Kiton Marks Its Sardinian Debut With a Bespoke Vessel

Many an editor has bemoaned the state of Pitti Uomo, the biannual menswear tradeshow and street style spectacle that descends on Florence, Italy. “You should have been here 10 years ago,” one seasoned fashion director told me when I made my first trip to the event last June. Indeed, the sterility of a fluorescent-lit, three-story convention center is a tough backdrop for brands looking to break through the noise, so much that many of the more directional talents have decamped to more soulful venues in the city center. This season, however, Kiton brought plenty of excitement back to the Fortezza, in the form of a million-dollar vessel by SACS.

The impressive outdoor set-up was designed to transport visitors to Porto Cervo, where Kiton set up a temporary boutique over the weekend that will remain open through September 10th. It is Kiton’s first boutique in Sardinia and the occasion is being marked by the launch of a travel-ready, sailing-friendly KNT (Kiton New Texture) Yacht capsule for men and women, crafted from cutting-edge performance fabrics. Expect to find everything from boat shoes to anoraks with designs informed by the Strider 13 maxi-RIB. Its interiors are fitted with bespoke KNT furnishings and upholstery that reflects Kiton’s sartorial codes, including the signature red dot, of course.

“Bringing together the power and dynamism at sea of the Strider with Kiton’s classic elegance was a complex but fascinating challenge. With the SACS Strider 13, I set out to distill the entire stylistic essence of the KNT Yacht capsule, from the interplay of sandy hues flowing into the crisp white of this refined maxi-Rib, to the textured details that echo the collection’s materials. The design is further elevated by a distinctive trim that runs along the tubular frame, a subtle nod to Kiton’s signature woven selvage, and punctuated by the capsule’s red circular emblem, delicately placed throughout the vessel,” said famed yacht designer Christian Grande on the occasion of the Pitti launch.

“We are pleased to inaugurate our boutique in the refined setting of the Porto Cervo Waterfront. This opening represents a significant step in our ongoing journey: being ever closer to our clients, accompanying them in the places where they choose to spend their most valuable time,” Kiton CEO Antonio De Matteis tells Robb Report. And the Neapolitan tailoring house is doing a great job of it, as evidenced by a recent partnership with Mytheresa to offer VICs from around the globe a closer look at Kiton’s heritage and tailoring prowess (more than 400 tailors). For those interested, the custom Strider 13, priced at $970,000 (+VAT), might just be the ultimate expression of brand loyalty. The capsule collection can only be found at the Porto Cervo boutique.