Angelo Litrico, a Sicilian firstborn of 12 children born to a family of fishermen, moves to Rome to realize his dream. He is only 18 years old, comes from Catania, and in life, he has one certainty: with his tailoring skills, learned in a workshop from a Catania tailor since the age of 8, he wants to dress the most important men in the world.

Starting with very few lire in his pocket, but with a mind full of dreams, he immediately begins working with a position at “Atelier Marinelli,” located at Via Sicilia 51, in Rome. A sign of destiny for a Sicilian emigrated to Rome?

Angelo Litrico takes over the tailor shop that had hired him and renames it “Sartoria Litrico.” Via Sicilia 51 is a small shop located a few steps from Via Veneto, a central street where the Italian Dolce Vita was flourishing in those years.

From here, the first steps of his ascent to success begin. With him, Sartoria Litrico will be among the first to hold men’s fashion shows and will be among the founding members of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion.

Angelo Litrico goes to the Opera House with the intent of meeting show business personalities. He buys a first-class ticket, which gives him access to the “foyer” during the interval.

Not having a tuxedo, he gathers some leftover green fabric and sews it to measure, putting his flair into it. As recounted in the pages of “La Tribuna del Mezzogiorno” (1966), his outfit catches the attention of Vittorio Gassman and Rossano Brazzi, who order eight suits and will be his loyal clients from then on, opening doors to other celebrities of the time. Since 1956, Litrico has been called the “Tailor of the Dolce Vita.”

Following a letter of introduction that he had written to the Premier of the Communist Party of the former USSR, Nikita Khrushchev, Angelo Litrico receives an official invitation for a trade mission to Russia as a representative of Italian fashion.

He leaves on August 26, 1957, along with an Italian delegation. It is the first time a tailor has been given this importance, and Angelo Litrico does not want to miss this opportunity. Before leaving, he makes a custom coat for the then-Russian first secretary, based only on the photographs that arrived in our country.

Once the coat reached the recipient, Khrushchev fell in love with it to such an extent that he ordered an entire wardrobe from Angelo Litrico, including shoes, in view of his upcoming engagement at the UN in New York.

This is the first step in the internationalization of the Litrico name, and Sartoria Litrico will be the first Maison in the world to hold a fashion show in Russia (Dior followed in 1959).

At the United Nations in New York, on October 12, 1960, Nikita Khrushchev dressed in Litrico, violently and repeatedly banged Litrico’s shoe on his table during a speech, drawing everyone’s attention, media included, and becoming a style symbol.

At the end of the meeting, journalists interview the Soviet Premier, asking him why he dressed so well, in “Western” style, and he replied that for the purpose of “thawing the Cold War,” he had chosen the Italian Sartoria Litrico. The next day, newspapers around the world, in 37 different languages, headline that Sartoria Litrico with its scissors has cut the iron curtain.

On “Il Messaggero” (1960), it reads that Angelo Litrico had created three other suits for the other three representatives who would be present at the UN council: Eisenhower, Macmillan, and De Gaulle. The tailor’s intent was to unite the Greats of a still divided world and begin to weave lasting contacts with the most prominent international figures.

The birth of Italian men’s prêt-à-porter – Signing of the Lebole–Litrico agreement at Villa Vasari – Florence, October 11, 1960.
In the magnificent and splendid setting of Villa Vasari, in Tregozzano, graciously made available by the owners, the Counts Scolari, a significant event in the field of men’s fashion took place.
For the first time in Italy, this agreement brought together a fashion master and the ready-to-wear industry. Master tailor Angelo Litrico on one side, and Messrs. Giovanni and Mario Lebole for “Lebole Confezioni” on the other, signed an agreement for the industrial production of suits designed by Sartoria Litrico.
As noted by numerous Italian and international newspapers, this was an exceptional event – never before in Italy had a renowned fashion tailor lent his name and personal prestige to an industrial product.
Naturally, Angelo Litrico would not have agreed to such a deal if “Lebole” had not met specific requirements – technical equipment, fabric quality (approved by Litrico himself), and the high standard of workmanship.
The birth of “DOUBLE ELLE” (the Lebole–Litrico partnership) was, therefore, of particular importance, binding both parties to a significant commitment.
Immediately after the signing at Villa Vasari, the high quality of the designs presented during a private fashion show held in honor of the authorities and international press representatives, fully validated this collaboration.

