History

Like most young men of his time, Umberto knew in order to survive in post war Europe he would need to learn a trade...

The youngest of five children and orphaned during the war, Umberto was raised by the Nuns of the "La Madonna del la Catena" orphanage. At 13 years of age the oldest of the five children married a young tailor and took Umberto into his shop as a tailors apprentice. The work was hard and his Uncle was not the most nurturing of teachers. However, Umberto proved to be an asset. And despite his Uncle's morbid view of a life outside the little seaside town of Scauri Italy, he allowed Umberto time off from the shop to travel to Florence to study the art of tailoring. Upon graduation Umberto had secretly planned his escape and applied for a passport to travel to the United States.

In 1956 Umberto was recruited to the clothing giant, Lois Roth in New York. He worked tirelessly in the warehouses that dyed huge bolts of fabrics. Umberto moved to California with the relatives who sponsored his becoming a citizen of the United States. Again, life was no picnic. His Aunt, a very religious person, did her best to drive him straight back to Scauri, but he was hooked. Like many young tailors of the period, work was plentiful. However, life behind a sewing machine was too complacent for the young Italian. At one point he held three different positions in two clothing houses while doing alterations after hours in a local cleaners.

He quickly earned a reputation as a master tailor. He soon found himself in charge of others for the first time in his life. His attention to detail and his design creativity did not escape the eyes of his employers and delighted their customers. Soon, he was called upon to troubleshoot design flaws to some of the largest makers of fine men's clothing in the world.