If you build it, they will come. Apparently they'll come if you sew it, too. Front and center at Kiton’s Spring presentation today stood an installation of the house’s latest flagship pieces: “Summer vicuña” blazers, which, CEO Antonio De Matteis noted, have already received plenty of pre-orders. They cost approximately $27,000 per jacket. But Kiton’s client is wealthy, and the garments, for those able to entertain paying that kind of sum, are as close to heaven as the high-altitude South American plateaus upon which vicuñas graze.
Beyond the five-digit sphere—though still in ultra-luxe territory—Kiton’s world is exactly that: a universe of finery, and an expanding one at that. Spring also features coats with thermal silk lining—they’re very chic and as light as vapor. Weightlessness was a recurring theme, with feathery nylon windbreakers (Kiton is adding more and more sportswear) and liner-less linen-cashmere blazers in the mix.
De Matteis made two noteworthy points, too. Kiton has seen a whopping 34 percent increase in suit sales since last year, and the CEO thinks it’s because more and more younger guys are buying them. To subtly appeal to this youthful spirit, he’s even loosened the more traditional sport coat; the proper shoulder is still there, but the body is looser, more billowy. And even for those completely uninterested in the traditional, the brand has options. A denim bomber jacket is a best-seller and looks pretty funkily enticing with Kiton’s signature red dot logo represented as heavy hardware buttons.
