Caruso hits all the high notes on Milan’s newly minted menswear mile
Milan’s Via Gesù - recently dubbed La Via Dell'Uomo - has quickly transformed into the city's official destination for exclusive, high-end menswear. The man responsible for the makeover is Umberto Angeloni, a fashion entrepreneur who first anointed the road with its gentleman bent in 1998 when he opened the doors to Brioni.
Over the weekend, he cut the ribbon on the same road (which now features 15 other menswear specialists) to his latest pet project, Caruso. Lodged between fellow tailors Cacciari Salvati and Brioni, the new shop sits discreetly behind a series of elegant arched windows.
'When I bought the company six years ago,' Angeloni explains, 'we had 600 employees and today we have the same number. This is important when you look at the economic crisis that has occurred in Italy over the last 2-3 years. We’re doing very well.'
Designed by Edgar Vallora, the interiors are clean and pure, but sharply attended to, such as a winter garden room with an airy glass ceiling. Caruso’s signature suiting hangs on oak racks and shelves, and against plaster walls with a hand-troweled finish. The floor, meanwhile, is a cocciopesto lime mortar with crushed pottery that was applied by hand by Veneto craftsmen who then oiled it on their knees (this laborious technique has notably been dormant for the last 200 years).
Best of all, however, is an art installation in the rear of the shop commissioned by wood artist Giuseppe Amato, which recreates the Teatro Regio in Parma in wooden bas-reliefs, with mother of pearl chandeliers and an audience made of gleaming silver and gold metal people. Clearly, another jewel in the La Via Dell'Uomo's crown. 'Everything inside our shop is dedicated to excellence from Parma,' adds Angeloni of the Italian city that is home to Caruso's production, 'including the parmigiano and culatello we offered this evening.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
JJ Martin
-
Monospinal is a Japanese gaming company’s HQ inspired by its product’s world
A Japanese design studio fulfils its quest to take Monospinal, the Tokyo HQ of a video game developer, to the next level
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Fenix and Federica Sala Challenge Designers to double up
Curator Federica Sala and innovative interiors material brand Fenix's Design Duo Double Feature project brings three design duos together to create dual-purpose furniture
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Interni Venosta is a new furniture brand by the Dimorestudio founders
Launched at Milan Design Week 2024, Interni Venosta is Dimorestudio Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci's new brand, crafted by Tuscan manufacturer Fabbri Services and paying homage to 1970s Italian design
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Thom Browne shows how to make the perfect bed with theatrical performance at Milan Design Week 2024
American fashion designer Thom Browne makes his Milan Design Week debut with a new homeware collection created in collaboration with historic linen company Frette
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
First look at Moncler’s blockbuster new exhibition, which turns Milan Central Station into an immersive public gallery
Wallpaper* takes an exclusive look at Moncler’s new Jefferson Hack-curated exhibition, which features portraits of an eclectic cast of international creatives, including artist Daniel Arsham, musician Rina Sawayama and make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench
By Jack Moss Published
-
Milan Fashion Week A/W 2024: Giorgio Armani to Bottega Veneta
The very best of Milan Fashion Week A/W 2024, from Giorgio Armani’s celebration of renewal to the ’monumental everyday’ at Bottega Veneta
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Nick Waplington photographs architect Joseph Grima for Stone Island’s ‘research project’
Marking the latest Stone Island Ghost collection, Joseph Grima is photographed by Nick Waplington against the backdrop of Oscar Niemeyer’s 1970s-built Palazzo Mondadori in Milan
By Jack Moss Published
-
Paul & Shark hits the slopes with a Cortina ski resort takeover
‘Paul & Shark takes Cortina’ sees the label take over the Italian ski resort, kitting out the town’s ski club and Scoiattoli chalet
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Jonathan Anderson on his new store in Milan, an ode to the city’s design codes
For his second JW Anderson store – and first outside of London – Jonathan Anderson has set up shop in Milan with a space that pays homage to the city’s stylistic codes. Here, he tells Wallpaper* the story behind the opening
By Jack Moss Published
-
Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson on exalting and reimagining the Welsh stick chair at Milan Design Week
‘Loewe Chairs’ saw the designer look towards a longtime fascination – the humble Welsh stick chair, here reimagined in a raft of colourful and inventive new ways by world artisans
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
BOYY unites with Danish artist FOS for an unconventional take on retail in Milan
Opening during Milan Design Week 2023, the flagship BOYY store sees the Milan- and Bangkok-based accessories brand collaborate with FOS on an evolving, unexpected retail space in the city’s luxury quarter
By Maria Cristina Didero Published