Shielded from the bustling streets of the arty Brera district, Camilla Zermini, a former marketing professional, has been plotting the launch of her Suit Up brand out of her tiny atelier. Aimed at honoring the kimono and the Japanese workwear jacket as timeless wardrobe builders, along the same lines as a tailored blazer or trucker jacket, she has reinvented the style by way of fabrics sourced from deadstock and vintage textile archives.
Done in mohair, cashmere, wool, silk or viscose, some one-of-a-kind, others manufactured in small quantities, Suit Up’s jackets are crafted by Milan-based seamstresses and tailors working at cooperative companies. They are cut in different silhouettes, from the short versions catering to women and men alike to longer, robe-like styles. Working to modernize the garment for the sake of practicality, she revisited some of the kimono’s key features, including the obi belts adapted with easy-to-adjust fasteners.
“I love Japan and have traveled to the country very often, buying vintage kimonos that I would bring to Italy. They are very rooted in the country’s culture and have remained almost identical over time. There’s little fashion about them, but I’m hoping my project can help shed a new, modern light on them,” Zermini said.
Priced between 450 and 750 euros, the collection can be purchased at her atelier inside the storied Palazzo Crivelli, as well as online at the brand’s e-commerce and a handful of retailers. Starting in January, Zermini is hoping to link with a Milan-based showroom to boost wholesale distribution and develop merchandise in adjacent territories, including pants to match with the workwear jacket, for example.
