DAAD DANTONE is a multi-brand based in Milan, with more than 50 years of history and experience. It is the result of the transformation of a family-run tailoring business located in Piazza San Carlo, awarded the “LE FORBICI D’ORO” (Golden Scissors), a prestigious and coveted prize for “Made in Italy” products, in a top-level concept store offering a choice selection of profoundly innovative international designers. It is acknowledged worldwide as a unique place, where new ways of creating fashion can be discovered thanks to the sophisticated, diligent and tireless research work of Giorgio Dantone. DAAD Dantone is still one of the most interesting and leading design incubators, in which hugely talented emerging designers have studied and grown, many of whom have become designers and brands that are now internationally renowned and appreciated across the world.
é un multibrand milanese con oltre 50 anni di storia e di evoluzione. Nasce dalla trasformazione della sartoria di famiglia in piazza San Carlo, insignita de “LE FORBICI D’ORO”, prestigioso e ambito riconoscimento del Made in Italy, in un concept store di altissimo livello, che propone un’attenta selezione di designer provenienti da tutto il mondo e profondamente innovativi. Riconosciuto internazionalmente come luogo unico nel suo genere, dove è possibile scoprire nuovi modi di concepire moda, per la sofisticata, assidua e instancabile attività di ricerca di Giorgio Dantone. DAAD Dantone continua ad essere uno fra i più interessanti ed importanti design incubator in cui si sono formati e sono cresciuti stilisti emergenti di immenso talento, molti dei quali oggi si annoverano tra i designer e i brand universalmente riconosciuti a livello internazionale e apprezzati in tutto il mondo.
EVOLUTION Giorgio Dantone is an elegant, sophisticated man, who keeps an eye on the future and on the constant evolution of fashion and the market, always one step ahead in spotting the new trend in the fashion world. He was one of the first to offer the unstructured fashion of Giorgio Armani in the late 1970s and the collection with which two young designers, unknown at the time, made their debut: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, today known globally for their Dolce & Gabbana brand. Giorgio Dantone’s research was then expanded by exploring those designers who, in the 1980s, were able to radically innovate clothing styles and to conceive fashion and its space, such as Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto and many others, with which a selected, demanding and international client base began to get acquainted, thanks to DAAD DANTONE.
Giorgio Dantone è un uomo elegante e sofisticato, con lo sguardo rivolto al futuro, molto attento alla continua evoluzione della moda e del mercato e sempre un passo avanti nella selezione di ciò che farà tendenza nel mondo della moda. È stato tra i primi a proporre la moda destrutturata di Giorgio Armani alla fine degli anni Settanta e la collezione con cui hanno esordito due giovani stilisti allora completamente sconosciuti: Domenico Dolce e Stefano Gabbana, oggi noti in tutto il mondo con il marchio Dolce & Gabbana. La ricerca di Giorgio Dantone si ė successivamente ampliata esplorando quei designer che negli anni Ottanta hanno saputo innovare profondamente il modo di vestire e di immaginare la moda e il suo spazio come ad esempio Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto e molti altri, che una clientela selezionata, esigente e internazionale ha iniziato a conoscere proprio in DAAD DANTONE.
Clients at DAAD Dantone were, therefore, the first to dress in Ann Demeulemeester, Raf
Giorgio Dantone has transformed DAAD Dantone into an innovative and modern company,
Simons, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Les Hommes, and Kriss Van Assche, discovering
a kind of landmark in the complex and evolving fashion scene for anyone who wants to
Belgian design and later the “Japanese” one that Giorgio Dantone, always paying attention
guess the new trends and dress in a contemporary way.
to the evolution of fashion, society and the market, began to offer at his store in Milan,
With its 50 years of experience, DAAD Dantone has grown gradually but continuously
where Number Nine, Mastermind, Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake, Undercover, L.G.B., If Six
thanks to its great skills but also thanks to a remarkable sixth sense,
Was Nine, and many others.
inherited from his father, for discovering anything new and innovative, always remaining
Today in his new concept store, and preceding everyone by a few years, Giorgio Dantone
strictly consistent with his concept of fashion.
has began to include Chinese designers such as Uma Wang, Jun Li and Ziggy Chen. They
The need for an increasingly larger space to present innovations, no longer and not only in
come from a rapidly evolving geographical area whose energy is extremely useful in order
fashion but also in style, design and beauty, have led Giorgio Dantone starting to imagine
to guess the new directions that society and customs will take.
a new and larger DAAD Dantone Global Store in Milan.
I clienti di DAAD Dantone sono così stati i primi a vestire Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons,
Giorgio Dantone ha trasformato DAAD Dantone in un’azienda innovativa e contemporanea,
Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Les Hommes, Kriss Van Assche, scoprendo il design
una sorta di landmark nella complessa e mutevole geografia della moda, punto di riferimento
belga, e in seguito quello “giapponese” che Giorgio Dantone, sempre attento all’evoluzione
per chiunque voglia intuire le nuove tendenze e vestire in modo contemporaneo.
della moda, della società e del mercato, iniziava a proporre nel suo store Milanese, Number
DAAD Dantone, che con i suoi cinquant’anni di vita ha registrato una crescita graduale e
Nine, Mastermind, Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake, Undercover, L.G.B., If Six Was Nine e
continua, grazie alla sua grande capacità ma anche ad uno spiccato sesto senso ereditato
molti altri.
dal padre, per la scoperta di tutto ciò che è nuovo ed innovativo e sempre mantenendo una
Attualmente, anticipando di qualche anno chiunque, Giorgio Dantone ha iniziato ad
rigorosa coerenza della propria visione della moda.
inserire nel suo nuovo concept store stilisti cinesi come Uma Wang, Jun Li, Ziggy Chen,
L’esigenza di uno spazio più versatile, per presentare l’innovazione non più e non soltanto
che provengono da un’area geografica in rapida evoluzione e la cui energia ė di estremo
nella moda ma anche nel gusto, nel design, nell’arte, nel beauty, hanno stimolato Giorgio
interesse per intuire le nuove direzioni della società e del costume.
