“Sartoria” is the Italian word for atelier in French and can translate as a designer studio, a tailor or seamstress shop, and/or an artist’s workroom.Traditionally, a sartoria was where men and women went to purchase made-to-measure attire; hence, the English word ‘sartorial’.
My grandmother was a sarta (‘seamstress’), specializing in the lost art of making lace with a tombolo, which consisted of a cushion with a formation of nails that were attached to wooden bobbins with strings. She held about 50 bobbins in her hands and dexterously wove them in and out of her fingers to weave the lace.
In Cagliari, there still exist several sartorie or ateliers, including Mario Cau, who opened his doors to local men and women in 1962. His son, Maurizio, has managed the productions of shirts since 1986.
Mario Cau stands for elegance as he designs for professional men who want to dress diversely in classic sophistication, whether at work or play.
Keeping up with the times, Mario Cau has automated his “made to measure” by providing faraway clients the opportunity to insert their measurements online and receive the same traditional sartorial treatment that the locals have enjoyed for decades.
Photo Copyright Mario Cau.
