Paolo Xoccato, CEO of Xacus shirts, tells With Style – fashion, luxury and lifestyle magazine - about his company, the values behind it, and the passion that has made the company an established concern, able to combine sartorial traditions with a desire for experimentation.
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
They say they are “Born for shirts”: with a family story that has been synonymous with excellence, refined materials, innovation and above all, passion for over 60 years.
WHAT DOES XACUS MEAN?
X stands for Xoccato, the family name. A is for Alberto, the founder of the company. C stands for camiceria, or shirt maker, and U for uomo (man), because when it was founded, the firm dealt only in men’s shirts. S stands for San Vito di Leguzzano, where the company has been headquartered since the first day.
YOU ARE THE SECOND GENERATION. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY HISTORY?
The business was founded in 1956 by my father, Alberto Xoccato, who began unpicking and re-stitching shirts with the help of a dressmaker aunt and then of others in the area. In love with the job and with a great passion for materials and textiles, over the years he was able to create a product with quality as its top priority. Giving the customer something that makes them happy and without ever cheating them, is one of the important lessons that our father taught us. But it wasn’t the only thing: he also showed us that we need to ensure that our customers are happy and that they come back to buy more. Our company grows 20% every year, thanks to its heritage of satisfied, loyal customers. My brother Giorgio and I began exporting in the 1980s and in the new millennium, we started branding, investing in communication.
ONCE UPON A TIME, THE SHIRT WAS CONSIDERED ELITIST, A SYMBOL OF THE STATUS QUO. HOW ARE SHIRTS PERCEIVED AND WORN TODAY?
Currently, the shirt is a wardrobe essential and the type of look will depend on the type of shirt. At Xacus camicie we like to think about customers during their everyday lives: business, important event and leisure time. We create looks that are tailored to our customers and their needs.
SO DO WE NEED TO TAKE CARE TO WEAR THE RIGHT SHIRT FOR EVERY OCCASION?
Right. We think that the fit is extremely important. In some collections it is considered to be an essential part of the range and we make it with different materials. We use stretch fabrics for slim, close fits. And when we think about the shirt for leisure time, we look for comfiet, yet cleaner fits without going overboard with volumes.
“MY CONCEPT”, THE CUSTOMISED SHIRT. WHOSE INITIALS WOULD YOU LIKE TO EMBROIDER AND ON WHICH XACUS MODEL?
We’d like to do this for all of our customers! We would like to be able to divide our offer to create the perfect product for each customer, then embroider the initials. With “My Concept” customers create their own made-to-measure shirt, from the fabric to the collars, the choice of button and obviously, the fit. The best-looking initials are the ones of the person wearing them. But if I had to choose someone really special, then I would say Obama!
WE MET WHEN YOU LAUNCHED YOUR “XACUS GUSTO” PROJECT: A GREAT SUCCESS THAT COMBINED CREATIVITY IN THE KITCHEN AND IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY: TWO SYMBOLS OF MADE IN ITALY. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
It was a fantastic experience. It was a great idea to add the expressions of four Michelin-starred chefs, such as Bottura, Cannavacciuolo, Iaccarino and Leemann to a piece of clothing. Their exceptional dishes also excel when it comes to presentation and that inspired us to create an exclusive capsule collection of Xacus shirts.
Excerpt from the interview published in With Style and previewed in Journal.
