How Valensia Shirts Are Made: Fabric Spreading and Cutting

The process behind every Valensia shirt begins well before the final stitches: it starts at the cutting table, where fabric spreading and precision cutting give the cloth its first shape. Whether it's a bespoke shirt or a piece from our production line, the stage we're walking you through today is the same one — the same care, the same millimetre-level attention, the same craftsmanship rooted in the shirtmaking tradition of Brescia.

Fabric spreading, the first step of every shirt

Every Valensia shirt begins with an operation that's as technical as it is delicate: fabric spreading, entrusted to our independent artisans. Before the machine even starts, it's the artisan's eye that lays and evens out the fabric on the cutting table, checking for creases or flaws. Then the spreading machine, made by Rimoldi of Milan, takes over: it unrolls the fabric in layers across the full cutting table, overlapping each ply with a precision that leaves no room for error. A print misaligned by even a single millimetre means a compromised cut.

When we're working with one of our exclusive prints — like the vivid floral design in blue, green and yellow you'll often see in our content — every layer has to be aligned carefully so the pattern flows seamlessly from one panel of the finished shirt to the next. It's an operation that calls for a trained eye, real experience, and a machine that works in perfect sync with the person guiding it.

Cutting, when fabric becomes shape

If spreading prepares the ground, cutting is what decides a garment's fate. At Valensia, cutting happens in two stages, each with its own tool and purpose: first the rough cut, then the millimetre-precise finishing.

Rough-cutting with the vertical cutter

The first stage uses a vertical electric cutter with a moving blade, which our artisans use to rough-cut the fabric blocks along the pattern lines laid over the fabric. It's a gesture that takes years to master: the machine is precise, but it's the hand guiding it that makes the difference between an ordinary shirt and a true Valensia shirt.

Precision band cutting

The second stage gets down to the millimetre: a continuous band-cutting machine with a fixed blade isolates collars, cuffs and the other sections of the garment with extreme care, following the pattern exactly. This is where high-precision shirtmaking really shows — every curve, every angle of the collar takes shape here, before the piece ever reaches the sewing table.

From production to bespoke, the same care for every shirt

Whether we're preparing a run for our production line or making a bespoke shirt for a client who's come to see us in Capriano del Colle, the spreading and cutting stage doesn't change: it's still the moment a shirt truly starts to take shape, before assembly even begins. It's also why, in our experience, anyone who chooses our bespoke shirt service receives the same artisanal attention as every piece in our production.

To discover the full journey of a Valensia shirt, from spreading to the final finishing, you can also read our article on how a Valensia garment is made.

This double step, spreading and cutting, is the same one passed down in Brescia's shirtmaking tradition for generations: a craft built on skilled hands more than automation, where the machine remains a tool, never a substitute for the artisan. It's why we choose to entrust every Valensia shirt to our independent artisans, piece after piece.

Where to find Valensia shirts

Our shirts, born from this spreading-and-cutting process, are available online, at our headquarters in Capriano del Colle, in the province of Brescia, and at our seasonal concept store Valensia in Forte dei Marmi, at Via Idone 6.