Raffaele Caruso was a Neapolitan tailor who moved to Emilia in 1958 and built something that is not a Neapolitan jacket at all. The house began as a pure white-label manufacturer, and that is still the more interesting half of what it does: around 4,000 prototype jackets a year for thirteen top luxury clients, with a research department of thirty-odd full-time staff, of which four or five designs a year ever reach the Caruso line. Its clients are confidential and we do not name them.

Ownership has moved several times — Umberto Angeloni, formerly of Brioni, bought it in 2009; Fosun took a majority in 2017; it was sold again in early 2026 — while the factory has stayed at Soragna and the make has stayed consistent.

What to look for is the buttonhole. Caruso's are hand-cut Milanese eyelets worked in silk, taking roughly fifteen minutes each. Look at the lapel hole first. Then check the finish grade: Golden carries the Milanese lapel buttonhole, pick stitching and extra hand-finished lining; Parma is the plain finish.

How it wears now: the internal horsehair chest is designed to mould and hold shape, so check the chest and the lapel roll for the previous owner's posture before you buy. That is also why a Caruso holds its line better than a deconstructed jacket — there is something in there to hold.