”All roads lead to Rome” says the famous proverb, but one needs to “see Naples and die” said Goethe. The Parthenopean city, cradle to a thousand-year civilization, is today a phantasy for menswear enthusiasts.

These past ten years, France is home to a true “italopazzia” or “italomania”. Brands lurk opportunities to offer a garment with Neapolitan details, lacking the proper know-how. “Fatto in Italia” or the illustrious “fatto a mano a Napoli” are two guarantees of quality and style. In this modern jungle, it is sometimes difficult to find new Italian brands which offer true quality with traditional values. The young shirt-maker Vanacore Napoli is one of those brands which deserve to get out of this jungle.

Story of Vanacore Napoli

Vanacore was founded in 2010 in Portici, a few feet from the Vesuvius, thanks to the Nunziata family vision. The shirt maker springs from a long line of local sartorial tradition, but has nothing to envy from its elders.

The shirts are from illustrious cloth mills such as Monti, Canclini or even Albini. Vanacore’s website is rather cursory but their social media presence – especially on Instagram – is quite on point.

Vanacore’s true values are attention to detail with nothing being left randomly: the shirts have up to 9 hand-stitched steps, that is the moment where the hand replaces a sewing machine.

This young brands’ ambition is to offer the best quality for both a casual and a more business type wardrobe, may it be with cloths such as popeline, linen and even denim.

Together with the “pasta della Nonna”, traditions in Italy are no joke: Vanacore makes it possible for a young new clientele to be able to gain access to such precious know-how, without hurting one’s wallet.

Before I review the shirt, it is important I take a short detour and mention the cloth I chose: denim

Brief history of denim and the color indigo

Denim is a twill cotton cloth which uses two distinctive colors in the yarning process. Its’ French origin – “sergé de Nîmes” – is somewhat argued upon, but its’ robustness is legendary. In the 18th century, French weavers try to reproduce a robust cloth named “jeane” – from Genova, Italy – but instead invented sergé de Nimes, thanks to a combination of wool and silk.

The very tight weave is made from a warp originally dyed blue and an unbleached or white weft. The weft threads are interlaced at a 90-degree angle with the other threads. The weave pattern, consists of three weft threads running underneath a warp thread and then a weft thread running over the warp. Shifting this pattern over four threads leads to visible diagonal lines characteristic of twill.

Indigo. The color that characterizes denim, one of the oldest colors still produced. It means "Indian" or "from India". The pigments are native to India and date back to 3300 B.C. A natural extract of indigofera tinctorial plant, indigo is obtained following a particular process of fermentation of the plant's enzymes in water - called indoxyl - which change from yellow to indigo blue when dried.

Indigo flooded the Old Continent following the Indian voyages of the Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama in 1497. It was only in 1865 the German chemist, Adolf Von Baeyer began to search for the formula for synthesizing indigo. He succeeded in 1883, thus wide spreading its’ use around the world.

Review of the shirt

I discovered Vanacore thanks to – once again – Instagram. After a post featuring Nicola Radano, founder of Spacca Neapolis ties – wearing a blue denim shirt from the Neapolitan brand.

I was immediately won over by the deep blue shade of the shirt and especially by its generous button-down collar. I decide to reach out to the brand and I am informed that for 160 € (including shipping costs for France), it is possible to make a shirt in remote made-to-measure (see my article on Shirtonomy for the explanation). Vanacore's website only reveals the tip of the iceberg: the company offers numerous fabrics, shirt styles and a high-level of personalization.

The ordering process is very simple, as Salvatore Nunziata – one of the founders – was a big help in explaining the different stages and recommendations for the confection of the shirt. This attention to detail is what renders the experience more human and professional.

Here are the characteristics of the shirt.

• The armhole: fitted with a “mappina” – or “spalla camicia” – style shoulder, this is the one the most distinguishable Neapolitan features a shirt can have. the tailoring seam, exalted by manual stitches, allows for a unique and robust confection.

• The collar: I chose a button-down which gives the shirt a more casual vibe. The “rollino” effect is absolutely staggering: a perfect “S” silhouette.

• The yoke: the manual seam of the shoulders resolves the tension in one of the most critical points. An operation that guarantees extreme softness and robustness, this is a sign of a well handcrafted shirt.

• The cuff: these are also hand-made, with 10 stitch-points to the centimeter! A wonderful detail.

• The placket: the hand riveting of the placket represents a touch of great value of which this shirt contains.

• The buttonholes: very neatly handcrafted!

• The buttons: they are in a beautiful brown-shade of mother-of-pearl, white ones would have contrasted too thoroughly with indigo. They are sewed in a “ricamo a giglio” or “zampa di gallina” pattern, this can only be done by hand – a sign of high craftsmanship.

• The sleeve gauntlet or “travetto”: it is a reinforcement in the form of a hook stitch, at the level of the capuchin paw (a paw that starts at the wrist and generally ends in the middle of the forearm). It is executed by hand, which is almost non-existent in ready-to-wear clothing.

• The gusset: a small triangle that joins together the two parts - front and back - of the shirt, guaranteeing its sturdiness.

All these handcrafted stitches render this shirt a truly unique piece.

Regarding the fit, it is very comfortable and allows me to easily execute large and continuous movements. Vanacore considers the fact that denim might shrink a few millimeters after a first wash, so you don't end up with a shirt that is too tight and has lost its original shape.

Conclusion

The Vanacore button-down denim shirt is a unique piece of Italian and especially Neapolitan craftsmanship. This shirt won't remain immaculate for long: with successive washings - always on a delicate program and never in the tumble dryer - it will gain a wonderful patina and will thus reveal the splendor of the indigo denim fabric.

Although denim is a casual cloth by essence, nothing prevents you from wearing this shirt with a tie, the Italian way.
Finally, I would like to point out that Vanacore offers a wide range of styles as well as shirt fabrics, not all of which can be found on their website. Simply contact them - by email or via Instagram - to find out more.

I can only recommend Vanacore to anyone who wants a taste of a real Neapolitan shirt, "fatta a Napoli".