Angelo Litrico is not only the tailor of great leaders but has also opened the paths of the four continents to all Italian fashion brands, becoming an active player in Made in Italy around the world.

He dresses John F. Kennedy, Juan Perón, Dwight D. Eisenhower, King Hussein of Jordan, Juscelino Kubitschek, Pope Paul VI, King Umberto, President Sandro Pertini, and many others, as well as great artists like Manzù, Carpi, Consagra, D’Orazio, Mastroianni, Caron, Greco, Cagli, Guttuso; poets like Rafael Alberti, Quasimodo, Ungaretti; conductors like Schippers, Sinopoli, Caracciolo, Pani, Gelmetti; actors, directors, singers like Richard Burton, John Houston, Rossano Brazzi, Amedeo Nazzari, Vittorio Gassman, Domenico Modugno, athletes like Bjorn Borg and Paulo Roberto Falcao.

He begins to be defined as “the Dior of European men’s fashion.” Angelo Litrico is appointed by the Italian Presidency: Knight of Labor in ’62, Officer in ’65, Commander in ’68, and Grand Officer in ’72.

EVEN THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN DECIDED TO DRESS IN ITALY
Litrico was also the first Italian Maison to sign a “Brand License” agreement with Japan, specifically with the Japanese company “Toyo Rayon.”
After becoming globally known for making a coat for Khrushchev, Litrico established his style even in the land of the <Kimono>. Today, he receives eighteen million yen a year in royalties from Tokyo tailors.
(… Among the memorable moments of Litrico’s career was the time, after dressing the Emperor and others, when he taught an intensive course — in Sicilian dialect — on Japanese television, demonstrating his VIP line tailoring technique. Newspapers reported his explanations in great detail… at 20 years old, he already had mastery of his craft…).

In 1967, after undergoing his first heart transplant, Professor Christian Barnard came to Rome for a private audience with the Pope and also wanted to meet Gina Lollobrigida and Angelo Litrico.
When he visited Sartoria Litrico to have a suit made for the papal audience, he told Litrico: “Maestro, I need a suit by tomorrow morning.” Litrico replied: “Professor, are you mad? Do you think making a suit is like transplanting a heart?”
The following morning, Professor Barnard found a blue suit ready, along with an overcoat with a fur collar for his meeting with President Giuseppe Saragat.
When the professor asked for the bill, he was told it was a gift from the tailor. Barnard responded by saying that if he ever needed a new heart, he would need two — and from an elephant.

Angelo Litrico dies on March 13, 1986, leaving the business to his brothers Franco and Giusi, who had joined the tailor shop at a young age and had helped him manage the Sartoria over the years while he was traveling the world for work, signing contracts, and laying the foundations of what would later become the famous “Made in Italy.”

Franco and Giusi continue to create Haute Couture collections, showcasing in all the official calendars of Roman Haute Couture and “Donna sotto le Stelle,” collaborating with the multinational “C&A Brenninkmeyer” until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

With the passing of Franco Litrico on June 2, 2004, the helm of the tailor shop passes to Luca Litrico, through whom the Maison continues to bring great Italian tailoring, door-to-door, worldwide.

Always remaining faithful to the past, Luca Litrico creates the high-quality Couture-à-Porter line and refines techniques to keep up with the times, including the “Ceremony” collection for bespoke wedding suits. Luca Litrico, the firstborn son of Franco Litrico, raised in close contact with his uncle Angelo and his father, officially joined the family tailor shop in 1991, right after graduating from high school, spending his entire adolescence in the tailor shop, doing homework after school and breathing the air of fabrics, needles, scissors, and chalks.

He learns the spirit, techniques, and mission of the Sartoria Litrico brand, which aims to dress the modern man with elegance, research, and care in Made in Italy style. “Those who grow up in a mill inevitably get flour,” he likes to remember. Requests for technical-stylistic consultations for creating collections and services for large companies and sports clubs come from many countries.

