Style -- 11 hours ago
Anyone that has been to Parma will know that it is one of the most picturesque cities in Italy. It embodies all that makes the Emilia-Romagna region, famed for Parmesan cheese and Parma ham, great. It's a destination that, as yet, remains unearthed by selfie stick wielding tourists.
And all that beauty is what inspired Thomas Pini (an original Parmesan who now resides in Paris) and his wife Claudia Cannetto to kickstart their brand, Pini Parma. Founded in 2017, the label is in the running to be one of the best brands to have risen out of Italy this turn of the century, and it's going from strength to strength.
In a time of fast fashion, Pini Parma strives for quality instead of mass-produced quantities. The brand is focused on creating a classic style with a timeless design rather than just a passing trend, using expert craftsmen to hand tailor instead of modern machines. The garments are crafted in ateliers across Italy (and designed in Paris), using traditional manufacturing crafted techniques from across the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Lombardy, Campania and Tuscany.
"I decided to create Pini Parma to be able to offer a whole collection 100 per cent made in Italy with a refined taste and a unique price that does not exist on the market," Pini told us. "My purpose is to educate the customer not to have to wait for the sale period to buy, but on the contrary to be able to buy all year round at a fair price." You could compare the brand to the likes of Loro piana and Zegna. That same Italian expertise is used to create Pini Parma clothing. "Our competitors are Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, and Eleventy Milano, but the substantial difference is that Pini Parma costs half if not a third of their price with the same quality and Italian taste. Most of our products are made from Loro Piana fabrics," Pini admits.
The core collection, which is stocked online and in the brand's boutique consists of everything you'd need and want to add an injection of the Italian lifestyle into your daily looks. Beige cotton trousers that fall artistically by the ankle, T-shirts are cut from lightweight linen, knitted bombers are ideal for all year round and button-up polo shirts are the sort of thing that Mr Ripley would get down with. Pini Parma has an inherent passion for Italian tailoring and the "Soragna" collection was created to offer a blend of handmade tailoring and prêt-a-porter. Lapels appear more generous on suit jackets and trousers have higher waists, as well as side adjusters.
As well as the Soragna collection, there's another capsule simply called "Limited Edition." This comprises classic pieces, designed and cut in luxurious ways. Trousers, for example, are reminiscent of those classically tailored pieces, which were cut or adjusted to fit a man's silhouette, and they come with box pleats, a high-rise with a slim fit shape, a large extended tab fastening belt and side adjusters.
In short, Pini Parma is the brand you need to know about if you're after excellently crafted, design-led clothes that will last.
Like this? Read about Crockett & Jones: the beating heart of proper British footwear
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