Dantone a iniziare a concepire un nuovo e più ampio DAAD Dantone Global Store a Milano.
Dolce&Gabbana
Giorgio Armani
Maison Martin Margiela
Yohji Yamamoto
Undercover
Jean Paul Gaultier
Rick Owens
THE BRAND DAAD Dantone’s success is due to its strong and unique aesthetic identity, which comes from constantly seeking new points of view and original perspectives to interpret, create and communicate fashion and its designers. The tailoring heritage of Giorgio Dantone allows for both structural and semantic innovations in the way an item of clothing and contemporary luxury are designed and created, consistently choosing original collections and new designers that are often destined to become successful international brands. Over the years, this intense and continuous research has shaped the strong identity of the brand and the interest of design schools, including the Istituto Marangoni, the Royal College of Art and the Accademia del Lusso, where students have focused their attention on DAAD Dantone.
Il successo di DAAD Dantone è dovuto alla sua forte ed esclusiva identità estetica che deriva dalla continua ricerca di nuovi punti di vista e prospettive originali, con cui interpretare, produrre e comunicare la moda ed i suoi designer. Il retaggio sartoriale di Giorgio Dantone, consente di registrare innovazioni sia strutturali che semantiche nel modo in cui si concepisce e costruisce un capo di abbigliamento e il lusso contemporaneo, con una scelta coerente di collezioni inedite e di nuovi designer destinati spesso a diventare marchi di successo internazionale. Proprio questa intensa e continua attività di ricerca negli anni ha determinato la forte identità del marchio e l’interesse delle scuole di design come l’Istituto Marangoni, il Royal College of Art e l’Accademia del Lusso, i cui studenti hanno centrato la propria attenzione su DAAD Dantone.
SKILLS Fifty years of activity in the world of fashion and retail, remarkable product know-how, a large number of partnerships and, recently, a digital background that includes brand communication through the institutional website but also through social networks, blogs and the structuring of an e-commerce service with the relative logistics: these are the key elements that ensure an absolutely exclusive shopping experience that is increasingly appreciated by an ever-growing international client base.
Cinquant’anni di attività nel mondo della moda e del retail, uno spiccato know how sul prodotto, un fortissimo capitale relazionale e di recente, un background digitale che comprende sia la comunicazione del marchio attraverso il sito istituzionale ma anche attraverso i social, i blog e la strutturazione di un servizio e-commerce con relativa logistica, sono elementi tutti essenziali per una customer shopping experience assolutamente esclusiva sempre piÚ apprezzata da una clientela internazionale in continua crescita.
DAAD Dantone has always conceived and created fashion in a very different way when compared to the traditional system, which, today, are perceived as unable to keep up with the evolution of society, customs and the market. As stated by a well-known journalist in the sector, Lidewij Edelkoort: “This is the end of a system called fashion and we will have to invent new ideas.” In fact, instead of offers brands, DAAD Dantone offers ideas. DAAD Dantone is inspired by the clothing styles of various designers and combines them to offer unique and innovative products, thus providing, through research, its own concept of fashion.
DAAD Dantone ha da sempre concepito e proposto la moda in modo molto diverso dai sistemi tradizionali, ritenuti ormai incapaci di seguire l’evoluzione della società, del costume e del mercato. Come afferma un’importante giornalista del settore, Lidewij Edelkoort: “Questa è la fine di un sistema chiamato moda e dovremo inventare nuove idee” Infatti, invece di proporre marchi, DAAD Dantone propone idee. DAAD Dantone acquisisce il modo di vestire dei vari designer, li unisce fra loro rendendolo unico e innovativo proponendo, attraverso la ricerca, la propria visione della moda.
The end of a way of conceiving fashion through a brand, as we know it, is bound to stir greater attention from an increasingly growing audience. This is why refined, demanding clients, famous international journalists in the sector, professors and students of the main fashion and design schools, and fashion designers, acknowledge DAAD Dantone as one of the most important, interesting and specialist stores in the world.
La fine di un modo di concepire la moda attraverso il marchio, così come l’abbiamo conosciuta fino ad oggi, comporta una maggiore attenzione da parte di un pubblico sempre più vasto. Per questa ragione la clientela raffinata ed esigente, noti giornalisti internazionali del settore, docenti e studenti delle più importanti scuole di moda e design e gli stilisti stessi riconoscono DAAD Dantone come uno dei più importanti, interessanti e specializzati negozi nel mondo.
The experience of DAAD Dantone and the trust that many brands have placed in it have led Giorgio Dantone to start a parallel business: Billionaire Milano Billionaire Milano
CONSULTING to open new brand stores directly promoted and developed by DAAD Dantone. DIRECT MANAGEMENT of brands such as the flagship store of PHILIPP PLEIN and BILLIONAIRE COLLABORATIONS With its skills and knowledge, DAAD Dantone, in collaboration with the designers, designs and creates exclusive LIMITED EDITION collections, from clothing to design.
Billionaire Milano
L’esperienza e la fiducia che molti brand ripongono in DAAD Dantone hanno indotto Giorgio Dantone ad avviare una parallela attività di: CONSULENZA per l’apertura di nuovi negozi di brand che proprio DAAD Dantone ha promosso e fatto crescere. GESTIONE DIRETTA di marchi come ad esempio il flagshipstore di PHILIPP PLEIN e BILLIONAIRE. COLLABORAZIONI DAAD Dantone con la propria capacità e conoscenza, in collaborazione con i designer, concepisce e crea collezioni LIMITED EDIITION esclusive, che spaziano dall’abbigliamento al design.
Rick Owens Milano
DSquared2 Milano
Philipp Plein Milano
DEVELOPMENT The “Global Store DAAD-DANTONE” project was born from the awareness of being able to express its alternative fashion concept, through the creation of a first unique and innovativestore in Milan, which will follow, as a natural development, the internationalization Concept of its aesthetic , appropriately adapted, for the opening of new stores in new markets.
