Kiton

Kiton is an Italian luxury fashion house rooted in the tailoring tradition of Naples. The brand was established in Arzano, near Naples, in 1968 by Ciro Paone, although the operating company, Ciro Paone S.p.A., dates to 1956. Its name refers to the chiton, an ancient ceremonial tunic, and its philosophy is expressed by the slogan “Il meglio del meglio più uno,” commonly rendered as “the best of the best plus one.” Kiton became known for exceptionally labor-intensive tailoring, especially soft-shouldered Neapolitan jackets, hand-cut and hand-basted suits, and the use of refined natural fibers. Rather than competing primarily through volume, the company has emphasized craftsmanship, specialist labor, controlled production, and close relationships with fabric suppliers and tailoring workshops. Its bespoke and made-to-measure services sit alongside ready-to-wear collections, enabling the brand to serve both private clients and luxury retailers. The company’s offer has expanded beyond classic menswear. It introduced womenswear in 1995 under the direction of Maria Giovanna Paone, later adding women’s accessories and a broader range of tailored garments. Kiton also sells shirts, ties, coats, outerwear, knitwear, denim, shoes, eyewear, leather goods, and other accessories. In 2018, the family introduced KNT, or Kiton New Texture, an athleisure-oriented label associated with the third generation of the De Matteis family. Kiton maintains a vertically integrated production network in Italy. Its facilities and specialist operations cover tailoring and primary production in Arzano, sportswear and other garments in the Caserta area, outerwear in Parma or Collecchio, knitwear in Fidenza, and textile development in Biella. The company acquired the Carlo Barbera wool mill in 2009, giving it direct control over the development of selected yarns, dyes, weaves, and delicate fibers. This industrial base supports the brand’s emphasis on fabric quality and Made in Italy production. Education is another important part of Kiton’s model. In 2000, it established its School of Advanced Tailoring, a three-year program for young people, generally aged 16 to 21, who are trained in jacket construction and other specialized production stages. The school was designed both to provide employment pathways and to preserve and renew the skilled workforce required by hand-tailoring production. Kiton has developed an international retail and wholesale network while retaining its identity as a family-controlled luxury business. By the end of 2022, it reportedly operated more than 60 monobrand stores, maintained approximately 300 wholesale accounts, employed about 850 people, and sold in 73 countries. The company has opened or expanded stores in markets including India, the United States, South Korea, and other major luxury-shopping destinations. In 2023, it opened a 350-square-metre flagship in Seoul’s Cheongdam district and began dressing Tottenham Hotspur players and staff for official events. Ciro Paone remained the central figure in Kiton’s development until his death in Naples in 2021. The business continues under family leadership, with Antonio de Matteis serving as chief executive and joint creative director of menswear, Maria Giovanna Paone leading the company as president and creative director of womenswear, and the next generation participating through KNT. Kiton’s present positioning combines discreet luxury, traditional Neapolitan tailoring, Italian manufacturing, premium textiles, and a controlled global distribution strategy.

