If you’re interested in bespoke tailoring, and have a soft spot for Neapolitan style, here’s some interesting news. Gianluca Migliarotti, the director behind O’Mast, is forming a new company with two of his friends – Gennaro Formosa and Lino Pommella. Together, they’re starting Pommella Napoli, a new tailoring house specializing in Neapolitan trousers. The most exciting part: they’ll be touring the world, bringing Neapolitan style to international customers.
Gennaro, as some may know, is the owner of Sartoria Formosa. He’ll be handling the new company’s business logistics, although the two tailoring houses will remain separate. Gianluca, on the other hand, will handle marketing, communications, and customer service for trunk shows.
The star of the business, as you can probably guess from the company’s name, is Lino Pommella. For the last ten years, he’s been the head cutter for trousers at Rubinacci. Having learned tailoring from his father, who himself was a trouser cutter his whole life, he’ll now be the head cutter at his own firm. I’ve handled some of the stuff he’s made at Rubinacci – and while it would be a mistake to conflate the two companies – the cut was very nice. Slim, but still classic, with a pitch perfect fit around the back.
Pommella’s trousers don’t come cheap, but they’re more affordable than most traveling tailors. A pair will run you about 850 Euros, with the cost of cloth being included in that price. Each pair will be almost entirely handmade, with handsewn buttonholes and bar tacks, as well as hand attached waistbands. The only parts that will be machine sewn are the outseams and inseams (as they should be since machines are better at creating those long seams). For a more affordable option, the company also plans to offer made-to-measure and ready-to-wear.
The tour schedule hasn’t been set yet, but Pommella Napoli is looking to visit New York City, London, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Beijing during their first year. I’m also trying to get them to add San Francisco to the list, just so I can order a pair of trousers. For guys who like Neapolitan style, this is exciting. There aren’t many options for bespoke Neapolitan trousers on the market, so another entrant is welcomed.
