Maria Santangelo

This shirt manufacturer is located near Naples on the slope of Vesuvius; Pompeii is literally behind the neighboring hill. Its founder, Maria Santagelo, learned the craft from her mother, and in 1953 she opened her own small production. Although today it is, albeit a small, but a real factory, it is based on the ancient techniques of Neapolitan seamstresses. Like many other factories, the company used to produce shirts for third-party customers, but in recent years it has focused on developing its own brand and is now known throughout the world.

Maria Santangelo has made her own unique discoveries. In most shirts, the connection of the sleeve to the back and shoulders forms a cross, which is potentially a vulnerable point due to the tension in the fabric. Master seamstress Maria Santangelo shifts the seam on the sleeve slightly to the side. In this way, the shirt does not become un-tucked from the trousers when one raises one’s arm and the place of maximum tension is protected from tearing. Each season, the brand orders 1,000 samples of fabrics from new collections, with about 3,000 more contained in its permanent catalogs.