To wear a Barone shirt is to wear the pride of a people and identify with its heritage. Carefully selected strands crafted into truly remarkable designs form the identity of the house, defining it as the only remaining guardian of an unrivalled shirting experience.
For the purest form of expression, we allow you the privilege of a true African experience. Cultured motifs and shapely designs all drawn from the origins and practices of the continent accord you a rarified identity projection.
Stringing along years of craft, study and mastery, Barone’s philosophy is one with Africa and its people.
Engaging with well-versed craftspeople and creatives is perhaps the most defining aspect of Barone.
This has allowed an extended appeal throughout the world, benefiting wearers with the distinction accompanying each creation.
The realization of a Barone shirt is the reward of a long, insightful journey, filled with emotion, passion and skill. All our shirts are born from an involving but worthy process that spans from material inspection to finishing and packaging.
Fabric Inspection
Before being spread for cutting, the fabric is first spread for inspection. The weight is checked to ensure it matches supplier description. Trims, length and dimensions are then reestablished to ensure a direct correlation to the indicated values. Defective sections of the spread are mapped out and segregated from the remainder of the fabric and by use of an inspection lens, discrepancies in weave are traced out using a chalk and scale for separation.
Pattern Making
Given the limited scale of production, a guide (sample) shirt is first cut and made to analyze for fit and drape. Corrections are made where necessary and a new shirt created from the effected adjustments. The same is repeated across the size distribution and from these samples, also called masters, patterns are developed. The drawn out figures are then spread for direct use against the laid sheets of fabric.
Cutting the fabric
Prior to cutting, the plies of fabric are laid out such that the patterns on each underlying sheet are in perfect unison with the ones above it. This is important for ensuring visual harmony after construction of the shirt. Checks have to match and intersect precisely while garment components such as pockets have to blend in with the overall pattern of the fabric without a discord.
Stitching and construction
After cutting, the fusible parts are first made to completion, these mainly include the collars, plackets and cuffs. They are followed by the making of the back and front as well as the sleeves before final assemblage.
By use of multiple talents, the assembly of a shirt can end up taking more than a day if done by a single artisan or a dozen hours if done by a collective. Different hands specialize in different sets of steps and in the end, a single shirt may involve the talents of up to ten tailors, usually more.
The Finishing
In this stage, the shirt’s functional components are put in place to complete the form of the shirt. At Barone, all finishing processes (except for buttonholes) are done by hand to achieve the desired resilience and performance of hand-sewn elements.
If required, the shirt is washed to give the desired hand feel and look. This is especially important for blended fabrics to ease the stiffness of the fibres and allow for a free drape.
Quality Control
Using our keenest eye, every shirt spun from the production line is individually inspected for meandering seams, loose buttons, hanging threads or other incomplete processes. Size grading is done to ensure the proper dimensions of the shirt and the right correlation to the size chart. Defective pieces are identified and segregated into mendable and unamendable lots. Irreversibly defective pieces are forwarded for discard while the correctable ones are restored to the production line for correction.
Packaging
With a purposefully sturdy board, all shirts are neatly folded into place to assume the shape of the box. The iconic Barone band is looped around each piece to secure the fold and the bundle carefully dipped into a reinforced cardboard box that remains its shelter until it meets its owner.
Luxury is born from time
There cannot be a luxury without the element of time.
Yours Truly,
The finest
