Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , is a mecca for gentlemen with a strong opinion on fashion and lifestyle. Today, another fashion expert will be visiting. How have "gentleman's masterpieces" been passed down and continue to shine? Perhaps it's because the spirit and values behind them have been preserved and passed down. The words of these experts will surely provide hints for creating a new fashion for the future. So let's listen to the voices of these experts.

The evolution of subtle details represents a great step towards improving licensed suits.

During the Spring/Summer 2018 season, at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , I noticed a suit that had undergone remarkable evolution. It was a brand called RUBINACCI , which a major Japanese apparel company had licensed a few years ago. However, the one that caught my eye was the handmade style bespoke suit from RUBINACCI , which will only be sold this Spring/Summer at the International Luxury section on the 4th floor of the Isetan Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building .

Upon seeing the details of this collar, I was filled with an indescribable emotion, and countless memories of my frequent trips to Italy and my interactions with Mariano Rubinacci, the owner of the renowned Neapolitan restaurant Rondohaus, came flooding back to me.

The author began his research trips for Sartoria Italiana in the early 1990s. The situation in the bespoke tailoring industry at that time was the same all over the world. Bespoke tailors were struggling to stay in business, pressured by ready-made clothing. In this trend, master tailors passed away or went out of business. Even when they retired, there were no young tailors to take their place. In short, bespoke tailoring was a relic of the past. It was an era when ordering a custom-made suit was considered the act of a complete eccentric.

To use a gambling analogy, I went against the trend, traveling through Milan, Bologna, Rome, and Naples, spending my own money to order clothes from master tailors, established tailors, and even up-and-coming tailors who were making a name for themselves at the time. Interestingly, as I continued my journey, I was asked the same question at several tailors.

"Did you come all the way from Japan? If so, do you know Tange and Motoyama?"

Tange refers to the architect Kenzo Tange. Motoyama refers to Choichiro Motoyama, the chairman of Ginza Sanmoto and the original world-class man who passed away at the end of last year. Whenever they visited Italy for business meetings, they would likely find their favorite tailor and have clothes made there. Those pioneers were truly stylish!

Related article about Mariano Rubinacci, who visited our store for a custom fitting event held in 2016: [Interview] Mariano Rubinacci | Seeds of Italian Fashion Culture

I still clearly remember the first time I ordered a suit at London House. A gentle and refined gentleman appeared to greet me; that was the owner , Mariano Rubinacci . When I told him I was there to have a suit made, he immediately called an elderly fitter to take my measurements. That was Tullio Attolini, the second son of the Attolini family.

After that, my interactions with Mariano began, partly through attending men's collection shows. In Naples, he tailored a country-style jacket with a back belt for me using silk tweed that had been stored in a fabric warehouse. When London House opened a store in Milan, I was introduced to a new fitter and ordered a vintage melton coat and other items.

At the Pitti Uomo venue, every time we met, Mariano would say, "I've brought some fabric that I think would suit you, let's meet later," and he would let me choose fabrics in the suite at the luxury hotel in Florence where he always stayed, and sometimes he would even help me with fittings for clothes that were still being made.

Let me clarify that Mariano Rubinacci is such a prominent figure in the Italian tailoring world that Middle Eastern royalty would arrange private charter flights to summon him. Why would such a big name treat a freelance, disposable writer living in the Far East with such generosity? Looking back now, I can imagine that it might be because Mariano and I shared a common understanding: "We want to do something to revive the tailoring culture that is in decline."


As you may know, the unique style of Sartoria Napoletana was born from a collaboration between Mariano Rubinacci's father, Gennaro Rubinacci, and tailor Vincenzo Attolini. It should also be noted that Attolini, which currently reigns as the world's finest ready-to-wear suit brand, was founded by Vincenzo Attolini's third son, the renowned patternmaker Cesare Attolini.

Meanwhile, London House in Naples is a shop that is the envy of every tailor in Naples. Not only tailors, but also apprentices working under them, and even the craftsmen who make bespoke shirts and the women who specialize in sewing buttonholes on jackets, all rely on London House as their spiritual pillar. Moreover, this is no exaggeration to say that the future hopes and expectations of Neapolitan craftsmen rest on the shoulders of Mariano Rubinacci.

I was once surprised to witness Mariano, who is usually a gentleman, transform into a cold, ruthless businessman during a business meeting. However, this is unavoidable. For him, protecting the London House brand is also linked to preserving the future of Neapolitan tailoring.

However, this immense pressure sometimes backfired. This happened quite some time ago, when we signed a licensing agreement with a certain Japanese factory to manufacture Neapolitan-style suits under the name London House. The contract with this factory, which had received guidance from an Italian patternmaker for many years, initially seemed to be progressing smoothly. Unfortunately, however, that Italian patternmaker was a technician who specialized in the hooded collar. As you know, Neapolitan tailoring involves carefully ironing a straight collar made from a single piece of fabric to create a three-dimensional shape. Even within Italy, the hooded collar and the straight collar are quite different both technically and visually.


It was around that time that a rift began to form between me and Mr. Mariano. However, Mr. Mariano, a highly skilled craftsman who nurtured young Antonio Panico and Anna Matuozzo at London House, and even taught the basics of bespoke shirtmaking to a fledgling Luigi Borrelli, could not possibly be unaware of the difference between a curved collar and a straight collar.

Perhaps he intended to take his time and refine the differences in clothing production. However, that licensed brand disappeared halfway through its development.

And today, the brand, reborn as RUBINACCI , has introduced a long-awaited handmade style bespoke suit to its prestige line. This suit features a stand collar that is attached after the garment is sewn, overlapping the neckline of the body, and a ladder-style gorge line that eliminates any step between the upper and lower collars.


This small challenge at the Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , might seem insignificant to those unfamiliar with the quality difference between hand-made and machine-made bespoke suits. However, a bespoke suit is not simply about following trends and fitting the body; it's about creating a garment that can be cherished for a lifetime, like a fine work of art, requiring repairs as needed. For those who think this way, the subtle evolution of collar specifications will seem like a truly significant step forward.

I hope that this sincere approach to craftsmanship at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , will ultimately lead to an improvement in the overall quality of licensed products.

*All prices include tax.

Text: Shuhei Toyama
Photo: Tatsuya Ozawa, Natsuko Okada

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