Kiton’s corporate roots reach back to the creation of Ciro Paone S.p.A. in 1956. The Kiton trademark and fashion business were established in Arzano, in the province of Naples, in 1968 by Ciro Paone. The company developed within the Neapolitan tailoring tradition, whose characteristic soft construction, handwork, and relaxed elegance became central to Kiton’s identity. The brand name derives from the ancient chiton, a ceremonial tunic associated with Greek and Roman dress. During its early development, Kiton concentrated on high-quality tailoring and the skills required to make garments by hand. Its proposition was not limited to the finished silhouette: the company also emphasized fabric selection, cutting, basting, pressing, and the training of specialist workers. This approach positioned Kiton at the high end of international menswear, where suits could be supplied as ready-to-wear garments or developed through bespoke and made-to-measure services. In 1995, Kiton expanded into womenswear. The division was developed under Maria Giovanna Paone, Ciro Paone’s daughter, who later became president and creative director of womenswear. The collection extended the house’s tailoring principles to women’s jackets, suits, accessories, and other garments, and gradually built a presence in markets including Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the United States. Kiton’s historical and sartorial interests were also visible in 2008, when Ciro Paone acquired suits and other wardrobe pieces formerly associated with Edward VIII from a Sotheby’s auction. He displayed the pieces during Pitti Uomo in Florence, using them to illustrate the relationship between historical tailoring and contemporary Kiton design. The company pursued greater control over textiles in 2009 by acquiring the Carlo Barbera wool mill in Biella, which had been founded in 1949. The mill enabled Kiton to participate more directly in the development of specialized fabrics, including delicate fibers, distinctive yarns, dyes, and weaves. In 2013, Kiton acquired Palazzo Ferré on Via Pontaccio in Milan, a building historically associated with the Gianfranco Ferré label. Following restoration, the site was intended to accommodate Kiton offices, a showroom, and tailoring functions. International development accelerated during the 2010s. Kiton began retail operations in India in 2013, launched eyewear in 2015, and opened a San Francisco store in the same year. In 2017, Ciro Paone received the Pitti Immagine career award. In 2018, the company broadened its offer with KNT, or Kiton New Texture, an athleisure collection connected to twins Walter and Mariano de Matteis, representing the next generation of the family business. That year, Kiton also received the Premio Leonardo Qualità Italia from President Sergio Mattarella. The School of Advanced Tailoring, founded in 2000, became a long-term institutional part of the company’s operating model. Its three-year course generally accepts students aged 16 to 21 and focuses initially on jacket construction before allowing students to specialize in a particular production stage. Most students come from the Naples area, while international applicants are also accepted. The school’s stated purpose is both social and industrial: it provides a route into employment and helps maintain a supply of skilled tailors. Kiton remains vertically integrated across several Italian locations. Primary production in Arzano includes coats, jackets, shirts, ties, shoes, and small leather goods. Other sites specialize in sportswear, leather and bomber jackets, knitwear, denim, outerwear, and textiles. By the end of 2022, the company was reported to have about 850 employees, more than 60 monobrand stores, roughly 300 wholesale accounts, and distribution in 73 countries. After Ciro Paone’s death in 2021, the business continued under family leadership. Antonio de Matteis serves as chief executive and joint creative director of menswear, while Maria Giovanna Paone oversees the womenswear division. The family’s newer generation participates through KNT. In 2022, Kiton announced a collaboration with Beatrice Venezi, and in 2023 it entered an official-event dressing partnership with Tottenham Hotspur. The same year, it opened a new flagship in Seoul’s Cheongdam district. Kiton’s contemporary identity therefore combines traditional Neapolitan craftsmanship with international retail, controlled textile production, expanded product categories, and carefully selected cultural and sports associations.

• 2023

  Seoul flagship opens

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Kiton opens a 350-square-metre flagship in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong district.

• 2021

  Founder Ciro Paone dies

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Ciro Paone dies in Naples at the age of 88, ending his direct leadership of the company.

• 2018

  KNT is introduced

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  The company launches KNT, an athleisure-oriented collection associated with the third family generation.

• 2015

  Eyewear and San Francisco retail expansion

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Kiton launches eyewear and opens a 2,500-square-foot San Francisco store.

• 2009

  Carlo Barbera mill is acquired

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Kiton acquires the Biella-based Carlo Barbera wool mill and increases control over fabric development.

• 2000

  School of Advanced Tailoring opens

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Kiton creates a three-year training program to develop new tailoring talent.

• 1995

  Womenswear launches

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Kiton introduces a womenswear line led by Maria Giovanna Paone.

• 1968

  Kiton is established in Arzano

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  Ciro Paone establishes Kiton in Arzano, near Naples, grounding the label in Neapolitan tailoring.

• 1956

  Ciro Paone S.p.A. is founded

  [1]Kitonen.wikipedia.org

  The company that would own and operate the Kiton brand is established.

Ultra-luxury Italian tailoring combining Neapolitan hand craftsmanship, premium proprietary fabrics, bespoke service, and family-controlled Made in Italy production.

