Despite the fact that celebrities confessing to belonging to sexual minorities is rare, since the fear of harming the successful course of their career turns out to be stronger than the inconvenience associated with trying to keep their personal lives in the strictest confidence, many stars still decide to confess in front of the public and, judging by the consequences of their unexpected coming out, they only benefit from this.
Riccardo Tisci is an Italian fashion designer who, since 2005, has successfully headed the famous French House Givenchy. His close friends include Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Madonna and Courtney Love. His list of muses includes artist Marina Abramovic and top model Mariacarla Boscono. He has dozens of successful collections and several high-profile collaborations behind him. Other interesting facts about Ricciardo are in our review.
Riccardo Tisci personal life, orientation
Irina Shayk does not comment on reports of a breakup with common-law husband Bradley Cooper. Instead, the model participates in social events and meets famous couturiers. This time the photographer captured Shayk with the famous designer Riccardo Tisci.
For a walk through the city at night, Irina Shayk chose White dress, a black cardigan and your favorite combat boots. Fans especially liked the clutch in the shape of a Dostoevsky book. “Idiot is a bag with a hint,” they joked in the comments.
There have been repeated reports in the media that Irina Shayk is ready for a new relationship. Riccardo Tisci called the model the best and wrote “love” in Italian. Shayk responded to his comments with hearts.
Fans hope that the model will find happiness in her personal life. At the same time, there have long been rumors about gay designer, which Riccardo Tisci is happy to reinforce.
Russian supermodel supported gays and pissed off Russians
Russian supermodel Irina Shayk took part in the New York Pride Month gay pride parade together with the creative director of the British brand Burberry Riccardo Tisci. The model published photos from the celebration on her Instagram account.
In the pictures, Shayk hugs Tisci wearing T-shirts with the brand logo and rainbow LGBT symbols.
“Love is the answer,” the model signed a series of photos.
The publication was flooded with negative comments from Shayk’s Russian-speaking subscribers.
“I don’t want my children to see all this, and I don’t know how to explain all this to them,” one wrote. “Irina, not this, please, I beg you,” another was indignant. “Why support depravity and immorality,” a third social network user wondered. “Ugh, how can you propagate this perversion! Irina, I’m just disappointed in you,” said the fourth.
Currently, Shayk's post has received more than 400 thousand likes.
The most anticipated debut of the coming month is, of course, the collection of Riccardo Tisci for Burberry. For the designer, this is the first collection in the last 12 years that he does not create for Givenchy. And for Burberry, this is the first collection in 17 years that someone other than Christopher Bailey is working on.
Expect nothing less than a sensation from Riccardo Tisci's September show. Firstly, because Tisci's appointment at Burberry is associated with an ambitious plan for a radical reconstruction of the brand, previously proposed by Marco Gobetti, the chief executive. Secondly, because Tisci has already managed to take several unexpected and decisive steps over the past few months: he changed the prim logo of the British brand to a bright one, announced the collaboration of Burberry with the queen of British punk Vivienne Westwood... So, Tisci’s first collection should be clear make it clear: the era of Christopher Bailey is over, and the new Burberry has nothing in common with it.
This is not the first time Riccardo Tisci has undertaken a radical redesign of the brand. In the 2000s, he changed the image of Givenchy, turning the French fashion house, famous for its couture collections, into a relevant and dynamic brand. It is worth recognizing, however, that the situation with Burberry is completely different. As creative director, Tisci succeeds Christopher Bailey, who, like himself, is an innovator, a darling of the international press and a celebrity, and his departure is still a source of regret for many. Burberry, moreover, has always been a much more democratic and less niche brand than Givenchy, and over the years of its existence has become a symbol of British identity popular around the world. That is why the question is so acute about whether the Italian Tisci, who worked most of his life in Paris, will be able to win the favor of the brand’s customers.
