. The pezz e cas is a special tool of Neapolitan tailors. It is a wooden crescent used to sew and shape the round parts of the breast of the jacket.
12. Every bit of extra fabric is trimmed off with scissors.

13. Placement on the canvas: positioning of the suiting on the front part of the basted interfacing.
14. A piece of fabric, the dritto filo or "straight thread" is used to support the breast of the jacket..

15. Another Borrelli exclusive: "hammered" pleats fastened with hand-sewn bar tacks, in keeping with the quality Neapolitan tailoring tradition.
16. The lining is basted by hand after the front and back have been joined.

17. The five focal points of making the collar. Three materials are used: cotton felt, linen, and, of course, the fabric.
18. After the felt and linen have been assembled, the collarline is traced. This stage, called "directing the neck" is done only by hand and only by skilled workers.

19. Sgavagliatura: preparing the slot for the collar. 20. Basting in the interfacing of the inside collar.

21. When the collar is ready for attachment to the jacket: it has to be further shaped by size and model.
22. Once the collar is finished, the "cover" (as Neapolitan tailors call it) is basted to make sure the fabric spreads perfectly.

23. Preparation of the yoke by hand. 24. Positioning the shoulder pads and armhole roll.

25. Now that the armhole has been attached to the cotton shoulder-pad, the sleeve can be attached. For a jacket to drape perfectly, the sleeve should be wider than the armhole. It's up to the tailor's skill and sensitivity to spread the fabric out with uniform softness.
26. The "plumb-line" inspection of the sleeve, which the tailor carefully repeats many times over.

27. Shoulder, yoke, and sleeve united: the skilled hands of the tailor give the final touch to the shape. 28. The classic Neapolitan sleeve, known as a shirtsleeve or a linen sleeve, with its characteristic loose wrinkles. A loose fit for a jacket is a must of traditional tailoring.

29. Chalk and mark the buttonholes on the front of the jacket.
30. The four buttonholes on the wrist are evenly separated.

31. A perfectly-cut buttonhole is achieved not with common scissors, but with a hammer and punch.
32. More than two hundred stitches with cotton thread go into every buttonhole.

33. It takes about three and a half hours just to fit the lining.
34. The label is sewn on by hand.

35. Bemberg lining is used for the sleeve. A check pattern made exclusively for Borrelli. 36. Before the traditional ironing, the jacket is dampened with a special sponge.

37. The jacket is steamed.
38. It takes a mimimum of two hours to press every jacket.

39. The tailor's work is done. The only thing left to do is attach the buttons, done strictly with a "crow's foot" stitch, in keeping with the one hundred year tradition of Borrelli. 40. The finished jacket.

Return to see how other garments are made

A Borrelli suit is the emblem of a menswear tradition that dates back to the tradition of great Neapolitan tailoring. Every step along the way to the final product follows a culture of perfectionism that leaves nothing to chance. Every Borrelli garment can be identified, today like yesterday, by the hours of knowing, patient manual labour that have gone into it.

1. Today like yesterday, the tailor needs a minimum of twenty-four hours to complete a single jacket.		2. First, a Borrelli pattern cutter cuts out every single part of the garment, stretching out the cloth to avoid changing the direction of the fabric and to keep the parts perfectly unified.

3. A single cut for each article: Borrelli prefers the hands of any one of its tailors over a computer		4. The linen interfacing that supports the front of every jacket is prewashed in tater, partially dried and then pressed by hand.

5. The interfacing of the chest is hand-matched with the suiting: the only way to guarantee "rounding", a prerequisite for a personalised jacket.		6. The hand-stitches that join the linen and the flet, giving the article the flexibility it needs to adjust to any upper body when the jacket is fitted to the wearer.

7. The pocket: supported and then hand-stitched according to the strict traditions of Neapolitan tailoring. An exclusive of Borrelli jackets.		8. Inserting the interfacing, a small piece of cloth that helps support and give body to boat-cut pockets or the breast pocket.

9. The breast pocket in its final phase: an expert craftsman matches up the fabric with the fabric on the left front, following the slightly rounded line.		10. The construction and the chest line are not just the result of an exemplary cut, but also the fruit of patient bastings that intersect at the most important points and support the shape from the start, even before assembly of the back and sleeves. Manual basting gives body to the lines and shapes, which are redefined and highlighted by the final pressing.

11. The pezz e cas is a special tool of Neapolitan tailors. It is a wooden crescent used to sew and shape the round parts of the breast of the jacket.		12. Every bit of extra fabric is trimmed off with scissors.

13. Placement on the canvas: positioning of the suiting on the front part of the basted interfacing.		14. A piece of fabric, the dritto filo or "straight thread" is used to support the breast of the jacket..

15. Another Borrelli exclusive: "hammered" pleats fastened with hand-sewn bar tacks, in keeping with the quality Neapolitan tailoring tradition.		16. The lining is basted by hand after the front and back have been joined.

17. The five focal points of making the collar. Three materials are used: cotton felt, linen, and, of course, the fabric.		18. After the felt and linen have been assembled, the collarline is traced. This stage, called "directing the neck" is done only by hand and only by skilled workers.

19. Sgavagliatura: preparing the slot for the collar.		20. Basting in the interfacing of the inside collar.

21. When the collar is ready for attachment to the jacket: it has to be further shaped by size and model.		22. Once the collar is finished, the "cover" (as Neapolitan tailors call it) is basted to make sure the fabric spreads perfectly.

23. Preparation of the yoke by hand.		24. Positioning the shoulder pads and armhole roll.

25. Now that the armhole has been attached to the cotton shoulder-pad, the sleeve can be attached. For a jacket to drape perfectly, the sleeve should be wider than the armhole. It's up to the tailor's skill and sensitivity to spread the fabric out with uniform softness.		26. The "plumb-line" inspection of the sleeve, which the tailor carefully repeats many times over.

27. Shoulder, yoke, and sleeve united: the skilled hands of the tailor give the final touch to the shape.		28. The classic Neapolitan sleeve, known as a shirtsleeve or a linen sleeve, with its characteristic loose wrinkles. A loose fit for a jacket is a must of traditional tailoring.

29. Chalk and mark the buttonholes on the front of the jacket.		30. The four buttonholes on the wrist are evenly separated.

31. A perfectly-cut buttonhole is achieved not with common scissors, but with a hammer and punch.		32. More than two hundred stitches with cotton thread go into every buttonhole.

33. It takes about three and a half hours just to fit the lining.		34. The label is sewn on by hand.

35. Bemberg lining is used for the sleeve. A check pattern made exclusively for Borrelli.		36. Before the traditional ironing, the jacket is dampened with a special sponge.

37. The jacket is steamed.		38. It takes a mimimum of two hours to press every jacket.

39. The tailor's work is done. The only thing left to do is attach the buttons, done strictly with a "crow's foot" stitch, in keeping with the one hundred year tradition of Borrelli.		40. The finished jacket.

Return to see how other garments are made