Written by Ethan Newton
When I first decided to work with Salvatore, many people warned me against him, citing his brash manner and quick temper as reasons why he isn’t someone to trust. But knowing him, having him as my friend as well as someone whose business I work with, i have learnt a lot about him. My initial instincts were right.
I have been lucky in life to know many people from all walks of life, some that are diplomats and some that aren’t. I grew up quick tempered myself, and have long been one to take every insult to heart and every small slight as cause for vendetta. But I love with all my heart, and my friends are welcome to all of me, as they know.
Salvatore is the same. He is angry, loud, brash and quick to anger. He can talk over an entire room, and if you make him angry it feels as though you’ll have a knife in your side at any moment.
But he is the sweetest guy I know. He treats his friends like family, opening his doors and his heart fully. He wouldn’t hesitate to give you his last scrap of bread, or a piece of cloth he has been saving for himself, if he thinks it will make you happy. He is honest, genuine and incredibly generous. He is a lot like me.
Except in one respect - he is an artist. He has been molding fabric, draping it, expanding his mind and ability to comprehend style on others with the enthusiasm of a new student for 30 years. A fourth generation trouser maker in Napoli, he has been apprenticed to his father and his grandfather before since he was 8 years old. And he still cuts every trouser I wear. He presses with a skill that is like alchemy, taking my bagged and frumpy flannels and twisting their lines in to a perfect trousers again. He is, first and foremost, a tailor.
And, he is my friend.