Marco Gobetti, who joined the company a year ago, seeks to transform the brand from relatively democratic to exclusive. Gobetti’s plans include diversifying Burberry products, launching new lines of accessories, and widespread use of expensive materials (leather, for example). It is not surprising that Riccardo Tisci was invited to the post of creative director, with whom Gobetti, by the way, had already worked once: at Givenchy about ten years ago. Tisci, with his many years of experience in haute couture, knows how to create an aura of exclusivity and luxury like no one else: Riccardo Tisci’s clothes at Givenchy unconditionally gained a reputation as a status symbol, and in just the first few years of his work at Givenchy, the number of clients for couture collections increased from 5 to 29.
Although Tisci managed to build brilliant career in haute couture, his own origins are humble: the designer was born in southern Italy into a working-class family. His father died when Riccardo was four years old, and his mother raised nine children (the designer has eight sisters) alone. Tisci had to work from the age of nine to pay for school, and instead of spending time with his peers, in his free time he was more willing to draw. As the designer admits, only after moving to London did he feel truly himself.
Tisci came to London when he was 17 years old, receiving a scholarship from St Martin's College. Tisci found London in the 1990s incredibly exciting. He was delighted by nightclubs, eccentric partygoers (he even saw the legendary Leigh Bowery at one of them) and extravagant shows by Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, which Tisci in most cases managed to sneak into without an invitation. While in Italy Tisci worked part-time by handing out flyers for clubs, in London he became a regular at parties. He created his own outfits, repurposing items found in second-hand stores, and his most ambitious purchase during his student years was a pair of Nike sneakers. Ironically, in the 2010s, he began collaborating with Nike and remade the same Air Max 97 he was once crazy about.
Tisci graduated brilliantly from St Martin's College, and his graduation collection, inspired by the works of Fellini and Pasolini (and made by the designer's sisters), was said to be excellent. After graduating from university, Tisci returned to Italy, where he worked with several brands. In 2004, after a long trip to India, he launched his own eponymous brand, the very first collection of which attracted the management of Givenchy.
The French brand was just then looking for a replacement for Julian MacDonald, the British designer who served as creative director after Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. Givenchy's position was not the best: sales remained low and style was quite inconsistent. But Tisci’s debut collection - eclectic, original and modern - attracted the attention of people from LVMH. Tisci's work for his independent brand, which the designer showed in an abandoned Milanese factory, combined Gothic elements and allusions to the work of Martin Margiela - the same mixture of romanticism and ironic refinement for which he is so appreciated today.
Riccardo Tisci, 2005.
Surprisingly, Tisci was initially reluctant to accept LVMH's offer. He changed his mind because of the difficult financial situation in which his family was. “I didn’t want to agree at all,” the designer told Vogue magazine. “I was going to decline their offer.” But a week before the meeting with Givenchy, my mother called me and said: “I think I’ll sell our house, it’s hard for your sisters, they have children, they need money. And I’ll move to a nursing home.” When I heard this, I felt like a complete failure... And then I went to an interview in Paris, where they showed me a contract with an insane number of zeros... It was a real divine salvation.”
Over the first few seasons at Givenchy, Tisci managed to develop a recognizable style, in which the influence of the gothic subculture and Catholicism, techno and street fashion was clearly visible. In 2008, Tisci was entrusted with working on Givenchy men's collections. They were influenced by street style and, as critic Tim Blanks noted, “ecclesiastical austerity.” Tisci, an Italian from the south, has always been dramatic, and his shows sometimes resemble theatrical performances, such as the September 11, 2015 show in New York, held at sunset to the sounds of Ave Maria. It was directed by artist Marina Abramovic, Tisci's longtime friend and fan.
Riccardo Tisci after the Givenchy spring-summer 2008 collection.
An army of celebrity fans appeared at Givenchy already in the late 2000s, among them was Kanye West, who was gaining popularity. By the way, it was Riccardo Tisci who was largely responsible for the emergence of a new style icon – Kim Kardashian, whom, despite general skepticism in the fashion industry, he began dressing in the early 2010s at West’s request.
