A selection that begins earlier, much earlier
Every Restelli glove begins with a choice that concerns the leather long before it becomes a glove. We work with noble leathers such as nappa, with its fine grain; peccary, rare and precious, recognisable by its three-pore structure and by a thermal capacity that makes it warm in winter without ever feeling stifling in summer; deer leather, with its unmistakable veined grain, sturdy and yet soft to the touch; shearling, whose fleece naturally creates thousands of tiny air pockets for insulation. Every leather has its own intrinsic variability, which requires a trained eye and experience to be recognised and brought out, not simply selected.
This stage, invisible to whoever wears the finished glove, is the one that decides everything else: the success of a flawless construction is closely tied to a careful, considered choice of materials.
The craftsmanship you see, and the craftsmanship you feel
Once the leather has been chosen, the skilled hands of our artisans, women and men, take over. Hand stitching remains the highest form of construction, a guarantee of an impeccable fit and lasting strength. Piquet stitching creates a fine, almost invisible seam, used on driving models where elegance is measured even in details that are not immediately noticed. Saddle-stitching, visible on the surface, gives a strong, sporty character to more casual models. And then there is crochet work, made entirely by hand on the back of driving gloves: it ensures breathability on long drives without giving up a distinctive style.
Each technique, in other words, exists for a precise functional reason. The tailored care that accompanies it is what separates a decorative seam from one that lasts.
Warmth that lasts a season, not a day
The part that cannot be seen, but is felt with every gesture, is the lining. Cashmere creates a thermal layer capable of trapping warmth without weighing down the hand. Opossum fur, with its double layer, offers one of the highest levels of insulation nature can provide. Lambswool shearling combines the strength of leather with wool’s ability to absorb moisture without ever transferring that dampness to the touch, naturally regulating warmth and breathability. Fleece, technical and lightweight, manages perspiration by drawing it away from the skin in more sporty models.
These are different materials for different needs, each chosen not for the name it carries, but for what it truly gives back to whoever wears it.
A process, not a phase
Leather, construction and lining are not separate steps: they are the same process seen from three different angles. It is this approach, applied with the same care to every model, that makes possible the range of Restelli’s production: artisan Italian gloves for women, designed for everyday elegance; gloves for men, where the sobriety of the leather speaks for itself; driving gloves, where every seam responds to the need for sensitivity at the wheel; ski gloves, where leather and lining work together against the cold.
It is a story that has lasted in Milan for more than a century, and one that continues to be told by those who live it every day.
