“We are the Ferrari of leather jackets.”
Soon after I enter the Puntopelle showroom, it becomes clear that Sefa Sezgin and Tiziana Perso are very proud of the unique business they’ve created. Originally I had assumed I would be interviewing the owners of a clothing store that sells high-end leather jackets, but that’s not really a fair description of what Puntopelle is. Read on. I think you’ll agree.
After I finish the espresso that Tiziana has brought me, we get down to business. “How about I show you what we do here?” Sefa asks me. I tell him that’s a great idea. Gesturing towards the front of the store, he says, “The first two rooms are for ladies and they’re all samples. The second room is for men and they’re also all samples.” Sefa’s choice of the word samples is curious but I don’t mention it. I soon discover that the primary purpose of everything on display is to provide a sense of what Puntopelle can produce; but the final product for the majority of Puntopelle’s customers is a garment that is fully custom-made to their unique specifications and measurements.
“This is a family business,” Sefa says as he walks me towards the back. “That’s my son.” He points to a handsome young man attending to garments. Back in Turkey, Sefa’s grandfather started a leather tannery. When Sefa was studying architecture here in Rome, he saw an opportunity to make extra money importing leather jackets from Turkey. Soon, keen business sense met with favorable circumstances, and the business began producing custom-made jackets of the highest quality for Rome’s most discerning customers.
Fast-forward to today and Puntopelle has well over 1,000 dedicated customers around the world. My initial thought is that 1,000 is a low number for a customer base but I realize I am unfairly comparing Puntopelle to the kind of business that goes for quantity rather than quality. Sefa lifts the arm of a sleek men’s motorcycle jacket and says, “We are the Ferrari of leather jackets.” Clearly, a product of the highest quality costs more, but it also attracts a certain type of customer who keeps coming back. The excellence that Puntopelle applies and the custom crafting of all their garments only deepens the loyalty of their customers; because there’s never a moment where Sefa and Tiziana have to say, “Sorry, we don’t carry that item.” The walls of Puntopelle are covered with framed photographs from satisfied customers, most of whom I immediately recognize: Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Kate Blanchett, and many more. I notice a picture of the Pope and ask if he was a customer. Sefa and Tiziana laugh. Sefa does say that they sent him a special gift.
Now we’re passing a worker sitting at a table, assembling the first pieces of a garment. Sefa points out a number of items on hangers and tells me they are models for replications that clients have requested. “We are able to replicate anything, often better than the original garment.” I ask if they work only with leather. Sefa tells me they will work with virtually any fabric. I get the sense that for the right price, Puntopelle can turn just about any dream into reality. Sefa points out the some of the more exotic materials that they work with: alligator, python, cashmere, and chinchilla, to name a few.
The chatter of sewing machines becomes louder and now I am giving a smile to two women at sewing tables. They look up and greet me warmly before going back to their work. I ask Sefa if Puntopelle does mending work, perhaps for an expensive garment that someone might bring in. Sefa laughs lightheartedly but I feel like I may have offended him. I’m still getting used to just how high-end this place is. Sefa says that the only mending they do is on their own garments. He tells me that all Puntopelle creations have a lifetime guarantee, so if anything ever goes wrong, it will be fixed, free of charge.
We step out into a courtyard behind the store. There is an open-air bar and seats for lounging, surrounded by well-tended foliage, flowers, and rugged stones. “This is a very old garden, about 2,000 years old,” Sefa says. He points out a number of time-smoothed pillars embedded in the earth. They look like they’re made of marble. “The columns belong to the garden. I found them when digging here.” The air is fresh and cool. I imagine De Niro coming to pick up his new jacket and taking a moment to sip a coffee in the ancient garden.
I would love to linger but am sure Sefa and Tiziana were busy. We head back inside and I ask if there are any new plans in the works for Puntopelle. Tiziana tells me that they are considering moving to a showroom without a storefront. This strikes me as a strange move for a business to make. Then I realize I am once again comparing Puntopelle to businesses of the standard model. Tiziana explains to me that clients would set up appointments and come visit. Puntopelle wouldn’t even need to do much advertising because they would rely on word of mouth and referrals.
It’s all coming together now. Puntopelle is a store; but really it’s more like an exclusive club for a certain type of person who knows exactly what they want and is only interested in the highest quality. Those of you out there, you know you are. A visit to Rome without stopping in to Puntopelle would be a mistake.
If Puntopelle seems a bit above your pay-grade, meeting Sefa and Tiziana, and witnessing the mastery of their creations is a treat in itself. Also, you never know whom else you might run into. Much of their business is referral, but Sefa told me a story about how Carlos Santana just happened to wander in off the street. Now one of his guitars hangs on their wall and a Python trench coat they designed for him hangs in their showroom.
