Customer-created shirts

"When you take off your tie to meet friends or go out for drinks, the shirts available up until then were certainly too classic. I was able to bring that idea to life because of our customers. Their voices gave birth to this shirt."

The craftsmanship honed through making dress shirts, combined with the use of high-quality materials, paved the way for the future of Neapolitan shirts. While anyone would want to take credit for such a success, Paolo remained incredibly modest, always stating that he was merely a supporting character.

Even so, it can't all begin without someone to draw the designs, so when I pressed further, he replied, "I was born into a good family and received a good education. It wasn't a fashion school. The shirt-making school is a workshop. And I grew up surrounded by the beautiful sun and sea. You could say it's the result of my environment."

Finamore was founded in 1925. Its roots lie in a workshop established by Paolo's grandmother, Carolina, with a few seamstresses. "She wasn't an exceptionally skilled craftswoman, but she was trusted for her reliable work." Her son, Alberto, transformed his mother's workshop into a company, and currently, Alberto's eldest son, Simone, is the president, his second son, Paolo, is the designer, and his third son, Andrea, is in charge of the factory.

While succession often brings friction, there was apparently no such turmoil. When the second generation heard Paolo's vision, he readily agreed to let him carry it out. The brothers' roles were also naturally decided. The three of them carried out the tasks assigned to them without putting too much pressure on themselves, keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

Indeed, that shirt is something that seems like it should exist but doesn't, and upon closer inspection, it's very Neapolitan, without any sense of pretension or affectation.

Text: Takegawa Keiji
Photo: Eto Yoshinori

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Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1st Floor = Dress Shirts & Ties
03-3352-1111 (main representative)
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