How long have you been making shirts? How old are you now, and when did you first take measurements and cut your first shirt?

If I look back, I started 10 years ago. We completely changed the direction of our brand and focused more on its vision. I have been around shirts since childhood. I clearly remember the times when the whole family, uncles, and aunts worked in the workshop. I started taking measurements and selling my first shirts 11 years ago. This doesn’t mean that I wasn’t involved in the business and the workshop all those years. We always made shirts for various brands.

People are attracted to celebrities. What is the most famous actor (politician, businessman) you made a shirt for? What did he say to you when he tried on the shirt?

I have made shirts for many famous people, including Bayern Munich players like Xabi Alonso, journalists, and, first and foremost, people who are deeply passionate about bespoke shirts.

Have you made a shirt for your father?

No, I haven’t had the chance to make a shirt for my father. I know how to take measurements and cut a shirt, but I don’t know how to sew it on a machine. I haven’t done it, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it someday.

If you could keep only two shirts in your wardrobe, what colors would they be?

If I had to keep only two shirts in my wardrobe, the first would be a white shirt with cufflinks, and the second would also be a white shirt with regular cuffs. For me, the white shirt is the ultimate expression of a shirt.

You may not keep track, but how many shirts have you made in your life?

I don’t have the exact number, but considering the made-to-measure and collection shirts we’ve produced in the last 10 years, we’ve made around 100,000 shirts.

Recall the biggest failure in your professional history.

Of course, I remember when I started my brand. There was a shop in Rome that inspired me called Dandys. There, an old gentleman named Franco worked, who was very well-dressed, along with Marco, his nephew. Both were highly skilled on the technical side of the products they sold. When I started selling hand-made shirts, I would go to them because they were a reference point in Rome. And I remember well that when I showed them a shirt, they would say, "My dear, you cannot enter with this level of quality, either make it better or don’t enter this market." I would go home very demoralized but with a learned lesson. From that point on, I became more determined to make things better. I will remember that scene all my life, and it motivates me to make Cordone shirts a product of the highest quality.

How should your Wikipedia article start?

A young man born into shirts who begins to export his name worldwide. That’s what I would say. My family has a lot of experience in production, but unfortunately, it didn’t yield commercial results. That’s why I say I was born into shirts because my family was already making shirts when I was born.

What are your impressions of Chișinău?

I liked Chișinău very much. It’s an incredibly developed city, reminding me of Italy in the 90s. In my opinion, Moldova is a country with great development potential.

What is your favorite breakfast on a day when you don’t think about shirts?

I always think about shirts, even when I make breakfast. In general, I make two types of breakfast. When I am in Italy, I like to eat bread with jam or biscuits with jam. When I am abroad, I prefer a savory breakfast – eggs, bacon, potatoes. But there is something common – yogurt with fruits. These are the types of breakfast that make me feel good, whether I am in Italy or another country.