Tisci, with his talent for unexpected combinations - low and high, casual and formal - also became one of those who introduced the trend for sportswear (remember his reverent attitude towards Nike sneakers!). However, one of the most memorable designs of Riccardo Tisci during his collaboration with Givenchy remains a sweatshirt with a Rottweiler print - it seems that all stylish men managed to flaunt it. We can confidently say that the retinue of famous fans will remain faithful to Tisci even now: at least judging by the fact that Beyoncé recently wore his Burberry jumpsuit to her concert.
Riccardo Tisci is the new creative director of Burberry since March 12, 2018The news of the new appointment at Burberry shocked the fashion community and excited all his sympathizers. Such a move was not expected from the brand management. Riccardo Tisci, former creative director of Givenchy, a lover of decadent luxury, eccentric retro-futurism and dark sensuality, and Burberry, a brand usually associated with minimalist classics or, more recently, with democratic and relaxed athleisure. What can this “hot” Italian bring to a brand with a “cool” and “functional” British aesthetic? If you think about it - not so little. Once you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear: the appointment of Riccardo Tisci to this position is quite natural.
Englishman Christopher Bailey, who announced his departure from Burberry in October 2017, remained in his post for 16 years. He is considered (and this is absolutely right!) the person who inspired the brand new life. Revenue under him beat all imaginable and unimaginable forecasts, and the brand, which back in the 90s had an image of being conservative and aimed primarily at people of middle age and older, has noticeably rejuvenated. First of all, thanks to the course towards digitalization - Bailey, a talented visionary, was one of the first to take it, several years before the era of the craze for social networks. In particular, back in the 2000s, Bailey launched The Art Of Trench project - a website about the history of the legendary trench coat, where anyone could upload a photo of themselves wearing the iconic Burberry raincoat. This was in 2009 and there was a whole year left before the advent of Instagram.
Among the Briton’s other “digital” achievements are online broadcasts of shows, during which anyone could buy the item they liked; collaboration with Snapchat, Google and Apple Music and serious “modernization” of branded boutiques - for example, they now have screens that display all the information about the items presented in the store.
In addition, Bailey rejuvenated Burberry's advertising campaigns. During his era, idols of millennials and then “Generation Z” began to star for the fashion house and its beauty division: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Cara Delevingne, Adwoa Aboah, Jude Law’s daughter Iris and Pierce Brosnan’s son Dylan.
Gradually - although not immediately - Burberry clothing itself began to become “modernized”. If, for example, back in the SS2014 season, Bailey focused on conventional femininity, graphic cut and minimalist, although not boring, classics, then already in the SS2017 collection there is a noticeable movement towards fashionable asexual androgyny, the creative director’s craving for asymmetrical cut in the spirit of deconstructivism.
Further more. In the summer of 2017, the brand launched a collaboration with Gosha Rubchinsky, a designer whose name in the name of a brand or collection today in itself adds a hundred points to relevance. Sportswear with the legendary Burberry check appeared at Rubchinsky twice - in the SS18 and FW18-19 seasons. Thus, Bailey not only once again proved his ability to “keep his nose to the wind”, but also ironically played on one of the stereotypes associated with Burberry: in his native Britain, things from this brand are often associated with the style of “chavs”, rude guys from the outskirts, nearby relatives of our “gopniks”. Around the 80s, these “brave” guys actively wore baseball caps and T-shirts in the same check - often fake, but who cares? By allowing Gaucher, the main apologist of the hip style, to combine these items with his aesthetic, Bailey returned them to fashionable “legitimacy.”
Around the same time, the designer himself also began to gravitate towards the ultra-fashionable athleisure style. No more tight skirts and “office” knitted dresses. Their place was taken by windbreaker jackets, wide track pants, oversized coats (but, of course, checkered ones!) and stretched, “aged” cardigans.
