Artisans of Naples & Amalfi Coast 2015

LAURA MORELLI ’S AUTHENTIC ARTS Gloves guanti Up until the 1960s, the Sanità district of Naples was a hub of artisanal glovemaking. Asian manufacturers and local economic pressures sent most of these enterprises out of business and today, few artisanal glove makers carry the torch of the tradition. NAPLES Omega srl via Stella, 12 081/299041 www.omegasrl.com omegant@tin.it Mauro Squillace is passionate about carrying on his family’s century-old trade of making buttery soft leather gloves lined with silk and cashmere. Squillace does a brisk international wholesale trade in his signature gloves, made from highquality leather and stitched together with the help of old-fashioned, pedal-operated sewing machines. In homes across the city, women who once worked in the city’s glove workshops and have honed their craft over decades carry out the hand-finished details. Although the business operates behind the scenes from the top floor of an eighteenth-century building and does not have a retail storefront, individual and small group visits can be arranged in advance. If you want a custom-made pair of gloves or an intimate look at the historical craft of Neapolitan glove-making, it’s worth the extra planning.