"Tutte le strade portano a Roma" - all roads lead to Rome, Caput Mundi. No fewer than eight consular roads linked the Roman capital to the provinces: via Aurelia, Cassia, Flaminia, Salaria, Tiburtina, Casilina, Appia and Ostiense. These arteries still exist today, some modernized and others symbolizing the remains of one of the greatest empires of all time. The influence of this empire's culture, language and customs is latent in modern Italy. Latin has given way to Italian, cobblestones to freeways and senators' togas to suits. Italy's best ambassador is surely its craftsmanship, which many envy and draw inspiration from. And so, in 2020, a brilliant newcomer to the sartorial world showcased his know-how inherited from Italy. Kim Min Soo, a Korean master tailor for over 15 years, founded Assisi Bespoke Tailors in Seoul and set out to conquer Europe.

Let’s have a closer look at this Korean tailoring rising-star, making us want to wear patterned jackets.

The story of a Parisian encounter

In September 2022, we met members of The Decorum Bangkok at the opening of the new Jacques Solovière boutique at 108 boulevard du Cherche-Midi in the VIème district. Ball Warong, visionary co-founder of the Thai store featuring cutting-edge brands, agreed to take part in our Readers' Attire feature. On the day of the shoot, Ball was wearing a jacket by Florentine house Liverano, but when we met, he told me about a Korean tailor with a promising career: Assisi. Regular trunkshows at The Decorum have helped Assisi gain a well-deserved attention and reputation.

One year later, in June 2023, Ball and his very stylish business associate Guy (@master_keynes) came to Paris to support the young Korean tailor in his first trunkshow. It was only natural that we - Thomas, Mathieu and I - should revisit Ball and meet Kim Dabin (@kimdabin), the young tailor representing Assisi. What a meeting! I was immediately fascinated by the suits, a cross between Milanese and Florentine influences.

We had to feature Assisi on our website. I decided to commission a jacket.

A few months later, on October 6 and 7, Assisi returned to Paris for another trunkshow. Kim welcomed us in a Parisian apartment rented for the occasion in the Marais district, and we were able to chat and take the photos you'll discover in this article.

A word about Kim: he's always dressed soberly and tastefully. On this day, he wore a very elegant tennis-striped suit in dark tones.

Assisi: Italian influence with Korean flair

Master tailor Kim Min Soo is self-taught, but learned the art of tailoring in Milan from Paulo Rentini. The Korean team comprises six tailors, all trained by master tailor Kim Min Soo, and a manager. Assisi's offer is twofold: bespoke and the less expensive made-to-measure. While grande-mesure had already been covered by an English blog, demi-mesure had not. So Kim and I agreed to make a made-to-measure jacket in the fabric of my choice.

I wanted an informal jacket and a fabric with a certain allure. I naturally turned to a gunclub pattern, a fabric featuring a succession of small squares punctuated by polychrome lines. It's a deadstock fabric from Drapers Italy. This means these precise colors are hard to find, which makes it a unique jacket. The photos in this article are worth more than a thousand words.

Assisi bears an Italian name - in homage to the eponymous Umbria town and the sartorial Italian savoir-faire - but injects signature details into the construction of its jackets. One of these, for example, is the slightly turned shoulder that facilitates mobility, as well as a slightly pronounced cigarette. The more extended shoulders are a signature mark, and help to shape the build, thanks also to the high armhole. Surely, Assisi didn't invent this, but incorporates it with precision when taking measurements, this is highly appreciated.

A Korean jacket on Parisian shoulders

I'm particularly fond of the innovative approach from Asian sartorial houses which we have covered on Les Indispensables. This is undoubtedly because they are not bound by a specific style or convention, and so decide to take various elements from this or that country and turn them into something else. The low lapel notch or the slightly wider shoulders are all elements that Assisi has adopted and perpetuated for their "house cut". Once again, I'd like to emphasize that they have not invented anything, but have made their own all these elements shaping the sartorial universe. It's not a question of deconstructing the jacket to know exactly how it's made from every angle, but more of appreciating the final result. And we truly love the final result.

A personal attraction in the jacket's rendering is the rather drooping shoulders. Having naturally this morphology, I find that this detail makes the sartorial composition more natural and less "costumy-like", in the sense that it becomes one with the wearer. You only have to pass through Kim's hands when taking measurements to understand the care taken to achieve this final fit. The cut is close to the body, emphasizing the silhouette. The jacket marks the waist without constricting it.

Coincidentally, British brand Drake's was also in the capital for a pop-up at the same time as the Assisi trunkshow - you can read our article in French here – and I was delighted to receive compliments on my jacket from all the Drake's salespeople! It made a definite impact, proving that this piece doesn't leave anyone indifferent.

A jacket for every day

Definitely the jacket I get the most compliments on, it's become a wardrobe essential. The gunclub pattern is perfect for casual wear, but can also be paired with a shirt, tie and loafers.

Assisi's tour de force is to create a simple, elegant garment with a certain panache. An indispensable.

Bonus: when receiving my piece Mathieu took the opportunity to try out some of their jackets samples, the result in images below.