There rarely comes an occasion when I envy men, and one of these happened recently in Milan at the Kiton store when I laid hands on an exquisite deep-brown vicuña jacket. Luckily for me, Kiton (pronounced: kee-ton) also makes women’s wear – though the brand is focussed mainly on menswear and dabbles in women’s wear on the side.

Thick as fine wool, but soft as silk – the material makes your fingers feel caressed – and the look on my face leads the kind Italian store manager to direct me towards the women’s section, to try on a jacket.

He picks out a deep red vicuña jacket and offers me a size 38. I am flattered, but my shoulders disagree, and he returns with a size 40. Milan is quite chill this time of year, with the highest being about 8 degrees Celsius, and although the store has indoor heating, I feel much warmer in vicuña. Obtained from the rare South American Camelidae from which the wool gets its name, vicuña is native to Peru and was used originally by the Incas exclusively for royalty. Today, one doesn’t need royal blood to wear vicuña – just cough up the hefty price tag. Kiton is one of the few luxury houses that work with this rare fabric, creating entire suits with vicuña.

Started in 1960 by Ciro Paone, a fifth generation cloth merchant in Naples – a city that is famous for its tailoring – Kiton is now run by Paone’s extended family, including his nephew De Matteis. After five decades of bringing classic Italian tailoring to the world, the brand cemented its position with the opening of a flagship store in the mecca of men’s fashion – Milan.

“This store”, says Antonio De Matteis, CEO, “will open Kiton’s door into the world. The store he’s referring to is a three-storied building in the heart of Milan’s shopping district that was bought and restored in less than three months, to open in time for the Men’s Fashion Week. Considering that Milan is the heart of men’s fashion across the world, this sprawling building with its clean lines and no-fuss interiors is reflective of the brand itself.

This rather unusually subtle approach to marketing is part of their strategy to rope in customers with the promise of exclusivity. “We prefer to talk to our potential customers one-on-one, and organise events where we get to meet them instead of advertising to the masses. We believe is letting people see our products before talking about it,” he adds.

For the Milan store they chose this two-decades-old building that was originally the headquarters of Gianfranco Ferre, and restored it without altering the structure.

Wooden flooring, high ceilings, and walls that are predominantly white with the occasional room sporting a warm red or beige and brown panels – the store is carefully designed to highlight the clothes, and little else.

If you’re wondering where in India you can get your hands on some exquisite Kiton suits – the good news is that the brand is slowly making its way here, starting with a special bespoke made-to-measure tailoring service. “India is definitely a market with huge potential for us,” De Matteis says, “since we have seen many Indian customers come to our stores in other countries. But we want to start slow in India, test the waters, so to speak, before we open a full-fledged store. A Kiton store is on the cards, but it is scheduled for later.”

De Matteis believes that India is a market that will appreciate what the brand has to offer. “We are a traditional company, our style of business is family-oriented and we have great emphasis on culture – I think this matches perfectly with India – Kiton and India, it will be a good marriage, I believe!”

> elizabeth.mathew@thehindu.co.in

(The writer was in Milan at the invitation of Kiton)

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