With Luca, backed by his extensive experience gained over more than 40 years in Haute Couture, the “Litrico Style” reaches homes worldwide.

The Historical Archive of Sartoria Litrico, encompassing the life’s work of Angelo Litrico, is recognized by the Italian Ministry of Culture as of particularly important national historical interest, officially becoming a “Cultural Asset.”

It contains thousands of press articles, thousands of photographs from work trips, important historical testimonies of the birth of Made in Italy, photos of VIPs with dedications, dozens of awards and honors, correspondence with Heads of State and financial leaders, Royal Houses, even Popes, Astronauts, Actors, and Sports personalities, original furniture and fittings.

Following the great economic crisis, first “Lehman Brothers” and then “Fukushima” in Japan, Sartoria Litrico went through a difficult period of significant corporate restructuring.

It closed its Roman headquarters and moved its operational headquarters to Zagarolo in the Castelli Romani, about 30 km from Rome, in the historic villa of founder Angelo.

Here Luca, with the precious support of his wife Stefania, was able to recompose and restore the entire historical archive of the Maison, which over the years and various relocations had been “set aside” in different warehouses scattered around the capital, exposed to humidity and weather. An onerous and exhausting work lasting over 10 years, under the precious supervision of the Lazio Archival Superintendency, which finally saw the light in 2022 and could be shown to the public. This “forced exile” from Rome for over 10 years also provided an opportunity to breathe new life into the tailoring business, with a complete “rejuvenation” of its clientele. It now boasts elite clients from all over the world, who take advantage of the valuable “At-Home Tailoring Service” that Luca personally performs across the globe.

After the severe pandemic crisis of 2020 that affected the planet, and after years of hard sacrifices, Luca returned the headquarters of Maison Litrico to Rome, going back to the origins of his uncle Angelo during the years of the Dolce Vita.

Today, the Atelier of the historic men’s fashion house Sartoria Litrico, founded in Rome in 1951, is located in one of the most elegant neighborhoods of Rome, the Pinciano-Parioli district, just steps from the Belgian Embassy and only a 20-minute walk from the Spanish Steps. It is the first real men’s atelier in Italy, which began organizing and hosting men’s fashion shows, in addition to creating coordinated outfits for men and women. Thanks to this Atelier, the first Italian fashion show in the Soviet Union was held in 1957. The suits made in this atelier were worn by American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, actors like Marcello Mastroianni, Rossano Brazzi, and Vittorio Gassman, and even the Soviet head of state Nikita Khrushchev. It truly is a creative laboratory of perfect taste and style.

Behind the scenes of the Atelier lies a genuine historical-cultural heritage of the Dolce Vita period, and walking through the halls of this wonderful Atelier of “eternal beauty,” one can admire the many treasures of the history of Italian fashion, which continues to be at the top of world fashion today.

Today, this legendary Atelier, now in its third generation with Luca Litrico, his wife Stefania, and a highly qualified technical staff, continues to create unique suits for international clients in finance, politics, business, and sports, as well as some members of Royal Houses, who seek to be elegant, modern, innovative, but, above all, with their own “exclusive and unique style.”

Over seventy-five years of Italian Men’s Haute Couture, documented over time and officially recognized by the Italian State.

On 3 August 2026, following an in-depth review process, the Italian Patent and Trademark Office of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy registered the “SARTORIA LITRICO” trademark in the Special Register of Historic Trademarks of National Interest held by the UIBM (Italian Patent and Trademark Office), pursuant to Article 31 of Decree-Law No. 34/2019, established with the aim of protecting *Made in Italy* and safeguarding the productive continuity of historic Italian companies deeply rooted in their local territories.

An institutional recognition of great significance, certifying the enduring continuity of a name founded in Rome in 1951 and, through three generations of the Litrico family, becoming one of the most authentic expressions of Italy’s culture of Men’s Haute Couture.

The Special Register, established at the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, is reserved for trademarks that have been registered for at least fifty years, or for those for which effective and continuous use can be demonstrated for at least half a century, linked to outstanding Italian manufacturing companies and to the history of the Italian territory.