Bailey dedicated his latest collection for Burberry (SS18) to LGBT youth and his own youth, which fell in the 80s and 90s - decades that, by no coincidence, are increasingly cited by modern designers. Models walked the catwalk in puffy vests, long sleeves and rainbow-print ponchos. In addition, the collection contains items in acidic shades, as if painted with graffiti, and “wild” looks made up, for example, of oversized sweaters and multi-tiered long skirts.
In a word, Bailey managed to make the brand entrusted to him in a good way crazy, reckless and, as a result, truly fashionable, and not just due to the fact that it belongs to the fashion industry. The appointment of Riccardo Tisci in light of this is a completely reasonable step that fits perfectly into the strategy to rejuvenate yesterday’s “brand for respectable pensioners.”
Italian Tisci has been in the fashion industry for almost 30 years. In the 90s and the first half of the 2000s, he collaborated with Missoni, Antonio Berardi, Puma, and also worked on his own brand of the same name. But it was only when he assumed the post of creative director of Givenchy in 2005 that the young designer truly became famous. According to rumors (which are most likely true), during the interview with the bosses of the fashion house, he was the only candidate who did not mention the name of Audrey Hepburn, with whom the style of the classic Givenchy is primarily associated. And that is why the management chose a candidate who was unknown to anyone in those years. The Parisian fashion house desperately needed someone who could make its pieces desirable. younger generation– just as the old British brand Burberry needed it in 2001.
Tisci lived up to expectations. He, like Bailey, managed to completely modernize the brand under his control. Some even think it's too much. Thus, Hubert de Givenchy himself said in an interview with the online publication Women’s Wear Daily that Ricardo’s works for Givenchy “do not feel the spirit of home.” The Italian retorted, answering that he, like the legendary founder, has “his own Audreys” - model Mariacarla Boscono, artist and actionist Marina Abramovic, transgender model Lea T. and rock diva Courtney Love. This is not the entire list of Tisci's muses. During his time at the helm, Ciara, Rihanna, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian became Givenchy's friends. The latter even married Kanye West (another great friend of the brand) in a Givenchy dress by Riccardo Tisci.
“Kim for me is the personification modern woman, says the designer. “She is the embodiment of today’s society.” If someone doesn’t like it, that’s their problem.”
But, of course, it’s not just about the ability to gather a pool of “your” people around yourself. Givenchy clothes also became different with the arrival of Tisci. During his 12 years of work in the fashion house, he managed to establish himself as a lover of solemn, but not gloomy “Gothic”, baroque-style excessive decoration, black color and architectural cut.
The Italian loves experiments that border on shocking. He put models on the catwalk wearing masks and pierced makeup, and created fantastic avant-garde headdresses and costumes that looked like Martian robes.
It’s unlikely that the shy Audrey would have decided to try any of this, but the new generation of fashionistas undoubtedly liked this aesthetic. Brand revenue increased by geometric progression, and the FW15 collection was almost completely sold out in the first few days after the start of sales. The brand was also loved by A-list stars such as Madonna and Julia Roberts. In 2012, Tisci canceled couture shows, saying they were out of date and inappropriate, and that he preferred to show haute couture items on stars who wore them on the red carpet. True, in 2016 the couture line was resumed: Tisci combined the show with a men's show and released a lookbook. And then he invited industry professionals and clients to the studio so that they could see with their own eyes how made-to-measure outfits are created.
(Riccardo Tisci; born August 8, 1974) – famous Italian fashionable. In 1999 he graduated from the prestigious London educational institution Central Saint Martins Academy.
In 2005, he was appointed to the post of creative designer in the departments of women's fashion and French Givenchy. In 2008, he also began managing the men's fashion and men's departments of Givenchy.
