BY VICTOR ADAR
The first thing you notice about Roberto Rizzoti is the impeccably tailored fitting blazer that he is wearing. Its edgy palette and mix of cuts, coupled with a subtle boutonniere, paired with fitting blue jeans, exemplifying the guru’s tailor fashion sense and versatile wardrobe. But these quickly fade into the background when you hear him speak of his impressive work history, fascinating experiences in the bespoke industry, and expansive knowledge of his craft.
A master tailor, 2nd generation and a Black Belt Master of Martial Arts, he is like a breath of fresh air. Listening and seeing his work, one can appreciate the basics of quality workmanship of the Suit. He brings on the table an art of expert handmade tailoring.
Mr Rizzoti, 52, who was born and raised in Milano, learnt the “art of ancient Sartoria” from the age of 6. Sartoria is the traditional tailor from Italy. Popularly referred to as Roby, the master Italian tailor had a shining moment in October 2014 when he was referred to Kenyan market thanks to a fabric company with a bent for luxury products, Loro Piana, now part of the Giant LV Group (Louis Viton) which saw the opportunity and the vision that Africa will be the next spending Continent and earmarked Kenya as the first entry point.
The soft spoken man says it was after a recommendation from Loro Piana that a Kenyan firm Salvatore which is run by two lead directors, Amin Premji and Chris Kariuki, was picked to command this line of venture. And here it is not about the numbers, but rather bringing the best of high end smart fashion to a select few, creating a Bespoke Club in Kenya.
An entrepreneur from the onset, Rizzoti prefers traveling the world, dressing prestigious people like Pierluigi Collina (referee), Lapo Elkan of Fiat Group, Luca Bizzarri who is an actor, and the list goes on. Actually, Roby’s mentor and teacher Salvatore Di Francisca used to dress up James Bond, made shirts for the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, the Real Madrid Football team and here at home has been dressing up top lawyers, politicians as well as some Television actors.
“You have to have it in your blood,” says Rizzoti, who learned the trade from Salvatore, a master tailor who is now at the age of 88. “This is not a simple business. You have to have passion for clothing and ingredients, for good fabric and it has to be in your blood. I’m keen to transfer the art from one Generation to the next.”
In a span of just two years, the master tailor has been able to serve Kenya through Salvatore Francisca, the local franchisee, a company that provides an Italian showroom where samples of fabric and suits are kept. When you walk in this chic (very clean) store at Village Market, you get a feeling of entering a high-end store in Milano.
Roby says the process of making a suit is intricate and interesting. It starts with a discussion with the tailor who understands your needs, then provides information on style and fabrics which by the way starts from 130% pure wool going all the way to 210%. Once the fabric and style are chosen, getting the right measurements and fit starts (this is the technical part). In fact, he does both the cutting of the fabric and hemming by himself. If there are any flows on the shoulder of a jacket, for example, or when the sleeve is a bit long, he adjusts it. What gives him an advantage is not only his personal touch but also of the fabrics he uses which are made from finest wool and some fabrics are also water proof.
It is a rare gift.
With a team of 25 people in Milano of which three are master tailors, they create bespoke and made-to-measure suits from his hometown of Naples and Milano. This is where you will understand the true difference between a bespoke suit and a ready made branded suit. Roby explains that his bespoke suit is “for you only, not a fit that one would have when you buy from off the rack a readymade suit.” He chuckles and says “when you buy a branded suit you are 1 of 20,000 but when I make a suit it is only for you.”
“We are now telling you we are here in Kenya to serve People who want this New Identity. Our job is not to sell numbers. We want to build a special club with select clientele. We are just passionate about this business. It is a very specialised product. If you rush it you will not get the best,” Rizzoti explains.
Facing extinction
In the olden days, children were sent as apprentices to make shoes, clothes and bags by their parents and to deliver hand made products at an early age. That was in the 1940s, and 77 years on things have changed and children must go to school to gain the much needed skills.
Apprentice was the rage when the established tailor was growing up, and a look at what happened then and how the skills he acquired at an early age shaped him shows he has come a long way. Complicating the trend now is what he calls “child labour”. These days unless you go to a school of fashion, you are doomed because if you do it the traditional way (by sending your children to learn from pioneers) it literally turns into child labour.
Mr Rizzoti has also accepted that new technology is going to be the big challenge to master tailors like him thus coming all the way from the heart of Italy, Milano, hunting opportunities in places as further afield as Nairobi will give him an helicopter view of the market, a time when he truly wants to preserve the tradition of handmade suits.
“For us we cut shape of the person by hand,” he says, pointing out that as a result of technology, one can get his or her measurements, go online and feed the same details on a computer, and machine-cut and stitch a suit. But he is flourishing against all these balances and is currently well established serving Nairobi, Prague and Romania, and travels from time to time traversing various capital cities to get fresh orders while delivering finished products.
Although big brands and master tailors have been coming to Kenya to tap into this flourishing business, the price has been a tad high. That is why giving people competitive prices and teaming up with Salvatore di Francisca Kenya, the Kenyan firm located at Village Market, is a milestone. He says that ladies sector and men sector are completely different: “With ladies, for example, fashion evolves every day. But one thing for sure, there is nothing new to invent. Suit is all the same,” he says.
