Men of the Cloth is an inspiring portrait of three humble and accomplished Italian master tailors whose work exudes elegance and style. The film gives us a window into the past, present and future of custom tailoring, a craft whose roots are in the Italian Renaissance but whose branches extend from small towns in the Apennine Mountains of Italy and the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily, all the way to New York's Madison Avenue and the suburbs of Philadelphia. Now in the twilight of their careers, artisans Nino Corvato, Checchino Fonticoli and Joe Centofanti have a passionate devotion to their Old World craft that is akin to a religion. As they confront the decline of the apprentice system they fear that their Old World knowledge will vanish with them. Enter Joe Genuardi, a tailoring apprentice who reflects the resurgence of popular interest in artisanal craftsmanship as an alternative to corporate mass production, providing hope for the future of this craft.
Learn more about the film here.
In English and Italian, with English subtitles.
On Friday, July 11, at 3:30 p.m. director/producer Vicki Vasilopoulos will participate in a Q&A and will be joined by 'The Bespokeman' John De Laurentiis (founder of Le Firme Italian Designer Fashions), and retired master tailor Nello Sansone (former head tailor, Harry Rosen).
On Friday, July 11, at 6:15 p.m. director/producer Vicki Vasilopoulos will participate in a Q&A and will be joined by 'The Bespokeman' John De Laurentiis (founder of Le Firme Italian Designer Fashions), and master tailor Senior Francesco (Francesco Sr. Bespoke).
On Sunday, July 13, at 8:45 p.m. director/producer Vicki Vasilopoulos will participate in a Q&A and will be joined by 'The Bespokeman' John De Laurentiis (founder of Le Firme Italian Designer Fashions), master tailor Isaac Ely (owner, Isaac Ely Bespoke), and master tailor Sebastian Deluca (owner, Sebastian Tailors).
On Monday, July 14, at 8:45 p.m., Wednesday, July 16, at 9:15 p.m, and Thursday, July 17, at 6:30 p.m. The Bespokeman' John De Laurentiis (founder of Le Firme Italian Designer Fashions) and master tailor Sebastian Deluca (owner, Sebastian Tailors) will participate in Q&As. Also on Wednesday, Victor Acappella of Acappella clothing in Toronto, will participate in a Q&A. They will be joined by director/producer Vicki Vasilopoulos via Skype.
On Thursday, July 17,
at 6:30 p.m., Terry Beauchamp, proprietor of Walter Beauchamp Tailors, and Robert Ott, chair and associate professor, School of Fashion at
Ryerson University, will participate in a Q&A.
Co-presented by Italian Contemporary Film Festival.