It was believed for years that traditional tailoring was a lost – very rich and unique – art in Portugal, due to the lack of apprentices and to the huge communication gap between the last masters of manufacture and the introduction of new styles and faster and cheaper techniques of the new generation of – now called – fashion designers.

Ayres Gonçalo and João Paulo Rodrigues, both talented apprentices of the best tailors, launched the ‘Laboratorio di Sartoria’ in Oporto, where they make fine handmade custom tailoring with prices ranging from 2 to 8 thousand euros.

This duo of tailors became a relief to the last surviving masters by reinserting this ancient and precious art back to the fashion business, revisited with the madness and irreverence of today’s fashion.

No one wants to dwell on the past but, at the same time, tradition is important for those who want to achieve authenticity, mixing excellence with uniqueness, while preserving what is ours and what we do best. And yes, clients are actually paying that price for authenticity and to be authentic!