In this series, we are proud to bring you interviews with the operators, supervisors, and managers who have dedicated their lives to the craft of tailoring. Enjoy.
When did you come to the US?
1986.
And you were born where?
In southern Italy, Calabria.
What brought you to the United States?
[laughs] My husband. We got married there in Italy, but he was already here. He started working at Hickey Freeman in 1981. I came to Rochester five years later.
And how long did your husband end up working here?
Almost 40 years. He retired five years ago. Mike, his brother, arrived in ’67. Before Mike was another brother, Dominic. Mike and Dominic were the first to work at Hickey. Mike and Dominic each worked here fifty years. I’ve worked here for thirty-nine years. My nephew is here now, too.
What was it like when you first got to Hickey Freeman?
Almost everyone was Italian, so it was like home. I came here, I didn’t know English, I didn’t know anything. But it was okay.
What were you doing for work in Italy?
Nothing! I was 20, living a beautiful life Italy. So I came and I learned everything here. I mean, I knew how to hold a needle and sew. I started with buttonholes and closing armholes. Then I started to learn on machines. I went to the sleeve section, then to finishing, and to managing custom orders in the shop.
And what is your role now? What does your section do?
I’m the supervisor for the sleeve section. The sleeves come cut in two piece, top and under. We sew the seams, we press, and we measure. We make the vents, shape the elbow, and attach the lining. We make the buttonholes and attach the buttons, then we hang the sleeves before the next section attaches them to the coat.
And what are the most important things for quality?
The seams, the fullness, and the measurements have to be correct. The sleeve is curved, so we have to put the fullness in the right place. The fullness helps give it shape when we press and stretch the sleeve.
The last question is, we see "Keep the Quality Up" all over the place and we have for a long time. What does that mean to you and why does it matter?
It matters because the coat has to be right for the customer. Number two, if we do the job right in the first place, it saves time. If a sleeve is no good, we have to reopen it and do it again. It’s double the work. If we do it right the first time, we just sew and go.
Anything else you want to tell people about the factory here?
It’s like a family. We spend all day here, you know. You’ve gotta like the job, you’ve gotta like to learn. Every day we learn something, even supervisors. We have new models, new fabrics, new products. I love the work we do.