The most original craft gifts for Father's Day

Florence artisans perfect for a tailor-made idea for him

What could be better than a custom gift to tell someone special that they are unique? Here are the temples of Florentine craftsmanship where you can find the perfect idea for Father's Day.

TAILORING

Liverano e Liverano sartoria
Via dei Fossi, 43r
ph. +39 055 2396436
liverano.com

“Many today speak about tailoring without knowing too much about this craft, the most beautiful in the world. It takes me 70 hours to finish a piece, and I don’t use a machine for the overcast stitching. My jackets, for example, have just one pleat. The shoulder is sloped, the seams are backstitched, the sleeves have no wrinkles or creases and the sleeve head is rounded and in line with the shoulder.” These are the words of Antonio Liverano, a traditional tailor. Only he cuts the fabrics and takes the measurements, working 15-16 hours per day bent over a tailoring table, adhering still today to the principles of the old Florentine school. His clients include the most well-known men in the world of politics and economy. 

Liverano e Liverano sartoria

Sartoria Vestrucci
Via di San Niccolò, 2
ph. +39 055 0460476
vestrucci.com

After creating a legacy of pure florentine craftsmanship and style, Vestrucci sets a modern definition of the complex aesthetics of this century’s Florentine gentleman, made of harmony and balance and tastefully highlighted by a few bold accents.

Sartoria Vestrucci

TAILORED SHIRTS

Paolo Gennari
Via XX Settembre, 22
ph. +39 055 480804
paologennari.com

The production of custom-made shirts is something of a family affair for Silvia and her husband Paolo Gennari, the business having been handed down for three generations. In this little artisan workshop you can watch all the stages of preparation and creation of a shirt: each one is crafted according to the tastes and requirements of the customer, who can choose not just the fabric and the model, but may also have it personalized with embroidered initials. The shirts are distinctive for their “Rose” logo and “Handmade in Florence” label, a guarantee of the very finest quality and of the provenance of the product.  

Paolo Gennari

Simone Abbarchi - Made to measure
Borgo SS. Apostoli, 16
ph. +39 055 210552
simoneabbarchi.com

In 1987, a top Florentine craftsman gave Simone Abbarchi the chance to learn the fundamentals of the art of bespoke shirt tailoring, from design to fabric selection and attention to finishes. The store opened in 1997. The golden rules are individual tailoring with a focus on wearability and comfort, choosing collars and cuffs, and selecting from among 4,000 fabrics. The shirt is cut and ready for fitting within 24 hours with mother-of-pearl buttons whose width is chosen by the customer. Shirts can be monogrammed, always by hand.

Simone Abbarchi - Made to measure

SHOES

Stefano Bemer
Via di San Niccolò, 2
ph. +39 055 0460476
stefanobemer.com

The perfect Italian shoe: this is the ambitious goal that Stefano Bemer set himself when he opened his workshop in 1983, the same workshop where actor Daniel Day Lewis worked for a year, incognito, getting so passionate that he had to come to Martin Scorsese in person to bring him back to the world of cinema to play Gangs of New York. In a few years the brand became one of the most famous names in Italy and abroad for the technique, style and quality of its custom-made footwear. An art that today goes on inside a deconsecrated church in Via San Niccolò.

In the workshop in via San Niccolò, artisans make custom-made shoes as taught by master shoemaker Stefano Bemer

Saskia scarpe su misura
Via di Santa Lucia, 24r
ph. +39 055 293291
saskiascarpesumisura.com

Stefano Bemer was the subject of the article that led Vivian Saskia Wittmer, who was passionate about men's shoes from a very young age, to move from Germany to Florence, knocking on her store to perfect what she had already learned from one of the greatest German master shoemakers. A little white fly in an almost all-male universe that soon became so popular that today her shoes are appreciated and requested from all over the world.

