Sleeve Pleats & The Outside-In Perspective

The Antonio Valente Sleave Pleat: Designed for form and balance.

I came across this article at Forbes.com about a CEO who went from the tech world to selling walls and windows. Two things struck me immediately. The first is that the status quo can be a powerful influence and the second is how solutions often come from an outside perspective.

When I first joined the Antonio Valente team, I thought that I knew about quality men’s apparel and fashion. Looking back,  I now know that I only believed the marketing that I was surrounded by. From the production floor, I came to understand the finer points that contribute to making a truly high quality garment. Many of them can be found in our look book, but one simple feature that stands out as a perfect example is how we sew each pleat at the cuff on either side of the sleeve placket rather than side-by-side. Most shirt makers place the pleats next to each other because it simply saves time when attaching the cuff. However, this method causes twisting in the sleeve because it is out of balance. Like many of the unique Antonio Valente quality features, solutions often come when thinking outside the box.