Fragrance house

Francesco Smalto

Francesco Smalto founded his couture house in Paris in 1962, establishing a men’s haute couture and tailoring identity. An Italian tailor from Reggio di Calabria, he built his career in Paris and developed a reputation for sober, architecturally cut men’s suits. During the 1970s and 1980s, the house became associated with close-fitting suits marked by structured shoulders and square-cut lapels, worn by entertainers, political figures, and African elites. Smalto handed the brand’s direction to Franck Boclet in 1995, retaining only the bespoke-suit activity; Youn Chong Bak assumed creative leadership in 2007. After Smalto retired, he sold the entire brand to Alliance Designers in 2001. In early June 2024, the company completed the sale of its entire portfolio of brands and domain names to an investor whose identity was not disclosed in the filing. The house is presented as combining tailoring tradition with modernity, under the artistic direction of Studio Smalto.