Seven Decades of
Handmade Tailoring
Where Tony Clay’s
Story Begins
At just 17, Tony Clay joins Chester Barrie — the English house known for blending bespoke-level handwork with the logic of industrial production.
Founded in 1935 and later acquired by Simon Ackerman, Chester Barrie becomes a model of technical clarity and consistent quality.
Clay spends his formative years immersed in this environment, absorbing the standards that will one day guide d’Avenza.
A New Workshop
in Avenza, Carrara
In 1957, Myron and Raymond Ackerman — sons of Simon Ackerman — open a new production site in the Avenza district of Carrara.
Their goal is to adapt the structured tailoring methods and industrial hand-finishing techniques of Chester Barrie to the Italian landscape — with its extraordinary fabrics, skilled artisans, and centuries of textile culture.
The result is d’Avenza: born where English heritage meets Italian creativity and craftsmanship.
The House
Takes Form
Tony Clay is appointed General Manager of d’Avenza. Under his leadership, the house earns a reputation for both quality and innovation.
Every jacket is fully hand-made: hand-cut and hand-stitched with a full canvas construction.
Among its many technical feats are pinstripe suits woven with gold thread, and tailoring cut from silk originally intended for ties — clear demonstrations of complete technical command.
Known by the Few
Who Knew
By the 1970s, d’Avenza has become a whispered name among connoisseurs.
In specialist menswear stores across Europe and America, clients walk in asking:
“Do you sell d’Avenza?”
The brand gains a reputation through product alone — passed from shoulder to shoulder, client to client, tailor to tailor.
No advertising. Just construction.
The Benchmark
of Modern Elegance
In the 1980s, d’Avenza reaches its peak. Its clients include heads of state, renowned actors, and high-level private clients from around the world.
Every garment remains fully hand-made in Italy, combining crisp architectural pattern work with remarkable comfort.
The house defines a new standard: bespoke in method, luxurious in feel, effortless in appearance.
Transmission
and Interruption
As Tony Clay is forced to step away due to sudden health issues, d’Avenza gradually slows production — and the company declines.
Yet long before that, its influence had already spread. Many of its tailors, cutters, and technicians go on to build the technical foundations of Italy’s greatest houses.
In the following decades, several investors attempt to revive the name — but without preserving the essence.
D’Avenza disappears from labels — but lives on in the hands of those it had trained, and in the memory of those who had worn it.
Jonathan Clay
Rebuilds the House
Having trained alongside his father and worked for several houses on Savile Row, Jonathan Clay returns to Carrara. He doesn’t simply restart d’Avenza — he reconstructs it.
Finding artisans capable of this level of work proves a challenge in itself. He builds a team, trains them, and gradually refines the techniques and standards that once defined the house.
Over several years, d’Avenza regains its technical edge and quiet precision.
Handmade Tailoring
Felt Instantly
Each d’Avenza jacket is hand-cut, fully canvassed, and made in Italy by expert hands working within the house’s original methods.
The sensation is immediate: lightness with precision, structure without stiffness, and a shoulder line that brings quiet definition to the whole silhouette.
The feeling stays with you — and sets d’Avenza apart.