During your sightseeing tour around the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, you have the opportunity to see one of the centuries-old establishments and most traditional ones in Madrid, whose prestige transcends our borders.
Is Layers Seseña, an establishment dedicated to artisanal making and sale of the Spanish cape, a tradition that has been maintained since year 1901 .
Located in the 23 Cruz Street, street that connects the Plaza de Jerónimo Benavente with the Carrera de San Jerónimo, Layers Seseña It is run by the descendants of its founder, Santos Seseña.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Calle de la Cruz was a street known in Madrid for its numerous tailor shops where, among other clothes, garments were made and sold. spanish capes, despite the fact that it was already a garment in disuse after the proliferation of MacFerlan coats since the end of the previous century.
Although the cape is a warm garment used throughout the world since before Roman times, specifically the Spanish cape came to acquire a great role in the history of Spain in the 18th century on the occasion of what is known as Esquilache Mutiny.
El Marquis of Esquilache He was the Minister of Economy of the king Carlos III, and had earned great unpopularity for various measures taken, but the last straw that broke the camel's back, and which led to a popular mutiny, was an order that affected the use of the cape.
With the aim of improving security on the street, and to ensure that criminals did not hide behind the cape, which was then worn very long, he issued an order requiring that the capes had to be short so that the swordsmen could be seen.
Likewise the traditional hats, wide-brimmed hats, had to be replaced by three-cornered hats. After that popular mutiny, King Carlos III was forced to dismiss his minister Esquilache.
La Seseña tailoring It soon gained fame for its capes, becoming the official supplier of the Royal House during the time of King Alfonso XIII. And since then, the most illustrious Spanish and foreign figures became clients of Layers Seseña. Among them we can mention Rodolfo Valentino, Picasso, Buñuel, Gary Cooper, Federico Fellini, Camilo José Cela...
In 1966,When Enrique Seseña, grandson of the founder, took the reins of the business, and faced with the decline of the traditional tailoring business, he decided to take the step of leaving the sale of men's clothing and specializing the establishment in making and selling the Spanish cape. That decision was a success, which significantly increased the business and the world fame of Layers Seseña.
Currently, the Spanish capes continue to be made in the same establishment on Calle de la Cruz, handcrafted one by one, with a cloth four to five meters long, from a factory in Béjar, and with velvet inside. .
The Spanish cape prices en Layers Seseña They range from 575 euros to 1.200 euros that embroidered capes can cost. 50 percent of production is sold to foreign customers.
La spanish cape Currently it is a garment that is bought mainly as gift, although it is no longer used on a daily basis as a piece of clothing, but rather to attend events, such as going to the theater or a wedding.
Layers Seseña It is currently run by Marcos Seseña, son of Enrique, and although customers continue to go directly to the centenary establishment on Calle de la Cruz, they also market over the Internet.
I REALLY LIKED THIS REPORT ON THE LAYERS.
I LIKE FASHION DESIGN AND THIS INTERESTS ME VERY MUCH
I WOULD LIKE ONE ABOUT THE TYPICAL FLAMENCO DRESSES.
CONGRATULATIONS.