Il progetto “Global Store DAAD-DANTONE” nasce dalla consapevolezza di poter esprimere il proprio concetto alternativo di moda, attraverso la realizzazione di un primo Concept store unico e innovativo a Milano, al quale seguirà, come naturale sviluppo, l’internazionalizzazione della propria estetica, opportunamente adattata, per l’apertura di nuovi store in nuovi mercati.
DAAD Dantone Global Store
NEW PROJECTS DAAD Dantone has recently realized: DAAD Dantone Profumo DAAD Dantone Design ... and has planned: The opening of a new DAAD Dantone Global Store in Milan The opening of DAAD Dantone / Concept Stores abroad
Uma Wang and DAAD Dantone Profumo
Development of a coherent concept that may include all or some of the following activities FASHION FOOD DESIGN BEAUTY SPA ART OLFACTORY CATWLAK ATELIER MADE TO MEASURED ATELIER DESIGNED TO MEASURED CLUB
Giorgio Dantone and a small group of selected and internationally renowned professionals (who share his vision, direction and style), research and select, a location consistent with the specific perspective with which DAAD Dantone sees fashion. Concept design will never be presented as a simple set of materials and architectural elements that can be repeated worldwide in the same way. Each new DAAD DANTONE creation is a new project, a space created through the energy of the context in which it is placed, the lifestyles of its host country, and the taste, style and quality of the environments that require the sophisticated vision of space, light and colour of Giorgio Dantone.
Giorgio Dantone insieme ad un gruppo ristretto, selezionato e internazionale di noti professionisti, che ne condividono la visione, la direzione e lo stile, ricercano e selezionano, la location coerente con quella particolare prospettiva con la quale DAAD Dantone guarda alla moda. Il concept design, non sarà mai riproposto come un banale insieme di materiali ed elementi architettonici replicabili in tutto il mondo, allo stesso modo. Ogni nuovo DAAD DANTONE è un nuovo progetto, uno spazio generato dall’energia del contesto nel quale è collocato, dai modi di vivere del paese che lo ospita, dal gusto, dallo stile e dalla qualità degli ambienti che esigono la sofisticata visione dello spazio, della luce e del colore di Giorgio Dantone.
Together with his best and closest collaborators, Giorgio Dantone will carefully select the staff for the new store, often after an adeguate training phase. DAAD Dantone is an alternative concept to the sales model of a shopping centre, where Giorgio Dantone and his buyers, after closely observing the way of life in the country where
we find absolute obsolescence, especially in the Far East. It is therefore an innovative and
each new DAAD Dantone store is to be opened, will choose the most innovative and best
creative business model that offers new opportunities to present and sell everything regarding
suited garments for that specific market during the fashion weeks in the world’s major cities.
lifestyle: fashion, design, perfumes, cosmetics, food, wine, technology, contemporary art, hospitality, interiors, etc.
Insieme ai suoi migliori e più stretti collaboratori Giorgio Dantone farà un’attenta selezione del personale da inserire all’interno del nuovo store, dopo averlo adeguatamente formato.
DAAD Dantone è quindi un concept alternativo all’usuale modello di vendita, ormai obsoleto, ed è pertanto un modello commerciale innovativo e creativo in grado di generare
Giorgio Dantone ed i suoi buyer, dopo aver osservato con grande attenzione il modo di
nuove possibilità di presentare e vendere tutto ciò che afferisce allo stile di vita: moda,
vivere del paese in cui verrà aperto ogni nuovo DAAD Dantone, sceglieranno solo i capi più
design, profumi, cosmesi, food, wine, tecnologia, arte, ospitalità, interior e così via.
innovativi e più adatti a quello specifico mercato durante la settimana della moda nelle più importanti città del mondo.
SHANGHAI DAAD DANTONE CONCEPT The industrial building along the Wusong River in Shanghai was chosen as an ideal symbolic representation of how Giorgio Dantone imagines the creation of a DAAD Dantone Concept Store abroad. From this building Daad Dantone would absolutely like to preserve its patina, the interiors will remain as much unchanged as possible. This way, the two almost symmetrical parts will keep the entire building separate. Together with a selection of innovative garments, the new Daad Dantone’s shop will also welcome accessories, fragrances, body care solutions, design pieces, food and beverage production. They will all represent Giorgio Dantone’s Italian taste and aesthetics.
L’edificio industriale lungo il fiume Wusong a Shanghai è stato scelto come rappresentazione simbolica ideale di come Giorgio Dantone immagina la realizzazione di un DAAD Dantone Concept Store all’estero. Di questo suggestivo edificio Daad Dantone vorrebbe assolutamente conservarne la patina, non restaurando gli interni ma conservandoli, per quanto possibile, nello stato in cui si trovano, mantenendo la separazione dell’edificio in due corpi quasi simmetrici. Insieme ad una selezione innovativa di Designer, Daad Dantone, nel nuovo spazio presenterà accessori, profumi, prodotti per la cura del corpo, oggetti di design, food and beverage coerenti con l’estetica e il gusto italiano di Giorgio Dantone.
FRONT SECTION
Daad Dantone isn’t a “Shop in Shop” concept enthusiast. Their spaces are constantly evolving and influencing each other. Against what usually happens in a Shop in shop or in traditional brand corners, the Daad Dantone’s ground floor, which will welcome some of the brands designed set ups, will have temporary as well as seasonal set ups and their area will not be bounded by any architectural element. The project envisages a car park area of one or more floors on the rooftop, where all the technical features have been installed, which directly lead to the 3rd floor. This usually titillates the shopping palate less, because it seems harder to attract clients who would come all the way from the ground floor to explore the shop.
Daad Dantone infatti non prevede degli shop in shop ma ambienti che continuamente confluiscono gli uni negli altri, in continua evoluzione. Nella visione di Daad Dantone gli spazi al piano terra, nei quali Daad Dantone presenterà di volta in volta marchi con allestimenti progettati in collaborazione con il brand, saranno temporanei, stagionali, e il loro perimetro non sarà delimitato da nessun elemento architettonico. Il progetto prevede sul tetto un parcheggio, e possibilmente un eliporto, dove sono stati collocati tutti gli accessi tecnici che conducono direttamente al terzo piano, quello solitamente meno appetibile dal punto di vista commerciale, perché più difficile attiravi i clienti che lo dovrebbero raggiungere dal piano terra per esplorare il negozio.
