In Rome there is a deeply cultured, extremely deep-rooted, too hidden, almost secret Design. It is the Design of the theatrical and film tailors of the Urbe, who for decades have been producing garments of extraordinary beauty for the productions of the national and international audiovisual industry.

One reality that represents a flagship of this original and exclusive entrepreneurial fabric is undoubtedly the Pieroni Laboratory. The company, established in the 1940s as Ditta Bruno Pieroni, is today led by Massimo Pieroni, the founder's son, born in 1964.

In the effervescence of the Second World War and the Economic Boom, the Pieroni Laboratory soon established itself as a leading, internationally recognized enterprise in the production of headgear, armor, accessories and stage costumes.

This was also thanks to the Laboratory's close collaboration with another Roman excellence, Sartoria Tirelli, founded by Umberto Tirelli in 1964.

The story goes that it was at Sartoria Tirelli that a very young Massimo Pieroni, sent here by his father to deliver some hats, met the director Luchino Visconti.

And that the Master on that occasion delivered to the young entrepreneur a lesson that later remained in his life like a north star: “detail makes the difference between a good object and an excellent one.”

That young man really did treasure that authoritative lesson: today Massimo Pieroni's company, in designing and making a headdress or a suit of armor, not only does a technically proficient job, but also takes care to carefully study the contexts and historical periods of reference, so that there is no out-of-place or out-of-tune detail.

This ability to design in an excellent way, thanks to an absolutely educated and aware Design, is never separated from the unparalleled craftsmanship of the workers: a Pieroni hat is therefore the result of a really complex, deep and peculiar Know How, design and production.

Massimo Pieroni recounts, “It all starts, usually, from the felt, which is pricked inside the glue and then passed through a giant pan, which is called a ‘caldarella’ in slang. The shape is then created, and the prototype is put in an oven to dry. Once dry, the hat is taken apart, the roller or other necessary applications are made, and completed with ribbons, borders, embroidery. Then comes the curving and, finally, the polishing of the headgear, ready to be worn on stage.”

Felt, therefore, thanks to the Design and Know-How of the Pieroni Laboratory takes on the consistency of a precious material, on which to make original and distinctive workings; just think of the “velour” felt, with a mixture that makes it similar to velvet, or the “flammant” felt, i.e., shiny, like that of the very famous top hat that Johnny Depp wore in Tim Burton's “The Chocolate Factory.”

Aware of being heir and witness to an authentic artistic and cultural heritage, Massimo Pieroni has been collaborating with the world of Design education for years.

In 2015, for example, he can be found at the IED - European Institute of Design in Rome, engaged in teaching a course on “History and elaboration of headgear”; in 2016 he taught at the Academy for Italian Opera in Verona, in the course “Accessories for Costume”; between 2017 and 2019 he is a lecturer at the Academy of Costume in Verona and at the Academy of Costume & Fashion in Rome.

But Massimo is certainly not a man alone at the helm; a role in the company's growth has been played, in addition to the team of extraordinary collaborators, by his wife Stefania, daughter Evaluna and mother Gabriella, among other creators of the iconic hat worn by Kate Winslet in James Cameron's “Titanic.”

Historically active between Cinecittà and Hollywood, the Pieroni Workshop, as well as personally Massimo Pieroni, has always boasted a particularly important relationship with the United States.

It is safe to say that almost every major U.S. costume film production has featured Pieroni headgear or body armor for decades now.

In 2022, Massimo Pieroni, received the title of MAM-Maestro d'Arte e Mestiere, in the category of “Performing Arts Professions,” joining the shortlist of excellent artisans included in the Golden Book of the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte.

On that occasion, he stated thus, “I have a special fondness for each of the productions related to the world of cinema, but if I had to choose a work that is closest to my heart, moreover related to my youth, I would definitely mention Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America, because I think it is a perfect film in all its technical parts.”

Always in contact with Hollywood's most important costume designers, the Pieroni Laboratory can boast of truly extraordinary artistic relationships, from Nino Vittorio Novarese, Oscar winner for the best costumes in “Cleopatra” in 1963, to Carlo Rambaldi, the famous wizard of special effects; from Piero Tosi, costume designer of a masterpiece like “The Leopard,” to Gabriella Pescucci, an award-winning costume designer.

The Pieroni Workshop, with its great Creativity and unique Design, has brought the fruits of its labor to the world, creating an ideal bridge between Cinecittà and Hollywood.

It seems that Emily Post said, “It is impossible for a woman to be chic without a hat.” Certainly, it is impossible for a film to be a masterpiece without a hat from the Pieroni Workshop.