Italian-born Andrea Benedini will be the special visitor of Victor Dash, the namesake of Dashs mens boutique at 1114 King Street, April 4, 5 and 6. For those three days well be rolling back the prices to 2007 for fittings, Dash said.
Mr. Benedini is the great-grandson of Luigi Bianchi, who was the founder of the Lubiam suiting line. Recently at Dashs (Benedini comes in twice a year, according to the owner), Lubiam aficionados circled around Mr. Benedini as he spoke about the proud past of his great-grandfathers company and the future of suiting.
Lubiam was founded by Luigi Bianchi in 1911 in the town of Mantova, Italy, and it quickly found a niche in the suiting world. As it grew in popularity, Lubiam was the first to utilize the system of chain production and soon became the towns largest employer. Almost 100 years later, Lubiam continues to operate out of Mantova and has resisted the urge to move to Milan like many of its competitors.
A sit-down with Mr. Benedini helped explain why. For him, it is the connection between quality and price that sets Lubiam apart. Indeed, as Mr. Benedini sees it, for that price point, there is no better quality. It is important to Benedini to retain that original founding spirit of Lubiam as well as to provide employment to the town of Mantova and that is why the factory will remain as it is. As he sees it, his promotion and expansion of the Lubiam brand in North American markets is imperative to cementing this job stability.
Does he wear the Lubiam line? Of course, always!
Benedini estimates that he owns about 25 suits but that number is increasing. What should every man have in his closet? According to Benedini, you need a classic suit in either navy or charcoal. Later on you can incorporate stripes. What makes a good suit? Fit. Always fit and comfort, asserts Benedini.
As the sustained interest of office casual has forced mens suiting to adapt and to re-invent itself, Benedini sees mens fashion becoming more and more casual. Luckily for Benedini and for Lubiam lovers, it will be some time before casual wear stages its final takeover.