The designer's passion for Gothic and the era of minimalism, embodied in his works for the Givenchy fashion house, helped attract a new wave of attention to the brand from critics and buyers. Before Tisci came to the post of creative director of the brand, reviews of Givenchy were rather vague and intermittent, but now the designer is called the future of the fashion house. Critics say he revitalized Givenchy with his precision and unusual imagination.
In February 2017, the designer decided to leave the Givenchy Fashion House after working as the creative director of the brand for 12 years.
Biography
Riccardo Tisci was born in 1974 in Italian city Taranto, founded by the inhabitants of Sparta as a city-state back in 706 BC, and famous for its many myths about mermaids and other sea creatures. This mysterious theme can be seen from time to time in Tisci’s design works of different directions.
The youngest of nine children, Riccardo, was the only son in the family. His mother Elmerida lost her husband very early and was forced to raise her children alone. The family was so poor that the state almost took the children away from Elmerida in order to take them under its care. Riccardo himself, as a child, wore the clothes of his sisters, altered for him. Without money for school trips and other trips, the mother constantly came up with entertainment for the children, trying to compensate for the lack of what others had. But one thing was always enough for Tisha: he literally bathed in the love of nine caring women.
“We never had enough money, so my childhood was difficult. The ingredients of my creativity were Latin romanticism and the forces I needed.”
“We were poor. Poor in the sense that they ate mostly once a day.”
Tisci grew up in the Italian commune of Cermenate and, in order to somehow support his family, from the age of 12 he took on any job, from plastering to playing the role of Santa Claus during the Christmas holidays. In addition, Riccardo distributed leaflets, worked in nightclubs and was an assistant to local florists.
At an early age, the boy showed a unique talent for drawing. He plunged into the mythological, invented world of centaurs, and later became interested in music: he began listening to the Cure group and became obsessed with modern musical culture and.
“Honestly, I love art and music even more than I love fashion.”
In 1990, Riccardo won an internship at the textile company Faro in Como, which later allowed him to work for Paloma Picasso, creating patterns, drawings and designs.
Tisci excelled at school, but due to poverty and the inability to pay for education, prospects for further education he didn't have it. At the age of seventeen, disillusioned with the policies of Italian President Sandro Pertini, Riccardo decided to try his luck by moving to London.
“The moment my feet set foot in London, I knew this was my chance. I felt the energy of this city."
"I came to London to survive."
During his several weeks in London, the young man managed not only to master English, but also to find work in hotels and restaurants in the city. One day on the tube he picked up a free newspaper and saw an advertisement for the London College of Fashion. Tishi entered the training without any problems, and Priyesh Shah became his mentor. It was he who noticed Riccardo’s unique talent and got him an internship with his business partner. Berardi, in turn, encouraged Tisci to enroll in the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. The young man managed to successfully pass entrance exams, however, he did not have the money to attend the Academy. Willie Walters, director of the fashion course, insisted that the young man not give up trying to start studying and turned to the state for a scholarship. Tisci subsequently won a grant which gave him entry into the second year of a three-year training program at Central Saint Martins.
“I dreamed of being independent, having a real opportunity to express myself, learning to sew.”
In 1999, Tisci graduated with honors and, despite the dark style dominant at the time, proved that he could attract attention with the sexuality and lightness of being expressed in his thesis, which was inspired by the films of Pasolini and Fellini. To attend Ricciardo's graduation show, his mother left Italy for the first time and took the first flight in her life. Since then, she has not missed a single show of her son.
After studying the archives of the fashion house, Tisci decided to continue working in the direction that characterized the brand in the 50s and 60s. He created complete looks, adding accessories, shoes, and even keeping in mind the woman who would wear it all. He came to the office at 6 am, along with the cleaners, and left workplace after midnight. One fine day, having learned about such dedication to his work, Hubert Givenchy himself invited the young designer to breakfast at his mansion.
“He was so nice and welcoming. And he didn’t talk about fashion at all during the meeting.”
