Seseña's handcrafted tailoring

Hotel Fénix Gran Meliá, Madrid Spain

a red store front with yellow and red signs

Connect with the destination during your stay at Hotel Fénix Gran Meliá, Madrid, Spain

Tradition, craftsmanship and history of capes

The most famous capes in Spain were designed 100 years ago, right in the heart of Madrid and very close to the Puerta del Sol. Enjoy a guided tour of the Seseña workshop where you will discover the history of this family and their brand as well as the most iconic collections and pieces in a unique experience conducted by the great-grandson of its founder, Marcos Seseña.

a red coat on a stand in front of a mirror

During this experience, you will have the opportunity to visit the Seseña workshop, where the founder's great-grandson will show you the whole space as well as all the garments that make up the current collection and some of the workshop's iconic pieces. In addition, he will tell you about the history of this family business and the most important anecdotes of the family members, as well as those of the brand's friends and followers. The visit will conclude with a demonstration of cape cutting followed by a traditional aperitif that will give way to a pleasant chat.

Duration: 1 hour.
Number of people: Please check.
Please note: reservation is required 48 hours in advance.
What's included?: Guided tour of the store, access to the workshop with cape cutting demonstration, and aperitif.

With the arrival of the Spanish Golden Age, capes gradually fell into disuse and this very Castilian garment was on the verge of disappearing at the end of the 19th century. However, thanks to Seseña and its founder, Santos Seseña, a turning point was reached in its use and production, always by professional tailors who made them by hand, using traditional cutting and sewing methods.

Since then, this garment, intrinsically linked to Spaniards, has been living a new golden age, oblivious to trends. Today, it is made both in its most classic version -with its "esclavina" and its "charro" brooches- and modified and updated to reach new models -such as those with openings and pockets-. This century-old business is so charming that it has seduced personalities such as Picasso -who is buried in a Seseña cape-, Jeff Bezos, Michael Jackson or Hillary Clinton.