Some bright lights in the shadows
By J.J. Martin International Herald Tribune
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
MILAN Despite its posh rank as one of the world's cardinal fashion capitals, Milan finds itself continuously condemned as "commercial" and censured for its "lack of youthful creativity." The only reason people come, the city's critics sniff, is for an endless round of big shows and big buys from billion-dollar brands. Although Milan's well-oiled fashion system favors the megawatt fashion labels, not every designer has jumped on board - which, sadly, is why you might not have heard of them.
Rule breakers in Milan consist of those underexposed designers who refuse to do mega fashion shows, eschew flip-flop fashion trends, don't chase after press, actually like being small and, startlingly, continue to exist without an ad budget.
Some of them quite literally hide from the press, as is the case of Carol Christian Poell, an Austrian designer who holes up in a studio in Milan's Naviglio district where he quietly designs an ultra-niche, cult label that he doesn't always produce and only shows to the public when he feels like it.
Production minimums, sales benchmarks and editorial credits don't mean much to this 39-year-old, who is dedicated to the singular pursuit of innovative product for his 10-year-old label. Not surprisingly, the press-shy Poell declined to be interviewed for this article, but his fans have plenty to say.
"Carol is unbelievable," says Armand Hadida, owner of the avant-garde L'Eclaireur boutiques in Paris, who discovered the designer nine years ago and is one of just 15 vendors that carries the brand worldwide.
"Have you ever seen him?" asks Hadida. "He's two meters tall with gold teeth in front and he's so sweet; he's like a kid."
Hadida never puts any Carol Christian Poell merchandise on sale, nor anything from two other experimential Italian brands: Haute and Carpe Diem. Recognizing the inherent timelessness and artistic qualities of the product, the store extends their shelf life for an indeterminate amount of time.
"We've carried some of their pieces for four years because I know we'll sell it some day," he reasons. "It doesn't make sense to kill this genius work."
In Milan's fast-paced fashion game where trends are born and over in just four months, perpetuity is compelling news. Vincenzo de Cotiis, the designer behind another of Hadida's prized labels, Haute, could care less about trends.
"I have a strange relationship with fashion," says the designer, who also splits his time as an architect and furniture designer. "I'm not a fashion creator," he says. "I'm a fashion experimenter."
All those home-brewed experiments in his Brescia studio have made the Haute collection one of the most intriguing labels coming out of Milan. De Cotiis burns, stains, tears, washes and beats his top grade luxury fabrics to the point that they are no longer recognizable as prissy silks or cashmeres. He then covers them in burnt crystals and indulges in irregular cuts and delicate touches like aged lace or vintage glass for a sense of poetic luxury.
The fact that his men's business has grown 30 percent in the last year seems more like serendipity than serious planning. "My work is not tied to commercialism," stresses de Cotiis, who has never had a fashion show and is sold in 60 boutiques worldwide. "Having a big collection or doing a big show is not in my head. I just like to practice with and manipulate these fabrics, and I have fun because it is fast, unlike building a hotel or a store."
Most small designers are, however, inevitably pressured by the need to eat, and therefore, sell. But some are still going about the process of brand building in a very controlled way. "It would be great to be a little bit more known," says Manuela Morin, the accessories designer for the burgeoning LeFlesh label, "but we don't want to become the next Prada. We want to retain our particular quality."
Morin and the ready-to-wear designer Edward Buchanan launched their Milan-based label in 2001 after working for seven years at Bottega Veneta. "If you're small, you've got to be super-creative," says Morin, who is fixated on creating totally original footwear that blends the odd with the innovative. Her organic forms, which incorporate both the sporty and the sophisticated, propose an inventive silhouette for the foot.
"The only thing that helps against the giant companies is that there continues to be people out there who are looking for something small and unique," remarks Morin, who relies on the buzz the label has garnered at such Hollywood boutiques as Satine and from celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez and Cher, who wore a LeFlesh baby blue studded chastity belt over jeans during her last concert.
Sometimes a small designer's buzz comes from unexpected places, like models with a knack for chatting, which was the case in Riccardo Tisci's debut presentation in Milan last season. The 30-year-old Italian designer whipped up a collection in just 30 days in India, after being informed that his newly signed contract with Ruffo Research was now in the trashcan. Relying on friends, like the model Maria Carla Boscono, who rounded up all of her high-profile model friends to work for free, he managed to create a spectacular, underground presentation to the grand tune of zero euros.
"Usually everything in Milan is about business and cash," says Tisci, the son of a fruit vendor who received a financial grant to study at Central Saint Martins in London. "But to see a designer who is different and wants to do a different kind of show was motivating to people."
Though 100 percent Italian, Tisci's design sensibilities are hardly in sync with the domineering sex-charged designers who control Milan's fashion landscape. His dark, romantic designs, completely opposite to Milan's predominant colorful mood, are a new play on conceptual fashion. "I prefer sensuality to sexiness," the designer insists. "I don't like to show the whole body, or expose the flesh."
Tisci, who ended up selling his collection to 38 boutiques in two days, plans to stay in Milan, despite pressure to run out of town.
"So many people told me I should show in Paris, but I want to stay here. I love my country. There are creative designers here in Milan, but you must express yourself. I didn't try to do anything to make anyone happy, I just did things that I thought were beautiful."
All of this creativity, pumped out with small production levels, comes at a pretty price. Tisci's best-selling spring item, a double-faced leather jacket scattered with burnt crystals, retails at well over €3,000, or $3,900, while most of Haute's women's pieces hover between €1,000 and €3,000.
When prodded about the heavy four-digit price tags from these special designers, L'Eclaireur's Hadida is horrified. "Don't talk price with me!" he says. "Are we talking about something basic from Donna Karan, Calvin Klein or the GAP? No way, I don't think so. Everything is made in a small laboratory by hand. It's a nightmare to do. These designers aren't making any profits. It's not a business, it's a passion."
. On the average, it'd be 55% off the retail prices. So, a pair of shoes would be around $450-500.
