*Gerard Unger, professor and type designer, introduced the term in a lecture at the University of Reading on May 1, 2015, to describe typefaces that synthesise historical stylistic features with a contemporary design perspective.
Sastre is a hybrid* typeface where nature and craftsmanship meet. Its broken structure and generous proportions perform well in long-form text and at small sizes. While its character is distinctive, Sastre remains a dependable workhorse. Rather than echoing traditional forms, it reinterprets them and challenges conventional ideals of beauty and refinement in contemporary text typography.
Some highlights from Sastre’s journey, from inception to commercial release.
Some of the original ideas included using geometric broken paths and no straight lines.
The fragmented contours gain contrast and an angled axis, adding a different structure of points in countershapes.
Identifying typefaces that shared design features helped address concerns during the process.
Inspiration from nature and tailoring sparked new ideas, leading to the exploration of unconventional paths.
Book “Catro ventos”, Fabulatorio
“María Ramos tipografía”, Fundación DIDAC
Morakniv, IW Agency
“Galicia procesos e formas”, Porto Design Biennale
“Meandering: Art, Ecology, and Metaphysics”, Atlas
M. Ramos tailor shop
Exclusively available from our foundry
It remains legible in printed documents below 8 points.
Sastre is a typeface with generous proportions. The wide open countershapes benefit legibility at small sizes.
A diagonal axis defines the contrast between thin and thick strokes, connecting the design to historic printing type and calligraphy tools. This feature conveys a steady rhythm and guides the eye while reading.
The fragmented outlines are invisible at text sizes.
The intricate contours of Sastre are one of its key features. The curved paths connect at multiple bending points. Shapes and countershapes use a different number of joints, altering the stroke weight and stress.
A traditional skeleton dressed in bespoke contours.
From a more conventional approach, Sastre mixes characteristics of a wedge-serif typeface with an old-style weight distribution. It includes small cuts in the outlines and visible inktraps, which enhance the expressive nature of the design and address printing issues.
Straight lines appear in horizontal strokes, sometimes broken in two parts. The vertical lines follow curved paths, subtly adding weight where the stems meet the serifs.
Unique characters and shapes for custom type settings.
Geometric forms are built from stitches. They serve not only as bullets, but also to create borders and patterns.
The small caps in Sastre are more than just a smaller version of capital letters; they are tailored for a monospaced set, adding another voice to the family and allowing for balanced vertical settings.
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Master craftsmanship shines through after over 40 years of dedicated work with needle and thimble. Hundreds of stitches come together to shape the silhouette of one single person; this is the essence of a tailor’s craft.
Back in 1960, Manuel began his journey in tailoring at José Santos’ workshop, sewing his first stitches at the age of 13. At that time, he could not have imagined how much of his life would be dedicated to this profession. Born in the small town of Brandomil, he moved to A Coruña, on the northern coast of Galicia, where he initially worked as a waiter. The city was full of tailor shops; San Andrés Street alone boasted over 20. Just a few minutes away from the Siete Puertas, where Manuel was employed, Luis Blanco had his shop. He visited the bar regularly. Manuel reengaged with tailoring and began to assist Luis in his workshop. When Manuel had to come back to his hometown, he decided to start his own business. Fabrics from Sabadell, an important textile hub at the time, made it to his workshop. Recognising the young man’s talent, someone at the Catalan fabric factory, Textil Riba, offered him a scholarship. They covered the expenses of a tailoring course at “La Confianza”, a renowned Tailoring Academy in Barcelona. It was the summer of 1971. After returning from Cataluña, Manuel resumed his work in Brandomil. In 1978, he married Cecilia, who had grown up just a few miles away in Alborés. The couple relocated to Santa Comba, where they began working together. By the mid-1980s, they had opened M. Ramos Tailor Shop on Antonio Tomé Avenue, and they kept it running until retirement. Yarns, buttons, remnants, needles, and pins surround us as we find two industrial models of Refrey sewing machines, produced in a factory near Vigo in Galicia. They have been the backbone of the workshop, serving Cecilia and Manuel and witnessing countless hours of labour. Manuel obtained his machine in 1973, and it kept running strong for 50 years. Cecilia initially had an Alfa machine, but it didn’t last for so long, so she acquired her Refrey in the 1990s. The tailor shop received visits from commercial travellers representing textile factories in Sabadell, but also agents from shirt manufacturers based in Madrid and various locations in Galicia. Suppliers provided essential tools and materials needed for the work, including interfacing, customised tags, and racks. The repertoire featured manufactured products coming from European countries, such as Gütermann threads from Germany, iron machines from the Italian company Fratelli Casoli, and professional scissors from Nogent in France. During the summer season, when the agenda was packed with weddings and celebrations, workdays often stretched late into the night. Crafting a pair of trousers required one day, while a tailored suit took up to 48 hours. Once you add fittings and refinements, the entire process could extend over several weeks. A complete suit typically needs at least 3 meters of fabric, along with lining, shoulder pads, buttons, interfacing, and more. The tailoring crisis, announced by the end of the 1980s, intensified in the 21st century, in a mass-consumer society driven by immediate culture. M. Ramos Tailor Shop managed to survive until 2019, largely thanks to loyal clients (friends, neighbours, and returned emigrants) who could order three or four pairs of trousers a year, booked long time in advance.
Sastre includes 663 glyphs and supports over 120 languages using the Latin script. In addition to letters, diacritics, numbers, symbols, and punctuation, it also provides a collection of arrows and geometric shapes.
This is just a small sample of all the glyphs included in Sastre. For a more complete character set:
Sastre provides alternative shapes for proper type settings in different contexts. Select these variants from text menus in desktop software or via code on the web.