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eclined in a soft leather chair at the Berluti boutique, I’m privy to a private conversation that doubles as a bespoke masterclass. Expert shoemaker Patrice Rock flanks Maison master tailor Karim Rebahi, as Berluti general manager Alberic Leman explains that, “90-95 per cent of the suits that you find on the market, they put two fabrics together, then you just try going under the rain – you’ll throw the jacket in the garbage afterwards. With a good suit, inside you have wool on camel hair, and you can do whatever you want – take a shower in your suit if you wish.” I begin to venture a follow-on question, about “the role technology has to play with…” and I don’t make it to the word ‘fabric’. Across an opaque Franglais language divide, the question is misconstrued, and there’s uproar among the trio over the trigger word: technology. “No technology!” they lambast. It’s passion for the craft that stokes their flames, not discourtesy. Compels Rebahi, “Nothing is better than individual human attention. In the industry, you have modern developments creeping into the making of shoes and ready-to-wear, with the customer being subjected to a 3D scan. But bespoke is for aesthetics, and those who can afford something entirely different. Not every customer looks like a male model or is easy to dress, but that is the point – we work to individual silhouettes and everyone is different, and we adjust accordingly.” With a mix of traditional expertise and laid-back classicism, Berluti has been shoeing men since 1895, but the move into bespoke suits was something 64