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FINE MEN'S CLOTHING A conversation with Joseph Glazer of Castangia by W.A. Muller
"I'm passionate about what I do. I love what I do and I've been doing it a very long time." -Joseph Glazer
Mr. Glazer, how did you become one of the world's leading experts on men's suits? I've been in the fashion industry for over 30 years. Started in retail. I developed relationships. As a young man I used to look at the clothes in the window of a clothing store. Back then it was Pierre Cardin. The manager came out one day and said. "Why do you come here on your lunch break every day? What are you looking at?" and I'm like "I don't know it's the colors it's the ties it's the shoes." So, he said," well do you want a job?", " I said," absolutely." I had a good taste level I was able to put beautiful shirts and ties together and it was second nature to me. That was my first start in the fashion industry. " For the last six years, Glazer has been running a company called Castangia and it's the oldest suit and jacket maker in Italy the company is over 160 years old. "The owner is the seventh generation and everything is made by hand. If you come in and buy a suit you make it custom and made to measure and all the patterns are cut by scissors. We have sixty tailors. The customer picks a fabric and it's a six-week process. It's like buying a Ferrari. You pick out the interior, it's like building a car. "We have global clients and we were in 15 of the top retail stores in the country and we attract people that love quality and they love putting something on that almost feels like a second skin. The best part of clothing is comfortability. The heritage goes back so far that the workmanship and the artisans, what goes on behind the scenes is like when you make a movie. When you are buying a custom suit it's the detailed work and the workmanship that people don't see to have that finished product. We have a clientele that's within their forties to their 60's they appreciate beautiful clothing. They are well-to-do and they just want to wear beautiful things. I think the next level of what's coming up in fashion is you have the 20-somethings the 30-somethings who are starting to appreciate what it is to dress well." What is your philosophy when it comes to choosing the right suit? "You are as good as your first impression and I think that a beautifully tailored suit that fits you well with the right shirt the right tie, goes a long way." Why is Castangia so special? "The factory is in Sardinia. It's a beautiful island separate from Italy. I've been to Italy 153 times. I've worked with the top fashion people in the industry I've learned a lot. The owner said to me, "what makes me happy is to see people wearing my clothes," and that's where the gratification comes in."
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Metropolitan Magazine | 25AMagazine.com
