renaissance man
DELL’
ACQUA
FINA
malo, La Perla, Brioni, Borbonese, and now Les Copains—the multitalented alessandro Dell’acqua has designed for them all. But after losing the rights to his name and shuttering his critically-acclaimed eponymous collection in 2010, the fashion world wondered if Dell’acqua was up for another round. The answer? absolutely. His ultramodern new collection, n.21, is firmly focused on wearability—and his legions of fans and retail partners couldn’t be happier. By siLvia PaoLi PHoToGraPHy By GiLLEs BEnsimon What was it like to lose your own name? It was like losing an arm! I felt crippled. My entire professional life was directed towards having a brand of my own. When I finally succeeded, after so many troubles, and it was taken away, it was such a blow. I felt like I had lost 25 years of life and work. I stood still for six months. But because I’ve always worked hard, I got restless. What to do next? Consulting? Was it really over? But it was not over! I decided to start something new, taking all the risk. Why did you name it N.21? I could not use anything related to Alessandro Dell’Acqua: no initials, no nothing. My lawyers were harsh with every idea. Finally, I decided that since this brand was my rebirth, let’s start from the beginning, and use my birthday. How has your life changed since its launch? It’s my way of looking at fashion that has changed. Those six months were really useful. I watched my previous shows so many times. I finally understood that what I did in the past was of no use for anybody. At Alessandro Dell’Acqua, I made a celebrity-oriented evening collection. I worked on that brand for 15 years, and it became like a labyrinth. When I tried to get out of the cage, customers complained: We want lace! I love to mix masculine and feminine, but that was impossible at Dell’Acqua. N.21 is completely mine: no business partners, no limits, no obligations towards anyone. It’s a deep sense of freedom, with huge responsibilities. Do today’s designers have a chance to build a house like Armani or Versace? The fashion system has completely changed. We don’t have many young designers who are well-known internationally. I believe the last ones were Dolce and Gabbana! The designers are now known on a national scale, rather than an international one. I’m a bit worried for Italian fashion. Is it because young designers lack financial support…or talent? Italian companies often prefer a foreign designer, but on the other hand, the young designers aren’t always doing something new—they tend to focus on the couture concept. I’d like to see something new, like Alexander Wang’s take on FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
street style fashion. In France, there are phenomena like Carven, whose designer has done very pretty collections at affordable prices. I would love to see a young Italian talent who creates beautiful pieces that you can wear in a modern way. In reality, I see a lot of ruching and organdy. Isn’t financial support the real key? Sure. When I left my eponymous line, which was worth 13 or 14 million euro of turnover per year, I knocked on all the doors of the biggest Italian companies for my new project, but they slammed the doors in my face. No one really believed in me; I had to go to a small company that wanted to take the risk. Which young Italian designer do you think has potential? Marco De Vincenzo. He has a lot of potential, but he hasn’t fully bloomed. With a big company behind him, he could do beautiful things. Which major Italian designer do you adore? I’m a slave to Miuccia Prada. Without Prada, Milan Fashion Week would be considered much less important. I’m just crazy about her! What is your goal for N.21? I want to grow step by step, rather than boom. What matters now is that people start to understand who and what is behind it. Today, it’s not important to have trends in your line, but you do need a precise style. I’m really battling prices— for me, it’s key that the clothes are affordable. Retail prices vary from 200 to 1,200 euro, but I don’t want them to go any higher. In my eyes, wearing tooexpensive clothes is out of fashion. Would you design a collection for H&M? Right away! We hear you believe in talismans. What are your rituals? I always schedule the N.21 shows for the same day and time. That morning, I come to my office, check all the pieces before they are moved to the show location, then I go home and I eat pasta bianco. Then I have a fight with my boyfriend, because when I’m ready to get in the car, he’s still in the shower! But it’s a good quarrel. It’s part of the ritual. r u n way: f i r s t v i e w