Lorenzo Cifonelli is the fourth-generation head of the Parisian tailor Cifonelli . He is a well-dressed man who is currently attracting attention from fashion media around the world, both online and offline. Due to his profession, his private style is always dressed up, but it embodies French classicism that is different from both British and Italian styles, and when his street style photos are published, customers flock to his atelier to order the same clothes from head to toe.


"I appreciate the attention I receive, but I believe that fashion isn't something you chase, but something you create yourself. We're merely there to help you with that. The most important thing I learned from my father is not to impose my own style, but to respect the customer's style and bring it out to its fullest potential. That's why we always strive to provide the highest level of skill and quality."

My great-grandfather founded the business in Rome in 1880. After learning his craft on Savile Row, my grandfather opened an atelier in Paris. My father, known as the Maestro, was renowned, and his establishment was undoubtedly a Parisian institution, with former French presidents such as Mitterrand and Chirac among its clientele. But Lorenzo continued...

"We don't like being called a Parisian tailor. We want to be called a European tailor. Our customers come not only from France, but from all over Europe and around the world. We are a global tailor that will go wherever you place an order. We guarantee that level of skill and quality."


On this day, Lorenzo was wearing a beige jacket with a single front button. The matching vest was double-breasted with a shawl collar. The V-zone, consisting of a striped cleric shirt and a glen check tie, was a stylish combination that was neither Italian nor British. I imagine anyone who reads this article will order the exact same outfit.

"The Demi-Me Jour (Made to Measure) patterns currently available at ISETAN MEN'S are new designs that were launched in Spring 2018. We've changed the shoulder line from before to create a more natural silhouette. We've also made the collar slightly rounder, resulting in a softer overall pattern."


He is also the head cutter in charge of all the patterns. His patterns are passed down from father to son, and only Lorenzo and his cousin Massimo are allowed to create them. He had the big job of revising the patterns in time for the order event, but according to what I heard from the person in charge later, he drew a bold line on the fabric with the chalk he was holding, said only "That's it," and got up from his seat. He looked very confident.

Even now, Lorenzo sits heavily in his chair, confidently and contentedly stroking his clothes. In our small talk, he mentions that Berluti shop is diagonally across from his atelier on Rue Marbeuf, that his grandfather was friends with Alessandro Berluti, and that he himself likes Berluti shoes. He seems particularly pleased that the flame of Parisian tailoring hasn't gone out thanks to Berluti acquiring Arnys.


Cifonelli's clothing is said to be the result of a tailor who fuses three qualities: British cutting with Italian lightness achieved through French sewing techniques. It could be said to be the fruit of British hands, Italian blood, and French sensibility. When I casually asked Lorenzo why his jackets only had one button, he replied, "It would be too busy with buttons." It was a very Parisian answer.

Text: Yasuyuki Ikeda
Photo: Shimpei Suzuki

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