It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is up and about, and preparing for a new season… As are we!

Sure, we’re holding out hope for the stubborn dregs of summer weather to stretch out for a few more weeks or so, but there’s also no time like the present to look ahead to the Fall/Winter period and prepare our wardrobes with some toasty layering.

For this, we – among many others, including Alexa Chung, Margherita Missoni and Lea Seydoux – are looking to Giuliva Heritage Collection, the self-titled ‘dream project’ of husband-and-wife duo Margherita Cardelli and Gerardo Cavaliere that resurrects the art of traditional Neapolitan tailoring. Trousers and waistcoats are sewn completely by hand, meanwhile a sweeping coat crafted in Italian, English and Scottish fabrics, clocks in at 70% handmade construction – in other words, ‘as bespoke as it can be for ready to wear’.

Take shelter from the autumnal showers, and let Margherita Cardelli explain exactly why Giuliva Heritage Collection is the outerwear brand you’ll be donning this season.


How did Giuliva Heritage Collection first come about?
Two years ago, on a weekend in Fall, my husband and I were walking in Campo Imperatore; I was wearing his navy double-breasted coat. From the colours to the thickness of the fabric in contrast with the dry grass, we both loved everything about that moment.

We (myself and Gerardo, my husband) thought about working on a capsule of six classic coats, starting from Gerardo’s menswear tailoring business Sartoria Giuliva – this would be known as Giuliva Heritage Collection, because we’d create timeless styles that could be passed through the generations.

As well as this timelessness, the Made In Italy story is also a hugely influential aspect of your brand, isn’t it?
All of the collection is designed in our atelier in Rome, and all of it is crafted and realised in Naples by the talented hands of our master tailors. Giuliva Heritage Collection is our dream project, all made in Italy using the best quality of natural fabrics and the handmade Neapolitan tailoring tradition; this is the main focus of the collection, and it has a strong character because of it.


Passing handmade pieces from generation to generation is an incredibly sustainable way of living. Is this a new philosophy for you?
Gerardo has always lived in this way. Since he was a child, everything he wears has been handmade and hand sewn… I don’t think he’s worn a zip in his entire life!

We both believe in buying less, but buying better. We love how things were done many years ago; workmanship of the past was, without exception, better. Every detail always had a reason. We try our best to do the same with our own collections. Our hope is to sell timeless pieces that can be passed through the generations – it’s why we focus on classic silhouettes that can continue to be defined as ‘modern luxury’.

As well as these classic silhouettes and your pursuit of ‘modern luxury’, how else would you describe the aesthetic of Giuliva Heritage Collection?
Giuliva Heritage Collection is the sister brand of Gerardo’s Sartoria Giuliva – a menswear made-to-measure business that he founded in 2012. Everything we do is inspired by the handmade techniques of classical Neapolitan tailoring tradition. Personally, I’ve always loved wearing men’s clothes; they can be sexy and feminine, and entirely contemporary.

Our work is the mirror of our lifestyle and being. Gerardo and I do what we do, because we stay entirely true to ourselves. The enthusiasm that we put into our lives reflects entirely in our work.

Discover La Dolce Vita of outerwear! Shop Giuliva Heritage Collection here:



In case you missed it, Caroline Issa is talking sustainable denim – and why you should care