A Q&A with Roberto Chemello, Tramarossa’s CEO
Tramarossa was founded by Urbano Chemello (father of the current owners: Roberto, Paolo, Pier Luigi and Marialuisa) in Vicenza (Italy) in 1967 and its story has always been bonded to the jeans.
During the last twenty years, with the gradual passage of the baton to the second generation, the brand has evolved from Premium to Luxury jeans, expressing the Made in Italy excellence and intensifying its features through iconic symbols.
Mr. Chemello, how did you manage this evolution?
We place ourselves in the premium and luxury market, and we manage to reach very demanding, special customers and denim lovers like us, who can choose between “purist” or more contemporary models, but the common denominator remains authenticity and credibility. It is not a question of presumption, but of awareness. Only through the right enhancement of blue gold, we can speak of details and exclusivity. These are the foundations, and the basic word is authenticity. Passing from authenticity and passion we arrive at purism, another pillar of our House.
“The Best Jeans in the World” is your company’s slogan. What makes your products different and unique?
Definitely our culture of denim, which has its roots in the years of the jeans explosion, combined with the particular tailoring approach handed down by the founder Urbano Chemello. In addition to that, we have an obsessive attention to every detail of the product, striving for excellence in every choice that we make, from the canvas to the accessories, from the packaging to the treatments. A path that enhances the industrial and artisan know-how of the Veneto denim district where we are based.
As you say, if Tramarossa jeans were a car, they would be a “full-optional” model. Always comfort-oriented, each pair of jeans includes some tiny and imperceptible “utilities” which will be appreciated by wearing them. Tell us more about those details.
One of the hallmarks of each Tramarossa’s pair of jeans is the internal pre-constructed waistband. It’s a sartorial expedient, not only an aesthetic trait, that has also a functional value: ensuring comfort and precision in fit. A tailoring approach that involves every stage of the production process. Details that make the difference, such as the button with the jointed head, a hand-assembled piece of craftsmanship, an accessory finished with precious galvanic treatments, as is done in jewelry. Finally, there is the choice of suede for our labels on the back of the belt: it’s a very high-quality material made in special colors only for Tramarossa by an Italian leather goods excellence.
Wearing a pair of Tramarossa gives people a feeling of belonging to an exclusive club, thanks also to the possibility to apply a person’s initials on the right back pocket of the jeans. Tell us more about these unique and luxury details of your products.
The initials are an international patent, but also a sign of a sartorial legacy that we want to always have present. It recalls the gesture of embroidering one’s initials but transported into the contemporary. Our jeans are the only ones in the world to be customized with the initials of the person who wears them.
Tramarossa recently launched two capsule collections with Alessandro Squarzi and Loro Piana, a way to experiment with new fabrics and materials and meet the needs of the new generations, by staying true to your core values: tradition, timeless tailoring and savoir-faire. How did you develop these partnerships and how did they allow Tramarossa to explore new opportunities?
Exploring the potential of denim and 5-pocket is part of our DNA. Collaborations and innovative choices – often very different from each other – are the results of this approach. With the fabrics supplied by Loro Piana we underline the clear direction of the brand: to present jeans to the market with true, authentic values; a “full”, tangible luxury that touches the emotions, but which is measured against the reality of the material and the choices.
What public figure, past or present, do you feel best represents the overall style of the brand?
Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
Name the best song to go with your brand.
Volare (nel blu dipinto di blu) – Domenico Modugno.
Leave us with a motto that the company will always believe in.
Work every day to make the best jeans in the world.