Craftsmanship has always been at the heart of luxury. Skills, expertise, and knowledge of traditional practices are the cornerstone of artisanal work and represent an irreplaceable added value.

It’s not just about manual or tailoring skills, as in the case of coats; a garment crafted with care by an artisan is unique in its kind, a piece with a long history and enormous potential that transcends any current fashion trend. In this sense, we can say that a coat produced in an artisanal manner acquires a quality that would be impossible to achieve within industrial productions.

In this article, we will delve into the importance of artisanal coat production and the essential characteristics of a quality coat.

Coat Production: the Main Stages

The coat production process starts with design. The coat’s design takes shape through a decision-making process planned at the table, requiring the consultation of image experts. Once the shape and model are established, it is also necessary to identify the technical characteristics of the material and the required performance. Through artisanal production, it is also possible to tailor the coat directly to the measurements of the wearer for a better fit, but in any case, a handmade coat achieves better fit levels than standard ones because they are always designed with the person and their wearability in mind.

This initial design phase requires great attention and care in anticipating every detail, which is why it represents the bulk of the work. This does not undermine the production phase of the coat itself. To tailor a coat, just as to design it, special skills are needed, often manual, derived from experience and tradition. Several prototypes may be created before reaching the final model, or various colorations and variations on the theme may be proposed, sometimes even by the artisans themselves, who, thanks to their experience, make significant adjustments to the coat. The coat is made in parts that are then assembled, like a montage. At this point, it is shipped to retailers and the final part, the most beautiful, is its arrival in the consumer’s hands.

Artisanal Coat and Large-Scale Industrial Production: the Difference

Choosing an artisanal coat means choosing a project, not just the final product. It means relying on expert hands and aiming for quality rather than speed. To obtain something worth wearing for a lifetime, one must wait, and in the waiting, one can rediscover the pleasure of something achieved with effort and much desire.

Today we are used to having everything immediately, possessing products in abundance, without caring about the energy expenditure we demand from the planet to keep up with our whims and desires of the moment. Clothing items like coats should belong to a different sphere and be chosen, crafted, and treated with care.

Large-scale clothing production tends not to care about the environment and product quality, as the latter is made with the intent to last only until it is replaced by a new fashion. For this reason, valuable and durable materials are not selected, and factors such as the fit of the finished product are not considered.

Artisanal coat production pays attention to the intended use of the product: the artisanal coat is designed to fit the figure impeccably, adapting not only to size but also regarding the material itself, which can be enveloping, light, and durable. Choosing to purchase an artisanal coat also means making an ecological choice: when the model no longer meets the initial expectations, it can be replaced and donated to those in need without losing value.

The main difference in coat production lies in consumer choice: consumers are often thought of as passive spectators of the passing market, but this is not the case. The consumer is always the active part and has the opportunity to choose what is best for her or him. For this reason, it is important to value one’s territory and choose products that are made sustainably and with professional quality behind them, characteristics that large-scale industrial production does not always achieve.

Martina Franca: the City of Coat Production

Italy is an enchanted land, a treasure chest that holds ancient traditions preserved for a long time, from north to south. The Italian artisanal heritage is one of the elements of excellence that define the peninsula itself. Made in Italy is famous and sought after worldwide as a synonym of luxury.

In Martina Franca, in the heart of Puglia, the most absolute magic happens: here coats are crafted in an artisanal manner but with lines that adapt to current market needs. The beauty of coats in Martina Franca lies in the creation of transversal garments, of different styles, with a strong and intriguing character: the perfect combination of tradition and trend.

Modern volumes meet innovative fabrics, eco-friendly, produced according to a sustainable production chain and an innovative economic model. The coat production in Martina Franca demonstrates how it is still possible today to achieve the quality of an artisanal coat and the most modern aesthetic beauty, that it is not necessary to make a choice or compromise to find the harmonious fusion of quality, style, and research, capable of creating a unique coat.

Manuela Conti is a leader in coat production in Martina Franca, particularly specializing in the production of high-quality artisanal women’s outerwear.

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