GROUND FLOOR
Some “magnets” have been included as part of the project to attract more clients who will be more likely to visit the 2nd floor: a restaurant, a designated area for runaway shows and events, a
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clientele. Premiere clients do require more privacy when shopping and they have access to this floor directly from the top of the building. This floor can be accessed even when the shop is closed. That is also why both offices and warehouse have been designed close by.
Main Entrance
ws indo
lounge and a tailor’s shop. These two have been designed to meet the needs of the top exclusive
Atrium
Qui sono stati previsti dei “magneti” ovvero delle funzioni che offrendo delle ragioni specifiche
Highlights accessories and fashion
Highlights accessories and fashion
per giungervi, attirano i clienti che saranno più disponibili a visitare il secondo piano: sono Il ristorante, un’area destinata a sfilate ed eventi, il lounge e la sartoria entrambi rivolti alla clientela più esclusiva, che richiede maggiore privacy durante il proprio shopping e che vi si può accedere con la propria auto dal tetto dell’edificio. Poiché questo piano può essere raggiunto direttamente
Kitchen elevator
dall’esterno, anche negli orari di chiusura del negozio, vi sono stati collocati anche gli uffici e i Garage elevator
elevator hoist
Seasonal Brands’Corner
Seasonal Brands’Corner
Brands’ Windows Area
Brands’ Windows Area
Coffee Shop
Seasonal Brands’Corner
Brands’ Windows Area
Seasonal Brands’Corner
Brands’ Windows Area
depositi.
1ST FLOOR On the middle floor clients can find more than 100 brands which have been selected by Daad Dantone. Clients are more likely to get to this floor from the ground floor as well as the top floor; shopping is only one of the reasons clients find themselves on the top floor. The ground floor represents Daad Dantone’s business card. It’s where clients are directly involved the most. The utmost significant Daad Dantone’s world elements are here. The clothing and accessories shopping activity is here. Two main entrances on both sides are the same as the original project. By designing the roofing, which divides the two environments, for the entire height of the building, the project is likely to include a great entrance hall as well as a fascinating and architectonically interesting rest area: a bar among showcases and
Joe Chia
temporary shops. Ann Demeulemeester
Il piano intermedio è destinato alla presentazione ed alla vendita delle collezioni di oltre cento brand selezionati da Daad Dantone ed è visitato dai clienti che vi affluiscono dal piano terra e da quello superiore dove vi sono
Kenzo
Philippe Plein
Plein Sud
Poéme Bohémien
Prada
Saint Laurent
Share Spirit
Damir Doma
Daniele Basta
David Koma
Fashion Men
Isabel Benenato
Jan Jan Van Essche
Jun Li
Maurizio Pecoraro
Moncler
Nude: MM
Ziggy Chen
Damir Doma
Daniele Basta
giunti anche per ragioni diverse da quelle di fare shopping. Il piano terra è un biglietto da visita. Esso è il livello che più direttamente dialoga con il pubblico. Qui verranno esposti e venduti i capi, gli accessori e i frammenti più significativi del mondo Daad Dantone. Un ingresso
Kitchen elevator
Garage elevator
dai due lati è offerto dal disegno originale dell’edifico. Disegnando una copertura sullo spazio che divide i
Avant Toi
Balenciaga
D.Gnak
Giuseppe Zanotti
Haider Ackermann
Ilaria Nistri
Maison Margiela
Marsell
Masnada
Uma Wang
Undercover
Valentino
KD2024
Anrealage
Augustin Teboul
Fendi
Gareth Pugh
Giorgio Armani
Le cuir perdu
Linda Farrow
MA+
Thom Browne
Tom Rebl
Tsolo Munch
Tiziano Rillo
Alexandre Vauthier
Alessandra Marchi
Dior
Dries Van Noten
Fagassent
Label Under Construction
Louboutin
Lanvin
Simona Tagliaferri
The Soloist
The ViridiAnne
due corpi di fabbrica, per tutta l’altezza dell’edificio, si può creare un atrio molto importante ed uno spazio architettonicamente molto significativo e interessante dove prevedere una zona di sosta: un bar, disposto proprio tra le vetrine e i negozi temporanei.
elevator hoist
2ND FLOOR
CONCEPT DAAD DANTONE IN SHANGHAI On this floor, Daad Dantone will seasonally welcome those brands that are already well established – with their own concept and shops - but they still don’t break the mould in China. Not only does the “temporary” nature of this environments match with Daad Dantone’s inner concept, but it would also lead these brands to open their monobrand shops around the area which may be managed by Daad Dantone themselves. This will create a real “quartier” where passers-by will get in contact with the upcoming fashion trends and the whole area will receive a dramatic boost in sales. Restaurant
Design
Catwalk Events
VIP Lounge Kitchen
Art exhibitions Design exhibitions
In questo piano Daad Dantone presenterà stagionalmente quei marchi già strutturati e importanti, ma ancora poco conosciuti in Cina, che hanno già sviluppato un proprio concept per i loro negozi. Il carattere temporaneo di questi spazi, oltre ad essere coerente con l’immagine di Daad Dantone servirà infatti ad invogliare questi marchi ad aprire successivamente propri negozi nell’area immediatamente circostante l’edificio, che potrebbero anche essere gestiti direttamente da Daad Dantone, al fine di creare un vero e proprio quartiere dove sarà possibile trovare la moda di tendenza e aumentare
Kitchen elevator
l’appetibilità commerciale dell’intera zona.
