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Menswear

THE ELEVENTY HOUR

We meet the man behind Eleventy menswear, Marco Baldassari, who talks, Milanese style, the joys of a great coat and his love of Ireland.

Having started in the industry as an agent and fashion consultant, Marco Baldassari has a unique perspective to bring to the men's arm of a fledgling brand. Co-founding Eleventy – which comes from the phrase ‘to elevate; with close friend (and head of womenswear) Paolo Zuntini in 2007, he has overseen an impressive growth and clarity of purpose for Milan based label.

Now firmly a responsible luxury brand, Baldassari finds his inspiration in people, “I love to people-watch, to see how different people dress in different cities.” He describes the brand in three words "Sophisticated, Confident and Modern,” and cites Eleventy’s base city as further inspiration “Milan serves as the melting pot for ideas, modern design and fashion."

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Milan serves as the melting pot for ideas, modern design and fashion.

Marco Baldassari

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Sustainability in a world now overtly aware of a global climate crisis is deeply important to Baldassari, who points out that it’s everyone’s responsibility to do what they can "I firmly believe it’s everyone’s duty to reduce environmental impact wherever possible," with the production process an obvious example, "We’re continually pushing our partners to review process, and we’ve made significant progress throughout our supply chain." He adds, "Every item from Eleventy is 100% made in Italy, our country has a unique and impressive luxury product production history which is inherently sustainable."

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What about some keys pieces from their Autumn/Winter collection? Marco says, "In tailoring, our blazers continue to perform exceptionally well - each blazer is constructed by hand using a traditional 8-step process. The result is the perfect fit for each and every body-shape." Impressive, especially given the aforementioned push for sustainability – Eleventy doesn’t cut corners. "The pocket square is a really important detail - each and every blazer should have one where possible. A wool & cotton blend is usually the best fabric composition as they’re versatile enough to be worn casually," adding in typical detail, "100% silk can be too formal or traditional."

With traditional Irish weather far from predictable, no matter the time of year, can coats be practical and stylish? "Coats should be good investment pieces, something that will last also something you love. A good coat should be flattering, versatile and fit for purpose." Adding, "For high-performance luxury, look to fabrics which have special treatments - the Loro Piana ‘Rain System’ fabric for example, where the water doesn’t permeate the surface thanks to a special coating."

Coats should be good investment pieces, something that will last also something you love. A good coat should be flattering, versatile and fit for purpose.

Marco Baldassari

Baldassari has, of course, visited our shores, "I love Ireland – The people are wonderfully welcoming, also the food is superb - healthy, natural and fresh," and he’s a big fan of a certain Cork thespian, "I really admire the actor Cillian Murphy - he’s impressive in each role he plays, and his versatility is unparalleled," kindly remarking, "I’m always pleased to see Irish talents achieving great things globally. " And we too are pleased to have Eleventy on our shores.

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