This Just In: Barena Venezia
Brand Background
Barena Venezia’s founder, Sandro Zara, got his start in the fashion industry working as an agent for a textile company. After developing expertise in fine Italian fabrics and mills, he then set out to channel this first-hand knowledge into his own label back in 1993. For help, he enlisted a tailor, Massimo Pigozzo, who remains Barena Venezia’s menswear creative director to this day.
Pigozzo takes a lot of his inspiration from the traditional workwear worn by 19th-century Venice’s rural hunters, fishers and farmers – a group that prided itself on wearing three-piece suits even during hard labour. Barena’s respect for Venetian heritage and traditional craftsmanship continues to inform the brand’s collections today, leading to elegant yet easy-wearing tailoring that’s ready for a day of work, even if it’s just from the home office.
Our Team’s Take
Sun Woo Chung, Sportswear Buyer at Harry Rosen, feels that this summer, it’s time to go with the flow – and Barena Venezia has just the clothes you need. “We’ve really evolved from the traditional structured jacket and trousers that men are used to,” Chung says. “This season, Barena has these really soft, flowy fabrics, and all the items in the collection come in a more relaxed silhouette. That’s still a fairly new concept for most North American customers.”
Nevertheless, Chung sees Barena as the perfect brand to help move men ever-so- slightly out of their comfort zone. “They won't see much duplication with the items they already own,” she says. “And when they try these clothes on, they’ll see how nicely they drape over the body.”
How To Wear It
Anyone less accustomed to a looser look will likely appreciate that Barena’s colour palette still adheres to understated tones. “Even though the silhouettes might be different from what a customer is typically used to, the familiar colour story helps to balance that,” Chung says. This makes the brand’s clothing easy to style with your existing favourites, especially when it comes to footwear. For instance, Chung points to an ecru seersucker overshirt and pants combo that easily pairs with leather loafers or sandals.
Meanwhile, for more adventurous shoppers, Barena offers a tie-dyed shirt with a very on-trend camp collar. “They aren’t really a wild print-type brand, so it’s toned down, but still stands out a bit. And that style of collar is a trend that we've been seeing for a couple seasons now and are continuing to see for spring ’23.”