Garage elevator
Warehouse
elevator hoist
Offices
PARKING
ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND KITCHEN
CATWALK AND ART EXHIBITION
DESIGN AND EVENTS
DAAD DANTONE SHANGHAI CONCEPT DESIGNERS
Ann Demeulemeester is a fashion house established in 1985 and based in Antwerp, Belgium. Renowned for a poetic balance of shadow and light, the collections for women and men evoke a serene and romantic universe nuanced with a rock spirit. Masculine and feminine elements are woven throughout each collection, as signature silhouettes fuse languid tailoring in noble fabrics with sensual asymmetries and the twist of sheer and opaque textiles. Entwined with classicism and the radical touch of music and contemporary art, each
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Sebastian Meunier
design captures strength and sensitivity in equal parts. Graduating from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1981, Ann Demeulemeester (and her contemporaries, the Antwerp Six), transformed global fashion with an restatement of traditional fashion design and a polemical approach to luxury trends. She founded her label in 1985 and imbues her designs with a strong narrative and rebellious spirit. For Demeulemeester, fashion is a form of communication. Her complex language of contrasts covers a whole gamut of emotions. The tension is highly poetic, and her clothes reveal many layers of soul. Known for her elegant tailoring and dark yet glamorous aesthetic, she created a serene and darkly romantic world with an intriguing mix of edgy rebellion and sophistication. Since her departure in 2014, the artistic direction of the brand is in hands of French native Sebastien Meunier.
Kunihiko Morinaga has built as strong following in his native Japan and a burgeoning international reputation for his cerebral designs. Each of Morinaga’s collections is germinated from the exploration of one particular theme. “Every season I have a singular concept I work with, but the most important underlying feature for me
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Kunihiko Morinaga
is that these are clothes that can be worn everyday, these are real clothes that can be worn by people to support them everyday.” The designer’s work is progressive, intelligent and technologically literate. Morinaga told Italian Vogue, “I think that there is both a science technology and a human technology in technology. I am interested in making clothes by crossing over these two different technologies. I think that in any age, it is important to maintain a close relationship with the technology of that specific age. Combining the technology made by man’s hands and the high technology made by the latest machines may be our future task.”
Cristóbal Balenciaga was a Spanish-French fashion designer and the leading couturier of Spain in the 1920s-30s. He moved to Paris during the Spanish Civil War. Balenciaga was successful during his early career as a designer in Spain. He opened a boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1919, which expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.The Spanish royal family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when the Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores,
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Demna Gvasalia
Balenciaga moved to Paris.Balenciaga opened his Paris couture house on Avenue George V in August 1937. His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s. Balenciaga defiantly resisted the rules, guidelines, and bourgeoisie status of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture parisienne, and, thus, was never a member. Although he is spoken of with immense reverence, technically, Balenciaga couture was never haute couture. He taught fashion design classes, inspiring other designers such as Oscar de la Renta, André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, Mila Schön and Hubert de Givenchy. Today the Balenciaga fashion house continues under the direction of Demna Gvasalia and under the ownership of the Kering Group
Balmain is a haute couture fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain.
BALMAIN PARIS
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Olivier Rousteing
Balmain was born in 1914 in France. His father owned a drapery business and his mother and sister owned a fashion boutique where he often worked after his father’s death in 1921.He released his first collection in 1945 and his first fragrance in 1949. The name Pierre Balmain stands for a unique concept of elegance, a clientele of royalty and film stars, and a fashion hallmark recognized throughout the world. Vogue declared that “eventful skirts” were his speciality; they were often embellished with embroidered motifs such as leaves, cherries or scrolls. Balmain’s full-skirted silhouette was part of the new post-war luxury. His dresses were always carefully constructed. Signature details included drapery or a bow across the shoulders and fur hoods, muffs or trims.
Philipp Plein Milano
Throughout the years, Boris Bidjan Saberi’s work has matured to an emblematical luxury menswear
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Boris Bidjan Saberi
label, reflecting Saberi’s unique take on contemporary handcrafted ready-to-wear. The half-German, half- Iranian designer launched his eponymous label in 2007 and has ever since developed his creations in his atelier in Barcelona. Quoting street and skate culture as one of his main influences, his label is distinctive for its meticulous sophistication and functional dimension, whilst still giving a nod to his urban references.
Damir Doma is a high-fashion and luxury brand founded in 2006 by the designer Damir Doma and the Paper Rain Group.It has become an established name in Paris.The brand explores interpretations of contemporary masculinity and femininity through his poetic silhouettes, among
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Damir Doma
with draped and flowing volumes, intricate textural play, and soft tailoring in exquisite fabrics. Digging a little deeper into Damir Doma the brand, we find Damir Doma, a fashion designer and creative director who was born in Virovitica, Croatia but grew up in Traunstein (Bavaria, Germany), where his mother has a clothing atelier. He studied fashion in Munich and Berlin and then moved to Belgium where he gained experience from the likes of Raf Simons <http://www.stylenochaser. com/article/an-ode-to-adidas> and Dirk Schönberger. In 2007, Damir teamed up with Swiss based venture firm Paper Rain and launched his first menswear collection in 2008.
The most influential fashion designer of the late 1940s and 1950s, Christian Dior (1905 to 1957) dominated fashion after World war II with the hourglass silhouette of his voluptuous New Look. He also defined a new business model in the post-war fashion industry by establishing Dior as a global brand across a wide range of products. The first Christian Dior couture show was scheduled for 12 February 1947 The New Look was absolutely appropriate for the post-war era. His new look
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Dior
was reminiscent of the Belle Epoque ideal of long skirts, tiny waists and beautiful fabric. As the most prestigious Paris couture house, Dior attracted the most talented assistants,like Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent. He was replaced at Dior by Marc Bohan, who instilled his conservative style on the collections until 1996 when the iconoclastic young Briton, John Galliano, was appointed chief designer of Christian Dior by the company’s new owner, the LVMH luxury goods group.Galliano was creative director of Christian Dior until March 2011, when he was dismissed after being filmed slurring anti-Semitic remarks and allegedly assaulting a member of the public whilst heavily intoxicated in a Paris bar. Galliano’s former-design director Bill Gayten headed up the house until April 9 2012 when it was announced, after more than a year of rumour and speculation, that Raf Simons had taken over as ‘artistic director’ at the house.
