My grandfather was a shoemaker. At the time, shoemaking was not considered a very prestigious job in Italy. My mother was a seamstress as well, so I have grown up in the environment of bespoke tailoring and shoemaking,” begins Hugo Jacomet, the creator of The Parisian Gentleman and Sartorial Talks (YouTube channels which focus on sartorial dressing, bespoke tailoring and shoemaking) who flew down to the city with his wife Sonya Glyn to host a talk. The event was held in association with PN Rao, a bespoke tailoring and fine clothing brand, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.
When asked about the inspiration behind The Parisian Gentleman, he shares, “Artisans who make custom-made suits and shoes were set back when fast fashion came to the fore. We wanted to shed light on the history of this art to help revive the tradition.” Hugo who was previously a screenwriter, artistic director and film producer, decided to embark on this journey of rediscovering the art of traditional shoemaking in 2009. Hugo and Sonya believe in the concept of ‘buy less but buy better’ and their YouTube channels, promoting the same, feature an array of interviews with various brands from around the world who continue to craft bespoke clothes. “Fast fashion has proved to be catastrophic for our planet and the world has started to realise that not everything has to be quick and mechanised,” he explains.
Previously, both the speakers took on an assignment to visit various traditional tailors in Italy to spread the word about their craftsmenship. And in the process, they ended up staying in the country for three years. “PN Rao is a label that celebrates their ancestors and traditions. When we visited their factory, we were surprised to see every individual element of the suits they make is entirely hand-crafted by a specialist. We don’t even get to see that in Italy,” he reveals. Hugo and Sonya will soon release a documentary centered around their visit to the brand’s factory and their interview with the partners of PN Rao and the history of the label.
Recently, PN Rao noticed a change in boardroom fashion trends and owing to the same, this year, the brand will introduce a women’s wear collection. “We received several requests from our stores for bespoke ladies’ wear and we are more confident now that Sonya loved the suit we designed for her,” shares Naveen Pishe, partner at PN Rao. The new women’s line will include bespoke suits from wool-based fabric that are more suitable for Indian body types.
Rs 13,000 upwards. At MG Road
srushti@newindianexpress.com @Sru_Kulkarni