Following the casual fashions of COVID-19, the men’s suit is back, says Stefano Ricci CEO

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When Niccolò Ricci flew from Italy to Vancouver last month for a bespoke event at the Boutique Stefano Ricci, I was delighted.

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Delighted by the number of client appointments scheduled for the four-day custom suit event, a five-fold increase from previous dates, according to boutique president Manuel Bernaschek, and also delighted by the gradual return to normalcy that the event in person seemed to signify.

“This was the first intercontinental flight I have flown in two years,” said the CEO of the luxury lifestyle and menswear brand. “I feel like it’s a new world. It’s like getting back to normal ”.

Ricci, son of company founder Stefano Ricci, says the family business was not immune to the effects of the COVID-19 slowdown, adding that the business is retreating from the global shutdown that saw many people, yes, even the One percent – stay at home.

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“The company returned to normal from April,” says Ricci frankly. “Until March, the tension was high because we couldn’t see the numbers going back where we wanted and most of the countries were still closed.”

Then, Ricci says, China and the US began to reopen, making things feel “like the old days” again.

“You could see a lot of customers coming in during the day, shopping like in 2019,” says Ricci. “And even if we are still a bit behind in 2019 at the end of this year, I think next year it will be normal again. And we are very excited about that. “

The numbers looked promising for Ricci and Bernaschek in Vancouver thanks to increased interest in dating for both ready-to-wear and bespoke tailored suit dating. Made by a master tailor who came from Italy, the price range for handmade garments in Italy includes pants starting at $ 1,500, while sports coats start at $ 7,000.

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The Vancouver event was so successful, according to Bernaschek, that another bespoke offering has been scheduled for the boutique on November 8 and 9.

Though pleased, the popularity doesn’t necessarily surprise Ricci, who says that after so many months of dressing up, people are looking forward to finally getting dressed again.

“Since the COVID days when we used extremely comfortable things,” says Ricci. “I think there is a great return for dress suits.

“After two years of being home without parties, without going to events, without going to the office, it’s time to start wearing fancy clothes. Maybe not like before, less formal, more comfortable, but still elegant. “

Ricci says the shift to smarter gear after a crisis is in line with the way people have dressed after major world events in the past.

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“After the great crises of the 1920s and after the world war, if you look at the later period, they have been the most elegant periods of the century,” says Ricci. “After something like this, which has been an economic and human disaster, I feel like the next five years … I think people will be in the mood to look good again.”

The Vancouver boutique event kicked off something of a world tour for Ricci, whose upcoming destinations included similar wardrobe experiences at stores in Dubai, Russia and Ukraine.

As for what the Italian fashion executive hopes will resonate with customers in these international destinations, well, it’s a lot like what turned out to be popular here in Vancouver.

“I can see it in the numbers,” Ricci says simply. “We sell suits.”

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