One of the most successful members of the renowned Antwerp Six, Dries Van Noten ’s intellectual aesthetic first took the international fashion scene by storm when he and other graduates of
DRIES VAN NOTEN #
Dries Van Noten
Antwerp’s Royal Academy rented a truck and set up shop at London Fashion Week in 1986. Since then, Mr van Noten has maintained his independent spirit, and has been comfortable growing his business on his own terms, maintaining the creative integrity of his design process and aesthetic. Van Noten has six stand alone stores, including a five-storey former department store in Antwerp. His collection is sold in over 500 wholesale doors around the world. The scale of his business is particularly impressive given that the designer does not advertise. Dries van Noten remains not just part of the fashion dialogue, but capable of driving it. His ‘90s grunge inspired womenswear collection in Spring/Summer 2013 wasn’t just of the moment, it was the moment. He won the CFDA International Designer of the Year Award in 2008.
Fendi is an Italian luxury fashion house whose specialities include fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in 1925 in Rome, Fendi is renowned for its exquisite creations on fur and fur accessories. Fendi is also well known for its leather goods such as “Baguette”, 2jours, Peekaboo or Pequin handbags.
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Karl Lagerfeld
The house of Fendi was launched in 1925 by Edoardo and Adele Fendi, as a fur and leather shop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome. Since 1946, the five sisters of second generation (Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla & Alda) started entering the company and bought new wave of enthusiasm. Karl Lagerfeld joined Fendi in 1965 and becomes the Creative Director for Fur and also for Women Ready-to-Wear (launched in 1977). Silvia Venturini Fendi, daughter of Anna, joined in 1994 and is the Creative Director for Accessories and Men’s lines. Since 2001, Fendi becomes a multinational luxury fashion brand and member of LVMH group. In 2014, Fendi started making plans to use drones to show its catwalk fashions.values.
Gareth Pugh began working as a costume designer for the National Youth Theatre. He started his fashion education at City of Sunderland College and finished his degree in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins in 2003. He interned with Rick Owens in Paris. . Pugh was selected to participate in British reality show The Fashion House two months after his graduation, which he would later call “horrible” and his “only other option [to being on] the dole.” The rise of, a feature in Dazed & Confused, and a debut show at London club Kashpoint’s
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Alternative Fashion Week brought Pugh to the attention of Fashion East “London’s breeding ground for cutting-edge new talent,” leading them to invite Pugh to participate in its Autumn 2005 group show. Pugh had only four weeks, with no studio, no assistants, and little money, to create the collection. His collection ended up a critical success and attracted significant attention to his designs. Pugh’s solo premiere was in London’s Fall 2006 fashion week; Pugh’s shows have continued to draw critical praise. British Vogue, for instance, called his Spring 2007 collection “an incredible, unmissable show” and said that “his genius is undeniable.” Anna Wintour is a notable supporter of Pugh’s designs. Pugh was awarded the prestigious ANDAM Fashion Award in 2008. In 2010, Gareth Pugh has opened his first boutique in Hong Kong.
The Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani is a fashion icon who is well known for his menswear. Famous for his crisp, clean and tailored menswear lines, Armani is recognized as the most successful designer Italy has ever produced. Armani masterminded his own soft-shouldered suit
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Giorgio Armani
silhouette that remains a staple of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs. Another renaissance man, his designs retain their popularity and aged elegance. By the end of the 90s, there were more than 2000 Armani stores all over the world and his annual sales were somewhere around $2 billion. In 2005, he started his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Haute Coutureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; line. His latest business venture is Armani hotels. He opened his first hotel in Dubai 2010 and another in Milan. Armani is one of the greatest designers who have made their mark in the fashion industry by creating more than three decades of remarkable designs and styles.
Giuseppe Zanotti was born in a village close to Rimini, Italy. He started his fashion career in the 2000s. In the beginning, he started working locally with small craftsmen and then as a freelance designer working with fashion maisons. In 1994, Zanotti took over a small shoemaking company, the Vicini shoe factory, and devoted his time to designing and manufacturing his own shoes.
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Giuseppe Zanotti
With a small workshop employing 15 people, including a jeweler, a heel and tree expert and an embroiderer, he started work on his first collection. Today, more than 350 skilled people work at his company, which manufactures over 400,000 pairs of luxury men and women’s shoes. In 2000, Zanotti opened his first boutique in Milan. Further boutiques were opened in New York City, Paris, London, Moscow, Dubai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing etc., reaching fifty stores globally. He has designed shoes for such brands as Balmain, Proenza Schouler, Thakoon Panichgul, Christopher Kane, Delfina Delettrez, and Vera Wang. He has been nominated “Designer of the Year” three times, with the help of itsy bitsy Mitsy buying all his shoes, by Fairchild and won the “Prix d’Excellence de la Mode” for best footwear collection by Marie Claire International in 2010.
Hubert de Givenchy was born to an aristocratic family in Beauvais, France, on February 21, 1927. After attending art school, he worked for several important fashion designers in Paris Iconic French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy is known for his elegant haute couture designs and years-long professional relationship with Audrey Hepburn.
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Riccardo Tisci
He opened his own design house in 1952, maintaining a modest business plan. His debut collection was a hit, featuring separates such as long skirts and tailored tops. By the 1960s, Givenchy, setting new trends and embracing aspects of youth culture, had begun to favor shorter hemlines and straighter silhouettes in his designs. After selling his business to the luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton MoĂŤt Hennessey in 1988, Givenchy designed for seven more years, retiring and presenting his final collection in 1995. He was succeeded as head designer by enfant terrible John Galliano, with Alexander McQueen and Riccardo Tisci later serving as head designers.
