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Sarto Luxury Tailoring

We catch up with Konstantinos Xenos & Andreas Doukanaris to discuss their thoughts on the ground covered so far and the long road ahead

Words by Will HALBERT

The Story so Far

Last year, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Konstantinos Xenos & Andreas Doukanaris just four months into the opening of Sarto Luxury Tailoring. With a combined two decades of experience working alongside Savile Row’s finest, Sarto had already curated quite the client list in its first few months of business. And it was easy to see why: By avoiding traditional, stiff-upper-lip tailoring in favour of a more laid-back, made-to-measure focus, the duo deconstructed the stuffy and often off-putting sartorial severity of tailoring without ever compromising on the quality of the final product. 

Catching up with the duo at this year’s Pitti Uomo 95, it’s clear that not much has changed in that respect. The two are as uncompromising as ever in both their demand for quality and their desire to bring bespoke tailoring down to earth. Their brand new showroom is a glowing visual metaphor of that progress: A sleek and sophisticated little spot that’s as warm and welcoming as it is quietly confident.

More importantly, it’s the kind of showroom that better reflects Sarto’s approach to men’s tailoring. Sarto’s strength has always been their ability to prioritise the client’s journey. To that end, they’ve worked hard to offer a made-to-measure service that honours time-old traditions without harbouring any old-school pretensions. By all accounts, the new showroom not only paints the perfect picture of this journey-forward focus, but also boasts Sarto’s new-and-extended offerings.

‘By avoiding traditional, stiff-upper-lip tailoring in favour of a more laid-back, made-to-measure focus, the duo deconstructed the stuffy and often off-putting sartorial severity of tailoring without ever compromising on the quality of the final product.’ 

Summer of Sarto

The bespoke experience doesn’t end at the suit and Sarto know this all too well. ‘I think there’s been a real shift in styles of late,’ says Konstantinos. ‘While we’ll always specialise in suiting, there’s no reason why we can’t use those sartorial expertise – that same eye for detail – on a more relaxed range of clothing.’

Andreas is quick to agree: ‘The coming year will be all about relaxing our approach to menswear and offering a wider range of garments and styles.’ In this respect, Sarto find themselves in the rather enviable position of harnessing the tried-and-tested charm and quality of their favourite fabrics from Italy’s finest factories, and applying them to a more all-encompassing, 365-days-a-year range of menswear offerings.

From chinos, to polo shirts, to board shorts, Sarto now offer a full suite of menswear essentials that can benefit from that all-important personal touch. ‘It’s nice to see people looking beyond the limitations of the usual off-the-rail offerings in favour of something a little more personal’ adds Andreas. ‘That’s where we’ve always tried to come in. That will always be our strong point.’

The usual suspects are here, of course, with superlative fabrics from Loro Piana rubbing (no doubt finely-crafted) elbows with the likes of Vitale Barberis Canonico. But one of the most intriguing additions to Sarto’s services is their custom, made-to-measure, denim line. It’s the kind of simple but spirited, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that offerings that set Sarto apart. 

‘We’ve always said that we wanted to take the idea of personal customisation and self-expression to the next level,’ says Andreas, ‘and this year we’ve done exactly that. From the usual suits and shirting, to more out-there selections such as denim and bermuda shorts, we’re just as interested in outfitting the modern man for everyday endeavors as we are suiting them up for special occasions.’

And therein lies the key to Sarto’s ongoing success; by applying their sartorial know-how to a wider range of menswear staples, Andreas and Konstantinos transcend the usual limits of the humble tailor to provide something promisingly akin to a lifestyle brand.

Pitti Immagine Uomo 95

Tucked away in the historic grounds of the Fortezza da Basso, Pitti Uomo has long stood as a time-honoured bastion of sartorial elegance and tailored charm. This year was no exception. Italy’s foremost menswear tradeshow was a hotbed of both haute-couture and streetwear style and ease. 

‘For all the weight of its history and tradition, the January show feels fresh and exciting,’ Andreas remarks. ‘More relaxed tailoring and lightweight fabrics are making an appearance, and I’m excited to see where that takes us over the spring-summer season.’ ‘This is also a great time for us to catch up with old friends,’ adds Konstantinos. ‘This is almost as much of a social call as it is a professional one.’

Their own approach to dressing for Pitti is a fitting balance of business and pleasure. Favouring practicality over pretentiousness and achieving sophistication without ever being overstated, Sarto’s outfits were both an antidote to the rampant garishness of the Peacocks of Pitti and a solid indication of the fine fits and fabrics on offer at Sarto Luxury Tailoring.

“More relaxed tailoring and lightweight fabrics are making an appearance, and I’m excited to see where that takes us over the spring-summer season.”


sartoluxurytailoring.co.uk