(by Elisa Cecchi).
Savile Row has long been the only destination for lovers of traditional men's wear and bespoke tailoring.
But the road that runs parallel to Regent's Street in central London will soon have a contender in the heart of Milan's fashion district, Via Gesù.
This quiet Milanese street at one time mainly known as home to the house of Versace, is vying to become the epicentre of Italian classic menswear.
As of January 17 next year, Via Gesù will become 'Via dell'Uomo' (Man Street) under a project sponsored by leading menswear trade fair Pitti Immagine, to kick off with the fashion shows in Milan.
The project aims to promote this elegant street as an unparalleled stopover for an international clientele of male shoppers, smack inside the women's wear fashion district Quadrilatero della moda, during the Milan Expo 2015 world's fair.
Initiatives to publicize this location will gain momentum throughout next year to coincide with Expo, which runs from May 1 until October 31, organizers said.
The idea to showcase the road as an oasis of men's fashion was first launched last summer by Caruso CEO Umberto Angeloni, founder of the Uman brand.
Today, Angeloni is part of a new consortium grouping all stores on Via Gesù, as well as its residents and Vincenzo Finizzola, general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel on the street, to co-sponsor the initiative.
The 270-meter-long Via Gesù has progressively become a corridor of traditional men's wear and tailoring.
The Neapolitan tailor Kiton enlarged its shop on Via Gesù two years ago.
Caruso is opening a 400-square-meter store in January, in a boutique previously occupied by Saint Laurent. And last June, Brioni opened its latest and largest store here. The prestigious Roman luxury men's wear couture house - the suit-maker to presidents and the financial elite best known for dressing James Bond in black tie - had long had a small store on Via Gesù.
The new flagship at number 2A replaced it.
At three stories high, it is a much bolder statement of purpose for a company known for its superb hand-sewn custom suits, which was founded in 1945 and is now part of luxury group Kering. Also last summer, though right around the corner on Via San Pietro all'Orto, another prestigious tailoring store celebrated its opening, Boglioli.
Customers strolling down Via Gesù can also go into Luciano Barbera, Zilli, the atelier-library Uman, shoemakers' Barrett, Doucal's and Silvano Lattanzi.
Shirt-makers Barba, perfume store Acqua di Parma and Salvati's watches are other local attractions, alongside multi-brand boutique Doriani e Tincati.
Other leading tailors with a store on Via Gesù include Tindaro De Luca, Rubinacci and Stefano Ricci.
And Florentine tailor Ricci - which posted turnover of 126 million euros in 2013, up 42% from the previous year - is a testament to the growing relevance worldwide of the male consumer of Italian fashion.
The Italian menswear market was worth 8.6 billion euros last year, helping sector revenues grow 1% from the previous year in crisis-stricken Italy, according to data provided by the Italian federation of fashion businesses Sistema Moda Italia.
According to a 2013 study on the luxury sector by consulting firm Bain & Company, the men's ready-to-wear market has outpaced women's wear, increasing between 9 and 13% year-on-year, since the start of the economic downturn in 2009.
Indeed Prada, once predominantly a women's wear label, announced last April that it aims to nearly double its men's wear sales to 1.5 billion euros over the next three to five years.
The label is planning to add 50 more dedicated men's shops to tap the growing men's wear market.
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