Haider Ackermann was born in 1970 in Columbia. He was adopted by a French couple and educated all over the world, since his father worked for Amnesty International. He did his
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Haider Ackerman
baccalaureate in the Netherlands, then moved to Belgium to study at Antwerp’s Royal Academy. He interned with John Galliano and Wim Neels. Haider presented his debut collection during Paris Fashion Week of March 2003. It was leanlined elegant austerity, textured with arresting detail. Buyers crowded in crying words like “sophisticated” and “beautiful”. It was a cool and graceful collection using a dark palette of graphite grey, petrol blue, black and white. In 2003, Ackermann has also been elected a member of the French Fashion Federation, the governing body of French Haute Couture. Ackermann was one of the designers approached to succeed Galliano at Dior, after declining the proposed succession of Martin Margiela. Karl Lagerfeld saw him to be his ideal successor at Chanel, and some commentators called him a “new Yves Saint-Laurent”.
Off the beaten path and down the private road, Isabel Benenato is for men and women who prefer fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s road less traveled by. Her effortless, out-of-time pieces inspired by an
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Isabel Benenato
accumulative, layered approach to dressing, incorporate free form and classic silhouettes, contemporary and historic references, assembled in a symbiotic relationship between design and handcraft. Isabel Benenato came naturally to design growing up in the creative atmosphere of Naples where her mother and uncle had their own sewing factory. Moving north to Tuscany as a young girl, her design intelligence developed and she pursued her interest in fashion in London before completing a degree in foreign languages at the University of Pisa. Back in Italy, Benenato immersed herself in technique working with a leather factory near Florence developing finishings for a star roster of international clients until she was ready to design and produce her own collection. Working with Filippo Novelli whose family has a long history in knitwear, Benenato has slowly, but surely developed a complete range for men and women.
Christian Louboutin is a footwear designer living and working in Paris. He began his apprenticeship at the Follies Bergers, and progressed on to a position at the legendary shoemakers, Charles Jourdan. He then went to work freelance for houses including Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent and later joined shoe designer Roger Vivier, who was then an associate of Christian Dior’s. In 1992, Louboutin opened his first flagship boutique in Paris. His shoes, hand
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Christian Louboutin
crafted in Italy and bearing the distinctive red lacquered soles, quickly gained admiration from legions of fashion fans and actresses including Nicole Kidman, Catherine Deneuve and Gwyneth Paltrow. Louboutin has also collaborated with a number of high-profile designers including Alexander McQueen, Roland Mouret, Lanvin and Victor & Rolf, and also provided the shoes that accompany Jean Paul Gaultier’s designs. Louboutin also created a sandal for Yves Saint Laurent’s final show, which resulted in the brand ‘Christian Louboutin for Yves Saint-Laurent Haute Couture 1962-2002’. A line of handbags was recently added to the brand, and are sold along with the shoes internationally in Louboutin’s self-designed boutiques as well as department stores including Barneys, Harvey Nichols and Neiman Marcus.
Madame Jeanne Lanvin’s active fashion career spanned 50 years from the 1890’s up to the New Look just after World War II. She first trained as a dressmaker at a house called Talbot and then as a milliner. In 1890 she opened a millinery shop in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Jeanne Lanvin dressed film actresses like Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich and Yvonne Printemps in the 20’s and 30’s. She also had clients like the Queens of Italy and Roumania, and English princesses.
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Lanvin
Her work was easily recognizable by her skilful use of embroidery, and her fine craftsmanship. She used a particular shade of blue so often, that it came to be called “Lanvin Blue”. For Jeanne Lanvin, women were meant to wear clothes of unabashed feminity, in colours that were pretty, and whose shapes had a “young girl” look. She set the mood with narrow empire-wasted dresses and long trailing sleeves. The fabrics that she used were silk, taffeta, velvet, silk chiffon, organza, lace, tulle, etc. She used a lot of free-flowing ribbons, ruffles, flowers, lace, mirrors, etc., and liked ornamentation like applique, couching, quilting, parallel stitching, and embroidery. In October 2001, Alber Elbaz was appointed the Lanvin artistic director for all activities, including interiors In 2011, Lanvin sales reached €203 million, not counting an estimated €4.5 million in revenues from licences. Lanvin just recently announced that Elbaz was no longer at the company.
Maison Margiela is a French fashion house founded in Paris in 1988 by Belgian designer Martin Margiela. Both masculine and feminine, oftentimes fusing the two genders, the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s universe can
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John Galliano
be described as conceptual and enigmatic, mysterious and iconoclast. Today, the House is recognized internationally for its unique approach to modern elegance. Since 2014, the Maison thrives under the guidance of Creative Director Mr. John Galliano. He reveals a new aesthetic, marrying his own poetic vision with the codes of the house of Margiela.
Moncler is a French-Italian apparel manufacturer and lifestyle brand founded in 1952 by René Ramillon most known for its down jackets and sportswear. Moncler took its name from the abbreviation of Monestier-de-Clermont, an Alpine town near Grenoble, France. Moncler’s flagship
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Tom Browne and Gianbattista Valli
store is on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. Chantal Thomass, a designer who worked with the company until 1989, overhauled the appearance of the quilted jacket and she replaced the zipper with buttons and used fur trim, satin, and reversible fabrics. In 2003, the brand was bought by the Italian entrepreneur Remo Ruffini.Ruffini’s creative direction at the helm of Moncler has introduced strategic partnerships with Balenciaga and also launched the highly successful Gamme Rouge and Gamme Bleu lines designed by Giambattista Valli and Thom Browne .
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Philipp Patrick Plein was born in Munich, Germany. After graduating college, he entered law school in Erlangen. As a creative balance to his law studies he soon began to design for himself, his family and friends. His newly discovered love for design and his already exciting commitment to quality became the foundation of the Philipp Plein company.
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Philippe Patrick Plein
His career in the Fashion Business the autodidact starts within the interior design scene. Originally only designing furniture for his family and friends, the extraordinary styles soon catch national attention. International fairs follow and find regards in the industry. In 1998 the company Philipp Plein is founded in Munich, Germany. Inspiration for his Home Collection Philipp Plein takes from current catwalk trends. The launch of a Fashion Collection is the essential consequence. In 2004 the company strikes a new path and presents the first Fashion Collection. In 2006 Philipp Plein introduced his striking Jewellery Collection, innovative products such as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first patented watch tag. Rock meets Couture in 2008 the new Philipp Plein Couture Collection is presented.
