LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
BESPOKE REDEFINED
Italian luxury designer Matteo Perin provides bespoke services for those who like enviable, one-of-a-kind, individualized private service with the best quality materials one can source.
Matteo, Photographed by Aaron Meekcoms
Lifestyle designer Matteo Perin and I formally introduced ourselves approximately five years ago. He had just finished placing the final touches on the iconic Hollywood star John Travolta’s suit for the movie where he portrayed “The Dapper Don” and whom he has dressed on and off screen for nearly a decade. At the time, he was designing a luggage set for a high-profile client (who shall not be named), 47,000 feet in the air on a private jet.
Perplexed then, I asked Matteo precisely what a lifestyle designer is and why he considers himself one. He answered, “I consider myself a lifestyle designer, which means I make not only clothing for men and women but also luggage, jewelry, and anything else related to their life. In short, I visit and meet the person face to face, talk a lot about various subjects, and genuinely get to know the person as best I can. I want to know what are their likes and dislikes and why. Once I have a good idea of who they are, we review what to design first and get started. Measurements are taken, sketches are drawn, and patterns are made. We then fit each pattern or look it over if it is not clothing, and then I get the item made and personally hand-deliver it to the client.”
“Beautiful and unique things take time, and time is money. A happy client at the end of the day is the ‘key’ – especially since most of my work is from referrals. It’s a niche situation working with those who can afford and appreciate things being made just for them by skilled artisans in Italy, all by hand. Like it used to be. There is no limit to the creations, details, or designs. In this fast-paced world where anyone with money can buy anything they want, I offer the opposite: a uniquely specialized service that offers bespoke pieces designed to complement a person’s lifestyle. Who would not want to know that what they have is so unique? A one-of-a-kind.”
The definition of a Renaissance Man, Matteo has conquered the fashion world with an underground sort of preciseness. Many of his clients are referred and not referred by just anyone. It reminded me of the early 2000s when you needed to be someone and referred by someone, and of course, dressed the part to enter New York’s hotspot, The Pink Elephant. If Matteo outfits you, you have arrived in fashion heaven.
Photographed By: Angelo Lanza
Matteo Fitting, Photographed by Aaron Meekcoms
Danny Huston & Matteo Perin, Photographed by Thorsten Overgaard
When not in Italy sourcing materials and ensuring the quality of his designs are precisely met as intended, he is globe trotting from Asia to Russia or Europe to North America to meet with clients. But today’s success came from hard work and dedication, not nepotism.
“I come from a small town about 15 kilometers west of Verona and 15 east of Lake Garda,” he recalls. “My family was not wealthy. Everyone worked hard and long hours. And that instilled in me a great sense of discipline and work ethic. My great-grandfather and my grandmother were great inspirations. My great-grandfather was always dressed in a 3-piece suit with a shirt, tie, hat, and cane. Even at the late age of 96, when he’d come to pick the peaches off the trees in the summer, he would take off his jacket, undo his tie, roll up his sleeves, and get to work. It was fascinating to me.”
Stanley Clarke, Blue Note MIlano
Matteo, Photographed by Andrea Raffin
Sofia Milos, Photographed by Thorsten Overgaard
“My grandmother was very stylish as well. You would have thought she was royalty if you did not know who she was. She had this glamour about her – very elegant and stylish every day. Both she and my mother always supported my creativity, which helped. Even at a young age, I was very independent. That and my family’s advice instilled the values that I have today. I do have to say that I am a romantic. I miss the values that we are losing. There used to be a certain etiquette about living and dealing with people in life. But I feel that it is slipping away slowly. I sometimes see it being searched for again, which makes me happy.”
Today the Matteo Perin brand has expanded, and I know his family is truly proud. He has gone beyond the usual wardrobe, luggage, and jewelry to accouterments for luxury automobiles, yachts, and private jets. And this Spring, he will take the U.S. by storm with eight unique trunk shows. If you enjoy having a fire-roasted seafood tower for a random Sunday brunch without the adjacent table’s guest wearing the same outfit or bag, then call Matteo.