“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”: The famous French epigram would be the perfect motto to describe Kiton’s fashion trajectory from tradition to modernity. The historic Neapolitan menswear company’s traditions of skilled tailoring and high-quality materials are still firmly in place, even if the style has evolved to accommodate a modern high-spending global demographic.
Kiton’s CEO Antonio De Matteis doesn’t shy away from revealing that his clientele is extremely wealthy. We’re talking top-tier CEOs from Silicon Valley, or mega-powerful international politicians and world leaders. After having sworn this reviewer (who reluctantly obliged) to secrecy, he produced a picture of one of the world’s most powerful heads of state, who’s a loyal customer. Apparently, he’s one of the not-so-few outrageously rich Kiton aficionados who can afford its vicuña blazers, the label’s jewel of the crown.
The vicuña mystique is such that the fabric is said to have been used by ancient Inca tribes to wave their kings’ mantles; it’s a precious fiber, produced in extremely limited quantities. Kiton has secured not only a privileged access to vicuña suppliers, but also, through the recent acquisition of the prestigious Lanificio Barbera, the facilities to directly control the very production of the made-to-order vicuña blazers, which are sought after by clients who can spend €30,000 to €50,000 on a jacket. It’s a sort of menswear haute couture. “We’ve been able to work on vicuña’s jacquard patterns and colorizing like never before,” De Matteis proudly explained, showing an unassuming deep-blue scrap of finely textured fabric, which revealed its preciousness only to the touch. Divinely soft, smooth, and featherlight, it was cut into relaxed tailored blazers, paired with corduroy pants for luxurious, comfortable ease.
Kiton belongs to the long line of Neapolitan tailors whose traditional technique of soft tailoring is at the roots of the laid-back construction now dominating men’s updated formalwear. The label’s repertoire has expanded and morphed into a luxurious hybridization of tailoring and sportswear, which is also offered in made-to-measure iterations. This season, even denim was given the luxury treatment with nutria appliqués, while the streamlined city coats were lined in weasel or mink; what looked like a sporty, outdoorsy fleece jacket was actually made of a thick, sensuous cashmere yarn.
In true Italian manner, Kiton is a family business; De Matteis’s twin offspring, Mariano and Walter, also presented their third small collection, called KNT (Kiton New Textures), a line of upscale-cool unstructured urbanwear for a younger, but surely deep-pocketed, clientele. In hues of gray and black, relaxed in fit, the lineup boasted the same high-quality standards of execution as the main line. As the saying goes, like father like sons.