• Menswear tailoring · 1968

  Kiton Tailoring

  Kiton’s core offering consists of handmade Neapolitan tailoring, including suits, sport coats, jackets, trousers, and formal garments. Construction emphasizes soft shoulders, handwork, hand-cutting, and hand-basting. The line is available through ready-to-wear as well as bespoke and made-to-measure services.

• Womenswear · 1995

  Kiton Womenswear

  Introduced in 1995, the womenswear division translates Kiton’s tailoring vocabulary into jackets, suits, coats, dresses, knitwear, and accessories. It is associated with Maria Giovanna Paone and extends the brand’s focus on refined construction and premium materials to women’s luxury clothing.

• Athleisure · 2018

  KNT (Kiton New Texture)

  KNT is Kiton’s more casual and athletic-oriented label, introduced in 2018. Developed with the participation of Mariano and Walter de Matteis, it broadens the family house into contemporary sportswear and relaxed wardrobe pieces while retaining a connection to Kiton’s fabric and Italian-production expertise.

• Textiles

  Carlo Barbera fabrics

  Carlo Barbera is the textile mill acquired by Kiton in 2009. Its fabrics support Kiton’s tailoring and enable development of specialized yarns, dyes, weaves, and fine-fiber textiles. The mill forms a significant part of the company’s vertically integrated luxury-production model.

• Accessories · 2015

  Kiton Accessories

  The accessories offer includes shirts, ties, shoes, eyewear, leather goods, small leather accessories, and other items intended to complete the Kiton wardrobe. Eyewear was added in 2015, while the wider accessory range supports both the menswear and womenswear businesses.

• 2023Tottenham Hotspur official-event dressing

  United Kingdom · International

  Kiton began dressing Tottenham Hotspur’s team and players for official events, extending the brand’s visibility into international football and sports culture.

  Outcome. Official-event partnership began in July 2023.

  Source
• 2022Beatrice Venezi collaboration

  International

  Kiton announced a collaboration with conductor Beatrice Venezi, linking the house with contemporary cultural and artistic activity.

  Outcome. Collaboration announced; detailed commercial outcome is not specified.

  Source

• 2023

  Expand Asian direct retailStrategy

  Background

  Kiton continued developing a selective international monobrand-store network.

  Action taken

  The company opened a 350-square-metre flagship in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong district.

  Aftermath

  The Seoul opening strengthened Kiton’s direct presence in South Korea; longer-term commercial results are not specified.

  Source

• 2018

  Launch KNT athleisureProduct launch

  Background

  The family business sought to address more casual and contemporary clothing needs while retaining a connection to Kiton.

  Action taken

  Kiton introduced KNT, or Kiton New Texture, with participation from Mariano and Walter de Matteis.

  Aftermath

  KNT became the group’s athleisure-oriented expression and a vehicle for the next generation.

  Source

• 2009

  Acquire Carlo BarberaM&A

  Background

  Kiton sought deeper control over the textile inputs supporting its luxury tailoring.

  Action taken

  The company acquired the Carlo Barbera wool mill in Biella.

  Aftermath

  Kiton gained a proprietary textile platform for developing specialized fabrics and yarns.

  Source

• 2000

  Invest in internal tailoring educationStrategy

  Background

  Handmade production requires a continuing supply of highly trained workers.

  Action taken

  Kiton established the School of Advanced Tailoring, offering a three-year program for young trainees.

  Aftermath

  The school became a mechanism for workforce renewal and reported employment pathways for many graduates.

  Source

• 1995

  Enter womenswearProduct launch

  Background

  Kiton’s established tailoring expertise provided a basis for expanding beyond its predominantly male customer base.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a womenswear line under Maria Giovanna Paone.

  Aftermath

  The division later expanded into accessories and developed an international presence.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2026.11.02

  Kiton opens Milan menswear flagship[3]Kiton在米兰开设男装旗舰店wwd.com

  Kiton inaugurated a new menswear flagship on Via Montenapoleone in Milan after six months of renovation.

Read more

1. 1Kitonen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kiton official websitekiton.it
3. 3Kiton在米兰开设男装旗舰店wwd.com