Known as one of the world’s finest shoemakers, Berluti has become one of the chicest collections in menswear, worn here by Mr Didier Vinson.

When Mr Alessandro Sartori prepares coffee in his apartment in Paris’ 8th arrondissement, Berluti’s design guru does it in a traditional and precise way. “At home I use mineral water and coffee from Italy, and I use an old Neapolitan coffee machine called a caffettiera napoletana,” he says. “It’s very simple, you put water in the bottom, you put a couple of spoons of coffee in the filter in the middle and you put it on the stove. When the water is boiling it goes up through the coffee, little by little, and when it’s almost ready, maybe 90%, I stop the heat so the last part doesn’t burn, and then I have a nice cup of coffee in the morning.”

Mr Sartori, it’s safe to say, is a perfectionist, and his painstaking attention to detail is applied in equal measure to the preparation of his morning coffee and to the clothes he designs for the revered Paris-based label. There’s a connection between Mr Sartori’s approach in the kitchen, and the fact that in the three years since he was appointed to the role of artistic director the brand has forged an unrivalled reputation for combining the highest levels of craftsmanship with the finest materials and a strikingly contemporary attitude. In the words of Mr Sartori, the clothes are made “for a man who’s in love with style but wants to be modern”.

Mr Alessandro Berluti, who founded the brand in 1895, was himself a very modern figure. He travelled from his home on Italy’s Adriatic coast to Paris, where he set up a bespoke boot-making workshop. His son, Mr Torello Berluti, succeeded him, and made shoes for men including the playwright and artist Mr Jean Cocteau. Mr Talbinio Berluti, Mr Alessandro Berluti’s grandson, came next and he introduced ready-to-wear shoes in 1959, which attracted the patronage of men including the film director Mr Jean-Luc Godard. The same year a young cousin, Ms Olga Berluti, joined the firm, and her stylish designs and landmark use of colour and patina drew in a new generation of customers, which included Mr Andy Warhol, who lent his name to a loafer with an elegant, chiselled toe.

Ms Berluti still works for the firm, even though the ownership has passed to another dynasty, France’s Arnault family, under who Berluti has flourished. However, according to Mr Sartori it all comes back to the shoes. “I take inspiration from the shoes. It’s very interesting to start from the bottom [of an outfit] because you can really build on a solid base. I like to work with masculine shoes with a beautiful strong shape, such as our Alessandro and Lorenzo models.” The designer goes on to describe in careful detail how he builds the Berluti silhouette around the shoes. “I like narrow trousers, which do not need to be skinny; I like it when the trousers are sitting on the shoe, with two or three little creases, showing long and lean legs. And on top of that a small jacket with natural shoulders, maybe a leather bomber or a blouson to keep that tight silhouette at the top.”

It’s telling that Mr Sartori mentions casual clothes (or, to use his phrase, “sportswear”) rather than tailoring when he describes the Berluti silhouette. He says, “I’ve never thought that there is a wall between sportswear and classic clothes. I always like to mix things, including taking cashmere fabrics that are normally used for jackets and using them for bombers.” It’s this approach that first convinced Berluti’s CEO, Mr Antoine Arnault, to employ Mr Sartori, who recalls how, during their first meeting, the pair chatted about “the needs of the chic, modern men of today”. These men, he says, are “international men, they could be from London, New York, Milan or Hong Kong. They travel, they need the clothes to perform, but they want them to have a beautiful line.”

Modern men need modern clothes, according to Mr Sartori, who gives the example of a pale grey cashmere gilet, which is rendered water-repellent through the use of a sophisticated enzyme treatment. “It performs,” he says. “It has a sweater feel, but it’s technical. This is not a garment that comes from the past, it’s a new garment.” Perhaps his greatest achievement is to have reconciled luxurious levels of comfort with a contemporary shape. “Normally when you get the shape the clothes aren’t comfortable, or you get the soft touch but a more voluminous shape. I like to have a long, lean shape and at the same time a beautiful hand.”

While talking Mr Sartori conveys his deep knowledge and understanding of men’s style. But he’s a rounded character, enthusiastic about the music he loves (Placebo, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode and Hurts are mentioned) and his appreciation of vintage furniture. He also discusses a broad range of artistic influences, from the work of the pioneering German photographer Mr August Sander, to a recent exhibition by the American conceptual artist Ms Kaari Upson.

However, Mr Sartori’s greatest passion, it seems, is for the craftsmanship that goes into the finest men’s clothes. He talks with real feeling about how he works with an atelier in Turin that normally produces bespoke tailoring, but is handmaking shoulders and hand sewing buttonholes for Berluti’s casual jackets. The subject inspires Mr Sartori to summarise his approach to design. “A tailor-made attitude, construction and fabrics, even for sportswear. That’s how we give the pieces a Berluti flavour.” The designer’s metaphor takes us back to the kitchen, where the conversation started, and that seems apt. Mr Sartori has used a combination of first-class ingredients, diligent hand work and superb taste to produce a modern collection that is second to none. Men in search of clothes that balance a contemporary need for performance with a timeless emphasis on elegance need look no further.

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