Siviglia Autumn / Winter 2017
“It was a dream that we’d been building on for years,” Sauro Bianchetti, founder and owner of Siviglia, tells us, relating the beginnings of the family firm. Founded in 2006 by Sauro and his wife Graziella, Siviglia was launched as an enterprise aiming to capitalise on the know-how of a family that had acquired over thirty years’ experience in the fashion industry. The focus was a simple garment: trousers. “We’d been learning the best techniques and manufacturing knowledge, and we had this passion for everything beautiful,” Bianchetti explains. “We had this desire to live through the protagonists of the world of Made in Italy, to which we had modestly contributed. We were conscious to valorise the creative contribution and the organisational skills that our two sons – Michelangelo and Cesare – could bring to the mix, and so my wife Graziella and I decided to launch our brand, our own line of clothing.”
Over its 10 years of existence, Siviglia has continued to valorise and pay tribute to the founding principles of the brand, based the simplicity of a sartorially excellent pair of trousers. “The first Siviglia trouser that we launched was an iconic piece, with a cloth insert on the thigh, like the models worn by Spanish Toreadors. That was where the idea came to call the brand after the Andalusian capital.” Designed in a sober but refined style, the man who wears Siviglia “loves noble materials and products of high quality; even when it’s simply a question of wearing a pair of jeans with a white t-shirt.” Thus, a subtle finish, fine threads, minute details constitute the core of the house’s design. The pieces can alternate between “sporty denim trousers, and tailored jackets in cotton and wool.” More intricate details of prints and jacquard textiles, which embellish textiles, enrich the pieces. “The Siviglia wardrobe is a classic menswear one, where everyone can find versatile day-to-night solutions, adaptable and with multiple styles. There’s always a connotation of particular refinement, which captivates the essence of artisanal and sartorial excellence,” Bianchetti sums up.
The appeal and seal of Made in Italy continues to attract on a global scale, Sauro Bianchetti tells us, and still stands for a product of value. And it was precisely on these foundations that Siviglia was to come into being. Continuing on from decades of excellence in prêt-à-porter – a process that began in the early seventies – Italy’s industries of fashion, accessories and luxury, represent an excellence in production to this day. And it all starts locally, with individual craftsmen; something that Le Marche region offers to a particularly high standard. “Made in Italy is synonymous with all the characteristics that elevate a piece of clothing to a next level and make it unique, desirable, prestigious,” Bianchetti explains. It all comes down to “craftsmanship, good taste, refined elegance, beauty, creativity, style, attention to detail, quality of the materials and of the textiles used.”
Siviglia White Autumn / Winter 2017
In line with this, Siviglia brings together the best suppliers and craftsmen. 90% of the production takes place in Le Marche. The heritage of specialised crafts in the area dates back generations, with the very rural nature of the area giving birth to a system of manufacturing that was both flexible and efficient, based on an incredible manufacturing skill base. “Le Marche are defined by a very strong economy of industrial districts, which binds a strong sense of local identity and belonging, and a very particular model of social interactions and relations between local businesses; there is a highly specialised professionalism and a constant interaction between the main figures of the various ‘valley’ industries.” This all generates efficiency, environmental sustainability and high quality. Being based in that area, Bianchetti tells us, means that Siviglia is able to count on the historical professionalism. “Behind the great brands of Made in Italy clothing, there lies a great story, there is passion and great talent. It’s not a simple marketing tool or a commercial slogan: Made in Italy is an identity, of primal importance in terms of the expression of uniqueness, authenticity and quality.” When it comes to defining something as abstract as style, it’s easy to flounder, but Sauro Bianchetti – with decades in the business – is acutely aware of what it is: “Italian style is innovation that doesn’t deny tradition; it combines the two in a dialectic of quality and good taste.”
To innovate, a constant state of evolution is needed. “Every season we update the fits according to the trends of the season, to keep the product fresh and always cutting edge; we experiment with textiles and new treatments, we modify the details of a product like retro belts, buttons and the accessories, which make every pair of Siviglia trousers a unique one.” An important stylistic direction for Siviglia is that there is a constant renovation, and never a repetition season to season. The outward-looking approach, in that sense, is crucial, notably when looking to design next season’s collection: “I’m inspired by that which surrounds me, from my journeys, from nature,” Bianchetti is quick to explain. “For SS18, specifically, I let myself be drawn by the colours of the marine landscapes of Northern Europe, by the intense blue of the sea of those latitudes, and from the colours of nature. Alongside this, I brought the hues of the earth, from browns to burnt reds, to the colour of sands… it was this journey that channelled my creative energy.”
To satisfy the younger clients, the main collection is consolidated with a capsule of more experimental pieces, called Siviglia White. Every season, new wearable, innovative and high tech textiles are introduced, as well as new denim washes that are both an aesthetic statement and creative. “Siviglia White was conceived as a sort of laboratory of research on trousers,” Bianchetti relates. “The trousers of this capsule are studied in terms of fit, materials, treatments, tailoring structures and in the details. The client that Siviglia White caters for is definitely more young, someone who reinterprets sartorial tradition with a clearly metropolitan attitude.”
Sustainability has always been something that Siviglia has dedicated its resources to. “It’s one of our main driving forces in our company strategy,” Bianchetti states. “We accentuated this green and ecologically sustainable approach for SS18, including a number of pieces that are certified non toxic and with low impact on the environment in terms of the treatments. In particular the denim, one of our core products, from SS18, will be produced without any of the highly toxic substances, which are extremely damaging for the environment.”
This step forward is a no-brainer and is perfectly aligned with the house philosophy, Bianchetti tells us: “We are redefining our identity, reinforcing our identity in some sense, as we’re decisively smart, green, lovers of good quality – as a way of life – and we are close to a generation of millennials.”
The future of Siviglia is aligned with this ever-evolving customer base – one that is international, connected, digital, innovative. “We have our eyes set to the outside, however, to other metropolitan realities, to the most innovative of them, whether that be culturally or on a fashion basis.” For AW18/19, Siviglia will also launch a range of accessories and sneakers, to be combined with the house’s signature trousers. The pieces, presented at the 92nd edition of Pitti Uomo Immagine, will include a range of backpacks and bags, where the leathers will be mixed with the textiles of the season. There are also talks of a Siviglia flagship store, we’re told. Just watch this space.
Discover the Siviglia collections here.
Words / Patrick Clark