After showing Tisci's first collection for Givenchy Haute Couture, Queen Rania of Jordan called the fashion house's office and asked Riccardo to design a complete wardrobe for her. When the designer arrived in London, the Queen greeted him fully dressed in Ricardo Tisci.
Unlike most other designers who worked at Givenchy after the departure of the brand's founder, Riccardo Tisci achieved not only positive feedback critics, but also contributed to a significant improvement in the financial situation of the House. In his collections, he presented not only stylish and original, but also practical, wearable wardrobe items. His Haute Couture collections were also a great success.
“When I started working, we only had 5 Haute Couture clients. Now there are 29 of them."
In 2008, in addition to the lines of women's clothing and accessories that he already managed, Riccardo Tisci began to develop collections of clothing and accessories for men. Here he also left his mark, offering unexpected and bold solutions, for example, sweatshirts in sequins or lace pink ones.
“You can find fashion anywhere these days. It's quite strange. When I was a child, Versace looked like Versace, and Armani looked like Armani. You could always tell who did what, no matter whether you liked it or not. Now I see similarities in many things. But only those who follow their own path and work on their own style will achieve success.”
Under the Givenchy label, the designer also designed costumes for Madonna's "Sticky & Sweet" tour in 2008 and for the song "Candy Shop" in 2009. In addition, Tisci created the singer’s clothes for everyday life.
In 2009, the designer began developing the first inexpensive line of the fashion house, Givenchy Redux.
In the Givenchy fall-winter 2011 collection, Riccardo Tisci included the famous transsexual model Lea T, who worked with him for many years and was his assistant. In the same year, after long work with the main “nose” of the Givenchy company, the designer presented a new fragrance of the brand – “Dahlia Noir”.
Also in 2011, the fashion designer was named the main contender for the post fired from the House. At the end of the year it became known that this information was not confirmed.
In February 2017, the designer decided to leave the Givenchy Fashion House.
Other projects
In 2008, Riccardo Tisci oversaw the creation of the 8th issue of A Magazine. The designer also took part in creating separate issues for a number of other glossy publications, for example, Dazed & Confused, Visionaire, Muse.
His boundless love for music led the designer to collaborate with famous hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Kanye West. In 2011, he became the creative director of their joint album Watch The Throne, designing the cover art for the disc and two singles ("H.A.M" and "Otis").
Also in 2011, Tisci collaborated with the world famous brand. For this brand he created an exclusive sneaker model.
“When I do something, I put my all into it.”
Awards and ratings
In 2008, Marie Claire awarded Tisci the title of best designer.
Riccardo Tisci's blog: www.ablogcuratedby.com/riccardotisci
Givenchy official website: www.givenchy.com
Interview of Donatella Versace with Riccardo Tisci for Interview magazine (June 2011)
D.V.:Let's talk about your latest collection, which I find very beautiful and sexy. I would love to wear all the things!
R.T.: Bravo! In fact, the collection is very Donatella-esque because it is about a strong woman. I find inspiration in different sources, and one such source is the house of Versace. You know, when I was a little boy, we lived very poorly. My dad passed away when I was 4 or 5 years old. I grew up with my mother and eight sisters. These are nine incredible women and all a bit “a la Donatella Versace.” Real, strong women from the South of Italy, women who had sensuality. They had confidence in their bodies and their femininity.
D.V.:The fact that you have eight sisters, in my opinion, is very good.
R.T.: Absolutely right. And even if they did not have the financial means to dress fashionably, they were women with graceful style. The elegance of the South is a very strong elegance, and I try to convey that to others. This is sexual elegance, or, to put it another way, less chaste. It was the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, a special time not only for the Versace fashion house, but also for me, since my sister, who worked in a hairdresser, brought home fashion magazines on Saturdays. This period introduced us to many top models and celebrities, such as you and Gianni, as well as things that made me dream. These early experiences greatly influenced me.
D.V.:The early '90s were a particularly amazing time for fashion because it was the height of glamor and there were no restrictions on what you could do. But I see that you have not stopped expanding your boundaries, you are always moving forward. This feeling is felt in your collections, which I admire.
