Let's discover I Sarti del Borgo through one of its founders: Ety Cicioni.
When and how did your work start?
In 1988 I was looking for a job and thanks to a number of acquaintances I entered the tailoring world. I learned about fabrics and cloths, needles and buttons. Following this I attended professional courses while doing a series of other jobs. It was the start of hard work and training. I invested passion, time and all my heart in this venture. In 1997 I discovered that the Vatican Tailor's Shop was looking for a couple of young tailors responsible for the production of the Swiss Guard's uniforms. Initially I rejected the position, I didn't feel up to the task. However, having had second thoughts about it I understood that it would have been an honour, even if indirectly, to work for the Holy Father. I remember my mother helping me at the beginning, working long hours with me. The rest is history.
What did you feel at first?
In the beginning nothing, I almost didn't realize what I had started, for me was just a job to be done. After a while I realized that I was into something much bigger than me. Here in the Vatican State we make a product that is not made anywhere else in the world. All the product is handmade, nothing is industrial and using the same ethics and professionalism of the original method.
How long did it take you to come to terms with it so as to become a habit?
It took me almost four years. Then, with a lot of care and determination my staff and I achieved very good levels. Today we are the only tailors making uniforms for the Papal Guards. A uniform is made up of 154 components requiring a difficult and painstaking job.
Yours is a delicate job, how do you manage to put together style, elegance, formality and authority?
Without doubt mine is a very delicate job, like in all professions good taste and wisdom are fundamental. We are in daily contact with ecclesiastical and military personalities, public officials and local professionals therefore always ready to be helpful and with a smile. After all, tact, privacy and respect for the person are all very important. Often we have to make garments for certain personalities or roles which have not yet been formalized........... secrecy is a must.
In practical terms what does the job imply? Can you describe a typical working day and how many hours you work?
Generally, we work ten hours a day five days a week. To make a guard's uniform is necessary thirty-nine hours. The tailoring of a garment requires precision and attention to details, whether it's a guard's uniform, a cassock or a man's suit. Today, the taste for handcrafted garments, completely handmade and assembled with care has been lost.
How do you see yourself and your job from an external point of view?
I see a company that has grown. I feel the esteem and admiration of many important clergymen and professionals who confirm my feelings when I receive their comments and feedback. They put their complete trust in me and my job. With the experience we have acquired in making Swiss Guards uniforms, we are now faster, accurate and fine-tuned. From this experience we decided to go ahead with a new sartorial project: create fine, high quality ecclesiastical garments as well as made-to-measure men's suits. This is how the brand “I Sarti del Borgo” was born.
