Every jacket begins with the patternmaker, who draws the pattern and cuts the fabric. The seamstress then takes over the cut parts and sews the jacket from the first seam to the last button, setting in the organic cotton lining and the sleeves, attaching the collar and finishing the buttonholes by hand. She works at her own pace, and once the last button is attached, the jacket returns to the patternmaker for the final inspection.
How does that compare with the rest of the industry?
Most clothing is produced in what is known as the chain system, where cut parts travel along a production line and each worker repeats a single task, a sleeve seam or a pocket, hundreds of times a day. The system is fast, the wages are low, the environment is poor, and a skill that deserves time and attention to learn is condensed into one movement.
Our atelier works in the individual system, where one dressmaker creates one garment. She practises her craft in its entirety and sees the result of her work take shape in her hands. That continuity gives each jacket a level of attention and quality that a production line has no time for, and you can feel it in the fit, in the seams and in the lasting character of the garment.
Does the way a jacket is made really belong in a sustainability story?
It does. Social fairness is one of the five categories of Cradle to Cradle Certified®, alongside material health, circularity, climate and water. The assessor reviews wages, working hours and safety, and also asks whether a dressmaker is free to stand up and make herself a coffee. In an Italian atelier, that question carries real weight.
A clean garment deserves a working environment that matches it. At The Blue Suit, the materials and the making meet the same standard.