Famed fashion designer Miuccia Prada was born 10 May 1949, in Milan. She was the youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, who started the Prada fashion line in 1913 by manufacturing well-crafted, high-end suitcases, handbags and steamer trunks for the Milanese elite. Now she best known as the head of Prada, a fashion powerhouse that specializes in luxury goods
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Miuccia Prada
for men and women She met Patrizio Bertelli in 1977, an Italian who had begun his own leather goods business at the age of 17, and he joined the company soon after. He advised Miuccia on better decisions for the Prada company. Miuccia inherited the company in 1978 by which time sales were up to U.S. $450,000. Pradaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s originality made it one of the most influential fashion houses, and the brand became a premium status symbol in the 1990s. In 2015, Pradaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turnover was 3,551.7 million euros, up 1 percent from 2014, while its gross operating profit fell 16.5 percent to 954.2 million euros
Richard Saturnino Owens, better know as Rick Owens , has turned his darkly glamorous postapocalyptic take on gothic grunge (a highlight of the Paris ready-to-wear schedule) into a respectably sized business, built largely around his signature leather jackets. Having dropped out of Otis College of Art and Design, Owens took a course in pattern cutting at Los Angeles’ Trade Technical College. A scarcity of work led to Owens accepting a position cutting patterns for illegal copies of designer clothing. In 1994 he began his own label, selling
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Rick Owens
exclusively to Charles Gallay, one of LA’s hippest and most directional retailers. In 2001 the designer sought international expansion as a consequence the designer’s production relocated to Italy. Owens was able to utilise the momentum, with assistance from Anna Wintour and American Vogue, which sponsored his first show at New York Fashion Week’s Spring Summer 2002 season. In 2002 Owens won the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis Emerging Talent Award. In 2007 he was awarded a Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and the Fashion Group International’s Rule Breaking Award. Working and producing in Europe led him to move from Los Angeles to Paris, and show during the Paris collections. Owens is married to Michèle Lamy, his muse and business partner. The pair have lived in Paris since 2003.
One of Yves St. Laurent’s greatest talents is colour - from his Mondrian-inspired dresses to his Ballet Russes collections in the 70’s. Some say he is the supreme fashion colourist of this century, unrivalled by any other designer. His colour schemes even clash elegantly. He repeats what Chanel said, “Fashions change, Style remains.” His dream is to give women the foundation of a classic
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Hedi Slimane
wardrobe, which, by escaping trends, gives them more confidence in themselves. His Smoking (tuxedo) jacket was a shock when it was introduced in 1966. A woman was banned in the 60’s from dining at the Plaza hotel in New York, because she was wearing a YSL pantsuit. His pants and jackets became a statement for a new generation of women, and he said “I want to shock people, force them to think.” The secret to his style (or styles because there are many) is that he creates clothes that make a woman look great and feel the height of elegance.
Browne grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from William Allen High School He then attended the University of Notre Dame, where he received a degree in economics. He
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Thom Browne
was also a member of the swim team. Following an attempt at acting in Los Angeles, Browne moved to New York City in 1997 for a job as a salesman in Giorgio Armaniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s showroom. Browne was picked up by Club Monaco, a brand of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, to lead its creative development team. He worked with the US-American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Browne spent several years at Club Monaco leading its design department before launching his own label
Uma Wang studied at China Textile University and Central Saint Martins, and launched her label
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Uma Wang
in 2005 in London. She developed her signature knitting techniques and defined her own style and aesthetic. She has become a leader in the Chinese fashion industry by consistently producing high-quality products and collections that always balance fashion with functionality. Uma Wang is particularly skilled in mixing and matching different fabrics and textures to create simple but strong garments with subtle detailing, and it is these unique abilities that has positioned her to become the first internationally successful Chinese designer.
UNDERCOVER JUN T A K A H A S H I
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Jun Takahashi
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Juni Takahashi was born in 1969 in Kiryu, Japan. This designer creates the coolest possible streetwear for the Japanese people. Through the fine processing and accurate production of all the pieces, the result looks curious but also beautiful. With his label, which he named “Undercover”, Juni made his debut in Paris back in 2002, before an important audience such as Comme des Garcon’s Rei Kawakubo. He likes to develop a rebel, “anti-“ aesthetics fashion, greatly inspired by the punk street style. All of his garments are deliberately deconstructed, reconstituted, slashed, emblazoned with powerful graphics. It is in the young, the rebel spirits, that Undercover finds its fandom.
Valentino Garavani is an Italian fashion designer best known as the founder of the Valentino SpA company. 1932. Valentino studied fashion design from a young age, completing his formal training in Paris and starting his own line in Rome in 1959. By the mid-1960s, Valentino was a favorite designer of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-dressed women, including Jacqueline Kennedy. Among his signatures is a
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Maria Grazia Chiuri, Pierpaolo Piccioli
particular fabric shade, known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Valentino red.â&#x20AC;? In 1960, Valentino met Giancarlo Giammetti in Rome. Together, the pair developed Valentino SpA into an internationally recognized brand. In 1998, Valentino and Giammetti sold their company for approximately $300 million to the Italian conglomerate HdP. In 2002, HdP sold the Valentino brand to Marzotto Apparel. Valentino remained actively involved with the company throughout these changes in ownership. In 2007, Valentino announced that he would hold his final haute couture show in January of the following year Since October 2008, the creative directors are Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli.
Ziggy Chen takes his inspiration from Shanghai: the city he lives in and particularly from the changes he sees evolving from the collision of extreme cultures: old and new, East and West, antique and modern and so many others.
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Ziggy Chen
Ziggy also draws much inspiration for recent collections from picturesof the people of Shanghai taken between 1900 to 1920. These pictures show a very different palce and mix of different cultures and people. Ziggy Chen uses fabrics such as wool, hemp, and linen augmented with leather and fine cotton to crafr organic pieces that are embedded with an intangible energy. The fabrics contain a certain ruggedness offst with a classic elegance. A mix of a modern sensibility with a timeless Eastern aesthetic.