[Coming Spring '11]
Maria Calderara studied at the University of Architecture in Venice. While there she became fascinated by the local glass industry, and began making jewelry which combined creativity, experimentation and the Venetian tradition.
Upon graduation in 1983, she moved to Milan and opened her own showroom in a renovated industrial space in the city center. Over the past year she has added a complete collection of prêt à porter to her label.
Bellerose “is a brand created in 1989. A collection inspired by original vintage garmets and genuine workwear. Timeless and utilitarian. Union made with military and old school influences. Concrete creativity utility. Fresh innovation and copper rivets, selvage proportioned, customized, studded-patched. Second hand focusing on detail washing and drying processes. Being fresh and innovating.” (from the Bellerose site)
“women sewing, women working
life simply goes on,
honing the humble labours of love,
will lead to startling bouts of beauty ,
as a designer, i am part of a long tradition
of intense handiwork,
and of those who engage in the search for poetry
beneath the ordinary.”
Monica Sarti, designer of the ”L’Accessorio”, was born in Prato the 23rd of November 1971. After taking her diploma at the International Language School in Florence, she went to live for one year in New York, from 1991 to 1992.
During that time she attended a course of styling and business market at the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York, which included a working stage at Anne Klein’s, where she was taking care of the management, the control of the raw materials and the contacts with their Italian clients.
Back in Italy she attended courses at the university – faculty history of arts. From September 1992 onwards she is manager and stylistic director of the ”L’Accessorio” department in a Faliero Sarti Group.
The brand of true craftsmanship, Pantofola d’Ora creates shoes and slippers of supreme quality. Each pair is strictly handmade, as dictated by a centuries-old tradition, and comes with a guarantee of authenticity.
Hanno Wessel is born in Germany in Kiel, in 1965.
After the Chambre Syndicale de Couture Parisienne, he works at Lecoanet Hemant Haute Couture where he had already spent his apprenticeship.After having collaborated for several years with different designers in Paris, he starts independent work.
In 1993, Hanno creates a collection of womenswear under the label HANNOH. This collection is immediately a great success with the buyers and the press.
In 2003, 10 years after, Hanno launches a new brand “H+ PAR HANNOH” stems from Hannoh. Complementary and in the meantime different, it has a proper aesthetic and logic guided by the spirit of time.
Today, both the two labels, HANNOH and H+ PAR HANNOH are sold all over the world by 110 multilabel shops.
Les créations de LILY BARRETH ouvrent la voie à de multiples combinaisons personnelles en mettant l’accent sur la surprise d’un détail inattendu, le raffinement des matières et la subtilité d’une palette colorée.
Les collections de prêt-à-porter LILITH s’adressent aux femmes qui cherchent dans le vêtement un plaisir nouveau fondé sur le jeu, la liberté et l’authenticité.
Lily Barreth’s creations open the door to multiple, personalized combinations, offering unexpected details, refined materials & a subtle palette.
Lilith’s ready-to-wear collections are designed for women who are looking for clothes that are informed by playfulness, freedom & authenticity.
Director Clemens Dorr combines innovation with a deep and binding commitment to the eternal in nature. Designed to accentuate self-expression, Element Clemente features stunning silhouettes and subtle earth- inspired colors.
A passion for fabrics and a dedication to the highest standards of quality guides the creations of Kristensen du Nord. Every piece is handmade by Italian artisans and has its own individual character and appeal.
Two distinct origins, diametrically opposed cultures, strong personal visions yet similar aesthetic values… Peachoo Datwani and Roy Krejberg created their brand in 2004.
They like to mix references, styles and codes and have an architectural approach to the construction of clothes. Traditional couture techniques are combined with sharp cutting to obtain a very personal style built-up of contrasting volumes and proportions.
They do not believe in a specific inspiration for a collection. They design modern clothes with a soul and believe in moving ahead with the times and influences.
The interplay of shape and fabric, technology combined with ancient handcrafted skills are values intrinsic to all their collections.
PEACHOO
Of Indian origin, Peachoo Datwani moved to Paris in the early 80’s and collaborated for many years in the design and development of a French womenswear company. Subsequently she moved into the world of decoration with a collection of home textiles, objects and furniture sold under her own name. Peachoo has exposed her various collections in galleries in France and Italy and collaborated with architects/interior designers.
KREJBERG
Born in Silkeborg, the Danish Roy Krejberg grew up in this lake region before leaving to study at the “Danish Academy of Fashion and Design”. On graduation, he was spotted by Soes Drasbek with whom he worked on various collections and travelled around the world as part of his job. In 1994, his methods, his personal style and his desire to follow through his ideas led him to cross paths with Kenzo Takada. They worked together for many years on the menswear collections. Roy’s contempory vision mixed with Japanese accents opened new doors for the house of Kenzo. On Kenzo Takada’s departure in 1999, Roy became the creative director of Kenzo Homme. His collections have been acclaimed around the world until his departure in December 2002.
Epice uses subtle colors, refined weavings and the finest silk, cotton and wool to create its renowned line of scarves. The line unites the talents of Danish designers Bess Nielsen, an expert in Indian textiles, and fellow Dane Jan Machenhauer, whose architecture- inspired designs have been recognized by the Danish Art Foundation.
Giorgio Brato starts to work in his family business producing bike jackets. His background has improved quite quickly refining the capacity of look for new material and new tecknique of leather working process. From 3 years untill now, he produced goods for very famous designers in Italy and has reached a high level knowledge of the garment dyed products… few designers in the world had reached his level of knowledge.
Once he discovered his strength, he decided to produce his own collection (men and women). Where the magic of the garment dyed and the soft napa leather create a very unique product to touch. His philosophy is leather as fabric.
Design, quality and utility are the three core brand values cited by High’s British designer fashion, “modern couturier“ Claire Campbell, who is recognized as a leading creative talent in contemporary clothing design.
A breath of fresh air in today’s fashion scene, High aims to create contemporary classics over transient fashion, and clothing design for everyday use over occasional wear.
As Claire Campbell says: “The men’s and women’s clothing and accessory collections designed for High exude a quiet elegance and wealth of tradition that is communicated when clothes work and become part of a persons life“.
The starting point of these multi-purpose, functional clothes and accessories is a great respect for tradition and craftsmanship, for beauty born of utility. Looking back to original, hand-stitched, soft-wearing fashion clothing, the high collections turn clothing essentials into contemporary classics for everyday.
Claire Campbell has aimed to create functional yet sophisticated everyday couture garments with a human touch; clothing modelled by hand, with attention to detail.
“We use good quality ingredients to make clothes people will want to wear and use”, says Campbell, “like bespoke clothing for everyone“.
Both the tailored line, high, and the casual line, high use, embody the brand’s guiding principles of high design, high utility and high quality.
“Today, the edges are blurred between casual clothing and formal dressing. There are no longer any rules to limit these two categories from being combined and this is the essence of contemporary dressing“, explains Claire Campbell.
High is a brand with a strong identity, that will resist the vagaries of passing fashion.
With its lightness of touch, High is a new and original expression of contemporary casual chic.
