A shirt is like a second skin. That's why I want to be particular about comfort.

LUIGI BORRELLI is a long-established shirtmaker from Naples, Italy. Its history began in 1911 as a small tailor shop.
The shop, started by a woman named Anna, has grown into a global brand over the past 100 years. Fabio Borrelli, Anna's grandson and the current head of LUIGI BORRELLI visited Japan, and we spoke with him.


"All of our shirts are based on designs made by my grandmother, Anna. In other words, they embody the very essence of Neapolitan craftsmanship."

Are you familiar with the term "fatto a mano"? This Italian phrase, meaning "handmade," represents the origin and spiritual foundation of Neapolitan craftsmanship.

"The eight points where a shirt is hand-stitched are the collar, sleeves, buttonholes, buttons, gussets, back yoke, placket, cuff placket, and bar tacks. Hand-stitching makes a huge difference in comfort compared to machine stitching. It's softer and more flexible. There's no difference in buttons and gussets whether they're machine-stitched or not, but they've been passed down to this day as a symbol of a high-quality item."



The buttons and gussets have a distinctive character that is unique to LUIGI BORRELLI

"The buttons are characterized by a stitching method called 'bird's foot' or 'three-legged.' Usually, shirt buttons are sewn on with four stitches, but Anna always used this bird's foot method. This has now become a symbol of LUIGI BORRELLI shirts. Also, regardless of whether the body color is white, blue, or striped, the gussets are always sewn on in white. Anna had poor eyesight and was not good at distinguishing between colors, so she often mixed up the body and gusset colors. So, she decided to unify all the gussets to white, which has become a characteristic of LUIGI BORRELLI ."


LUIGI BORRELLI , continuing Anna's shirt-making tradition, has become a globally recognized international brand.

"My father, Luigi, started helping Anna in the 1940s. As you can see from the shirt tags, the company was registered with the government on April 10, 1957. Then, in the 1980s, my father unified the brand name to LUIGI BORRELLI . I started supporting the business in 1983. Before I joined, most of the customers were locals from Naples, but in the 80s, global celebrities, including Gianni Agnelli, became clients."


It was first sold in Japan in 1983. Currently, it's recognized in Japan not only as a shirt brand, but as a total lifestyle brand.

"My father inherited the Neapolitan hand-stitched shirt business from my grandmother. In my grandmother's time, shirts were only available in white or light blue, but my father added variations such as stripes and other colors, and also expanded the range of collar styles and other elements to create designs that were internationally recognized. I inherited those skills, and about 15 years ago, I started a total collection that included not only shirts but also jeans, knitwear, and suits."

As you may know, the first jeans released by LUIGI BORRELLI were developed in collaboration with Jacob Cohen, a brand that is also very popular in Japan.



"My father, Luigi, made a blazer for Vittorio Emanuele (a descendant of the former King of Italy). It had hand-stitched gold buttons. I incorporated that idea into jeans. In addition to the gold buttons, I used shirt fabric for the lining and added luxurious embroidery. Now I make a variety of items, but all of them carry on the spirit of Neapolitan craftsmanship, Anna's spirit. I always want to try new things, but to do that I also believe I need to properly learn from the past. That's something I want to pass on to my son (whose name is Luigi!)."

Isetan Men's plans to release an exclusive shirt next spring that features hand-stitching in 13 places in addition to the 8 hand-stitched areas, including the side seams of the body, the sleeve seams of the arms, the cuff attachment, the rolled hem, and the label attachment.

"A shirt is like a second skin. That's why I want you to choose one that's comfortable to wear."

Left: Takumi Sato, buyer for Mitsukoshi Isetan's shirts and ties; Right: Fabio Borrelli, second-generation owner of LUIGI BORRELLI

Next time, we'll bring you an interview with Michael Hill, the second-generation head of DRAKE'S.

Text: Ogiyama Takashi
Photo: Ozawa Tatsuya

Fabio Borrelli

Founded in Naples, Italy in 1957, LUIGI BORRELLI is now run by the second generation of the family. In an era when most shirts were flat and stiffly sewn, LUIGI BORRELLI thoroughly studied the human body and, using a combination of machine sewing and handwork, perfected shirts that conformed to the body's shape and offered the ultimate comfort. Skilled craftsmen, using traditional Neapolitan craftsmanship and high-quality materials, continue to fascinate many people as one of the world's most famous shirt brands.