Credit: Conceria DEAN
Among the excellences that are part of the history of Naples, there is one that has to do directly with leather and the craftsmanship of a district that for a period became the center of the world, namely the glove-making district.
During the Kingdom of Naples, in particular between the 16th and 18th centuries, the production of leather gloves had in fact seen a notable development: gloves were a symbol of status, an essential accessory, and Neapolitan gloves stood out for their quality, design, refined decorations with embroidery and precious details.
Over the centuries, the Rione Sanità became the beating heart of proto-industrial activities. The narrow streets of the neighborhood were home to numerous artisan workshops, where entire families dedicated themselves to the production of gloves, passing down secrets and manufacturing techniques from generation to generation.
The process of making a pair of leather gloves required over twenty steps, carried out with artisanal precision. Each family specialized in a specific phase of the process, creating a production chain based on collaboration and the transmission of skills. In the 1930s, there were approximately 25,000 glove-making artisans in Naples alone, who accounted for two-thirds of national production.
“For this production, lambskin was the ideal material, thanks to its combination of softness, flexibility, durability and aesthetics. Lambskin offers superior comfort because it is extremely soft and smooth, very pleasant to the touch and very flexible, capable of easily adapting to the hand and the natural movements of the fingers, thus ensuring ample freedom of movement,” explains Michele De Michele, son of Cav. Antonio De Michele, founder of Conceria DEAN, a Neapolitan company specialized in the production of high-quality lambskin.
“Despite its lightness, lambskin offers good thermal insulation and at the same time guarantees the right breathability, as well as being resistant and durable: if treated and maintained properly it can last a long time, maintaining its beauty and functionality intact. This leather also has an elegant and refined appearance, which makes it particularly suitable for the production of fine gloves, also thanks to its natural finish and the possibility of being dyed in multiple shades of color, which make it truly versatile”.
With the passing of time and the evolution of lifestyles and fashion, the use and therefore the production of gloves have progressively decreased, to the point of becoming a niche. Since 1972, in the new headquarters in Arzano, DEAN has progressively oriented its production towards elastic nappa for boot making until the turning point, in the nineties, with articles for leather goods and shoe uppers.
Today, the Neapolitan glove continues to be appreciated for its superior quality and the prestige of a centuries-old cultural tradition, but the craftsmanship has now almost completely disappeared, despite the efforts to preserve and relaunch the ancient artisan wisdom with the involvement of the new generations. The new Fall Winter 2025 collections have shown a strong return of gloves, proclaiming it the must-have accessory of the next winter season. An opportunity for fashion, not only Italian, to look to the past and the excellence of its tradition, giving new life to an art that has made history.
