Milan will have its "Savile Row" in its Luxury Quadrilateral

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Nov 13, 2014

Like London, Milan will have its Savile Row, a street dedicated to men in the elegant Via Gesù. The 885 foot-long street is located in the luxury quadrilateral, lined on its southern side by the prestigious Via Montenapoleone and on its northern side by the very chic Via Spiga. The initiative, supported by Pitti Immagine, was announced Monday on the occasion of the traditional press conference dedicated to Pitti Uomo.

The idea? To turn, as of 17 January, the start of Men's Fashion Week, the Via Gesù into a shopping street exclusively for men, allowing the fast-paced gentleman of today to find "all the services and accessories he is used to" all in one place.

"Via Gesù is an ideal showroom for men of refined tastes. I have been nursing this project since 1998, when I opened the first Brioni store in this artery with discrete charm," explains Umberto Angeloni, former CEO of the luxury menswear brand acquired by Kering in 2011. Angeloni is now getting ready to inaugurate, in this same street, a flagship store for Milan-based Caruso, which he has been at the head of since 2006, after having already opened a workshop dedicated to the group's other label, exclusive menswear brand Uman, also in Via Gesù.

On the initiative of Umberto Angeloni and Vincenzo Finizzola, General Manager of the 5-star Four Seasons hotel located on the same street in a former 15th century convent, a consortium chaired by Mrs Sciaké Bonadeo, representing the street's inhabitants, was created with the goal of promoting this enclave by organising different events here.

The marks thus present on Via Gesù and implicated in the project include: six luxury men's brands (Luciano Barbera, Brioni, Caruso, Kiton, Stefano Ricci and Zilli); three artisan shoemakers (Barrett, Doucal’s and Silvano Lattanzi); the library-workshop for men's brand Uman; the two historical couture workshops Tindaro De Luca and Mariano Rubinacci; Versace; the two multi-brand stores serving as a symbol of Milanese elegance Doriani and Tincati; luxury shirt-maker from Napoli Barba; perfume-maker Acqua di Parma; and watch seller Salvati.

"Via Gesù is more than Savile Row or any other shopping streets, which are deserted after the stores are closed. It is a lively street, with residences and which has held onto its authentic Milan-style vibrancy with normal activities that take place every day," concludes Umberto Angeloni.