Vivian Saskia Wittmer

LEATHER GOODS

Dimitri Villoresi
Via d'Ardiglione, 22
ph. +39 366 4534867
dimitrivilloresi.com

In the heart of the Florence craft district of Oltrarno lies a hidden workshop in which the most original bags and accessories are created. Dimitri’s laboratory is a secluded but welcoming place, with a simple but fascinating feel about it, where the past and the present seem to mingle with the smell of leather and the sound of the clinking of ancient tools.

Dimitri Villoresi

Furò e Punteruolo
Via del Giglio, 29r
ph. +39 055 0130427

Needles, awls, hammers, pliers and hole punches. It only takes a glance to see that this laboratory is run by experts who really know all the secrets of leathercraft. All their creations – belts, wallets, bucket bags, laptop cases - are cut by Paolo Fattori and sewn by his wife Luisa, using exclusively leathers tanned with plant products, with their graining and striation effects obtained either naturally or after a long drying.

Furò e punteruolo

PERFUMES AND BODY CARE

Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561
Via dei Servi, 80r
Via Porta Rossa, 43r
farmaciassannunziata1561.it

An ancient spice shop particularly renowned for the formulation of products for the hygiene and aesthetics of the skin, including a wide range of products designed for men. Creams and perfumes created and recommended according to principles that take into account the seasonality, climate and psychophysical state of each individual customer. Key words? Raw materials of excellent quality and meditated times. 

Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561

Sileno Cheloni
Via di S. Niccolò, 72r
ph. +39 055 0944476
silenocheloni.it

Internationally renowned master perfumer - with clients in his portfolio such as Gucci, Harrods, Richard Ginori and IWC - in his OL'Factory in the heart of Florence, Sileno Cheloni creates tailor-made fragrances and unique olfactory experiences, such as the Sensory Dinner and the Incense Ceremony. A perfumer-explorer who uses rare natural raw materials, essences and fragrances to create alchemical symphonies that are completely personal and customizable.

Sileno Cheloni

PLAQUES, MEDALS, CUFFLINKS AND OTHER ACCESSORIES

Picchiani e Barlacchi
Viale Francesco Petrarca, 118
ph. +39 055 225751
picchianiebarlacchi.it

Just accompanying him to this workshop could be a gift in itself. The history of this workshop dates back to 1902. More than a century of culture and art applied to the creation of artistic and commemorative medals, plaques, crests, trophies and many other objects dedicated to celebrating special events. The majestic archive contains more than 300,000 coinage, covering all the historical and political moments of Italy and the most prestigious competitions. Recently, this production has been joined by that of elegant accessories such as cufflinks, tie clips, button covers, but also pendants, bracelets and necklaces.

picchiani e barlacchi

EYEWEAR

Woo Class
Via dell'Orto, 23r
ph. +39 340 4090907 - +39 348 9763476
wooclass.com

In 2004, the first pair of Woo Class glasses were made. From then onwards, Lisa Gabellini’s atelier has created frames that perfectly combine stile and comfort while considering the wellbeing of the wearer. Made with at least 11 layers of natural wood, the glasses are light, flexible and durable. The manufacturing process includes meticulously forming the nose bridge by using a traditional steam method, before being followed by more than 83 steps to finish the production process. Both the regular and bespoke lines in the collection are by designer Jochen Andreas Zeh, a master of extracting the full potential of such a rich material like wood.

Woo Class

LIGHTING

Il Bronzetto
Via Romana ,151r
ph. +39 055 229288
ilbronzetto.com

Simone and Pierfrancesco Calcinai, together with their cousin Michelangelo, are the heirs to an entire generation of Florentine bronze craftsmen. Three creative artisans whose exploratory design is based on a skilful use of materials, chiefly bronze and brass, deriving from the experience that is so essential for combining artisan expertise with innovative design. Apart from their various lines, which range from artefacts in antique vein to more contemporary pieces, the workshop also produces one-off customized items. The laboratory is in Via Senese, while the showroom in Via Romana, in the heart of the Oltrarno artisan quarter. 

Il Bronzetto