Caraceni is an Italian tailoring house founded in Rome in 1913 by Domenico Caraceni.
Originating from an Abruzzese tailoring family, the name Caraceni refers to a group of independent ateliers founded by family members or trained associates of the original house: A. Caraceni, Tommy e Giulio Caraceni, Ferdinando Caraceni (now defunct), and Sartoria Domenico Caraceni.
History
The Caraceni tailoring dynasty traces its origins to Ortona a Mare (Province of Chieti), in the Abruzzo region of Italy, where Tommaso Caraceni operated a family tailoring shop in the early 20th century. Tommaso had 13 children, many of whom worked in his tailoring shop. Among them were Domenico, Augusto, and Galliano Caraceni, who learned the craft under their father's guidance before establishing their own ateliers in Rome, Paris, Milan, and Naples. After an early career in Rome with established tailors like Ottolenghi and Sartoria Comandona, Domenico opened his own atelier in 1913, though it was interrupted by military service during World War I. In 1926, he relocated his main workshop to Via Boncompagni 21 in Rome,
A. Caraceni (1935–present)
In 1935, Augusto Caraceni (1893–1972) opened a tailoring atelier under his own name at 92 Avenue d'Iéna in Paris. Housed in a large three-story building, the workshop offered full in-house production and quickly attracted high-profile clients, including Josephine Baker and Charles Boyer. The Paris operation was forced to close in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War II and Augusto's status as an Italian national in enemy territory. During the German occupation of Italy, his son Mario narrowly escaped execution in 1943 after being mistaken for a British spy due to the presence of British tailoring labels (Burberry and Lock & Co.) in his garments.
In April 1946, Augusto opened a new workshop in Milan, located at Via Fatebenefratelli 16. Initially reserved for Italian nobility, it gradually expanded its clientele to include international figures in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1972, Mario Caraceni succeeded him at the head of the atelier, and chose to retain the name "A. Caraceni" in honor of his father. Over the years, clients have included Yves Saint Laurent, Diego Della Valle, the Aga Khan, and members of the Benetton family.