De Paz Haberdashery: Vintage British Style In Bologna, Italy

What happens when you infuse British style into the historic city of Bologna? This store is the answer. When we visited the winter edition of Pitti Uomo, we took a day trip with our friends at the Sartorial Club to Bologna and we found a store we absolutely had to share with you. Situated among the famous Portico Archways, De Paz is a clothing store with a rich history and a unique offering as they specialize in British style, clothing, and accessories.

The History of De Paz

We were treated to a thorough look at the store as well as the rich history of De Paz by David, the third generation of the De Paz family. Founded in 1932 by David’s grandfather, the De Paz store has been in the same location since day one.

In the beginning, they only sold fabric sourced from England, Ireland, and Scotland; then, David’s father, Dante, added to the store’s offering by selling suits, jackets, and trousers. This addition of ready-to-wear lines also included Tricker’s shoes, with De Paz being the first Italian stockist of Tricker’s footwear in 1982. David has also added his mark on the shop by introducing a huge selection of Shetland wool garments.

The store itself is an absolute treat for everyone who loves classic style, especially if you like British style. De Paz was one of the first stores in Bologna to enthusiastically import and embrace everything to do with British style, which you can see in the memorabilia that decorates the two-story shop.

Interestingly, the De Paz team has collected a piece to add to their collection of British items each time they visit the UK, so you can see how many times the journey has been made in posters, stamps, and teacups. They still sell fabric, which can be found along the floor and walls of the store. This is most impressive when you take the stairs to the store’s second floor as you can see all the fabric on shelves along the staircase. It’s almost like you’re being guided up the stairs by tweed, flannel, and tattersall.

He even has fabric swatches within the bookshelf, acting as his archive of all the fabrics De Paz has made and sold over the years. This way, he’s able to keep track of what sells well and gain inspiration from old designs.

What Do They Sell in De Paz?

To this day, they have a mixture of old and new cloths with some very special pieces. For example, we saw a cavalry twill that weighs in at 1,000 grams per square meter and a keeper’s tweed that’s 850 grams per square meter. That’s some heavy fabric. It’s something that you just don’t see very often these days.

Other traditional fabrics can be found within the collection, too, like corduroy and moleskin. Overall, David estimates he has over 300,000 meters of fabric available to purchase. That’s a crazy amount of cloth.

What Does De Paz Specialize In?

Eighty-five percent of the store’s goods are all labeled with about half of the items being made in Italy and the other half being made in Britain—with De Paz sourcing the fabric for everything they make. The remaining stock is proudly sourced from renowned British brands like Tricker’s, John Smedley, and Grenfell.

When we asked them what they’re most proud of, there was no hesitation from David in telling us it’s without a doubt their Scottish check. It’s their bestselling fabric and especially woven with their own district check. This acts as a subtle, stylish calling card. If you’re wearing this cloth then the only place in the world it could have come from is De Paz.

While this particular check is their best-selling fabric, their overall most popular items are the Shetland wool garments. Boasting an impressive 55 colors of Shetland wool, you’re bound to find a sweater or cardigan to suit your wardrobe.

As you can probably tell, wool is a big part of the store’s heritage as even the socks that they sell are 100% wool with no polyamide or elastic in them. This is quite rare as many woolen yarns nowadays have some element of man-made fibers in them, especially for stretchy things like socks. This dedication to using as many natural materials as possible is a testament to the old-world charm that exudes from the store and proves that the traditional mindset is still very relevant even in the 21st century.

Other wool items we saw included some wonderful blankets in the De Paz check. Sized at 180 x 40 cm, these are a great size to take on a picnic, to the beach, or to use as a throw in your house.

If blankets aren’t your thing, then the selection of overcoats will definitely be for you. Whether it’s a heavyweight Irish Donegal wool made up into a Raglan sleeve overcoat or a classic duffle coat with traditional cord and wood toggle fastenings, there’s an excellent selection of timeless garments that are easy to style and combine.

While De Paz primarily focuses on ready-to-wear clothing, it’s also worth mentioning the extra step they make towards getting all the details right. Just above the store sits an alterations tailor, which means that, when you select a garment, there’s a high chance you’ll be able to get it fitted exactly how you like it. As we all know, fit is key to looking your best.

What Did We Buy From De Paz?

Jack joined me on this trip to Bologna as he also came with me to Pitti Uomo. You can see what he packed for the trip in our post on What Influencers Pack for Pitti Uomo as well as the clothes that I brought to Pitti in another post. Jack runs cold and was delighted to pick up a two-ply, cable knit sweater in a wonderful mossy green color. Although it’s a Shetland wool, the mélange presents a lot like a Donegal yarn as it also has elements of heather and blue colors in there.

I came away empty-handed this time. It’s not often that I’m outshopped by another member of the team. We were also on a schedule so we stayed and shopped for as long as we could, but I definitely would like the opportunity to return to the store to pick something up in the future.

Conclusion

Overall, we had a fantastic time at the store. It has such a wonderful history and a great selection of clothes and accessories, and they really understand how to curate a store so you could theoretically buy your whole wardrobe from one place.

Our special thanks go to David and the De Paz team for having us. This was an impromptu visit, and we really appreciate their warm welcome.

I’m curious: have you ever been to De Paz, or have we inspired you to make a trip? Let us know in the comments below.

We’d also love to hear of any recommendations you have for other menswear stores to visit. Wherever they are in the world, and however big or small, we’d love to see your suggestions for awesome stores just like De Paz.