Slowear - Casual Clothes for Leisurely Enjoyment

Take Your Time with Slowear

The Italian Slowear project - Italian clothing brands uniting as a direct alternative to fast fashion - espouses quality, workmanship and timeless appeal. A casual clothing equivalent to the Slowfood movement. We've featured Slowear a few times, and I've campaigned tirelessly (in my thoughts) for something similar in the UK. Actually, think of The Tweed Pig as the Slow Everything Movement.

Italian men's clothing can be too much of a good thing, like an over-egged cake. A perfectly decent shirt may be given two collars and covered in buttons in inappropriate places sewn with multi-coloured threads.

That's certainly not the case with Slowear. The effort is directed into the quality of the construction and materials. Brioni and Loro Piana have a similar ethos. Everything's wearable.

Slowear clothes are intended to be enjoyed for a long time. You stand out a little from the crowd, not too much, but just enough, like an exquisite bas-relief. This reminds me of the Beau Brummel quote:

"If John Bull turns around to look at you, you are not well dressed; but either too stiff, too tight, or too fashionable".

Each Slowear brand has its specialism: Montedero for outer wear, Zanone for sweaters and polo shirts, Glanshirt for shirts and Incotex for trousers. RED is their collective experimental line.

Picture One (Top)

• Montedero three-button jacket in Cheviot tweed.
• Zanone Merino wool crew neck sweater with Jacquard design.
• Glanshirt military-style shirt with buttoned breast patch pockets and 3 button cuffs in gabardine cotton.
• Incotex RED 5-pocket trousers in garment-dyed soft open-weave velvet.

Picture Two

• Montedero RED double-breasted wool jacket with four patch pockets.
• Zanone virgin wool crew neck sweater.
• Glanshirt RED shirt with with round-tipped collar, square cuffs and square buttons in 88% cotton, 7% linen and 5% wool.
• Incotex 1951 trousers in yarn-dyed flannel.

Picture Three

• Montedero three-button blazer with patch pockets and double vents in Shetland wool.
• Zanone garment-dyed Merino wool sweater.
• Glanshirt shirt in Oxford cotton.
• Incotex 1951 tartan trousers in yarn-dyed cotton.

Tweedy's Thought: Models smoking and smiling certainly adds a welcome touch of dolce vita to proceedings.