R.T.: Thank you!
D.V.:Is your original passion for those things still the same, or has it subsided?
R.T.: I have to be honest: the only thing I believe in is my family. For me, family is not just DNA. I mean people close to me. My mother and my sisters are my energy and inspiration that fuels me throughout my life. Fashion is my job. I like it. This is my passion. But still the most important thing for me is life. I have always been surrounded by women and I am very attracted to the world of women because I love both strength and romanticism at the same time. You can see all this in my style.
D.V.:It's clear from the things you create that you know a woman's body. You know how to revalorize it.
R.T.: Imagine all my sisters. Each of them had its own form and lifestyle. So my path to becoming a designer was quite specific. Even when I came to Givenchy, there were people who supported me, but not everyone loved me. They said: “Why does an Italian create things in the Gothic style?”, without taking into account the fact that Italy is the cradle of the Gothic style. But they argued: “No, Italians should only do sexy things!” My base is Italian roots. And this is a strong passion for fashion and a passion for sensuality. When I went to London to study at Saint Martins, I acquired a sense of transgression and the gothic. And when I went to Paris, I mixed these two directions in myself.
D.V.:In your latest collection you could see an enhanced sexuality.
R.T.: I hate vulgarity. I hate vulgarity even though it attracts me. I love anything that is disruptive or vulgar. But, in my opinion, you need a limit, which is always a little unreal. The Versace fashion house creates very sexy things, but never crosses the line between sexuality and vulgarity. Many other brands that have tried to outdo Versace have crossed this line. I think that you and I, Donatella, are similar in this. We have this sense of proportion. It makes me proud to be Italian. I'm proud of what I do.
D.V.:When I worked with Gianni, I was the person he could trust and say anything to. If I didn’t like something, then I honestly said about it: “No, no, no! Do something different." Is there such a person on your team?
R.T.: Certainly. It is very important. Even though I have a small team. It is very important for a male designer that he listens to some kind of female opinion. And as I told you, my luck depends on the women who surround me. On this moment There are women in my life whom I adore and appreciate, for example, Maria Carla Boscono and Marina Abramovic. Many people think that throughout for long years Carine Roitfeld was my stylist. And this is not true. She was simply Maria Carla Boscono to me. Yes, there are some people whose opinions I want to hear first. But this is still my path. Maybe I'm losing it a little as I get older. It's hard to convey. At the end of the day, there are two or three people on my team that I always listen to.
D.V.: Knowing your character, it’s hard to believe that you’re giving up!
R.T.: Yes, that's because I'm from the South of Italy. And I'm proud of it. I develop all projects together with my team. She's small, but she's fantastic. I listen to someone's opinions because they are important to me. My zodiac sign is Leo and it is important for me to stand on my own two feet. But I also have another, softer side. On this side, I am a little boy who has not yet grown up and for whom it is important to listen to others.
D.V.:I would like to say that the sheer shirts you created this year are simply amazing.
R.T.: Donatella, you are definitely a Givenchy woman! I say this because I want the world to know this. You are the personification of a truly Italian woman. There is pure American rock chic, British chic, but Italy has always been the personification of all this. You and I have tried more than once to make a joint project. I'd love to see you in Givenchy.
D.V.: I would be very happy about this. I have already chosen several Givenchy items for myself.
R.T.: Which? Tell me!
D.V.:I liked the jacket with patent piping. He has wonderful proportions. Narrow to the knees, without tights - very sexy.
R.T.: Naturally! After you create the same things for a long time, you have a desire to come up with something new. And this season was just like that. I don't like shock as such, I like shock chic.
D.V.:Americans really love you, but I find that you are not a designer who has an American sensibility. You have more of a European, Italian sensibility.
R.T.: I am absolutely Italian! And this is a very precise concept. But I am also attracted to the United States of America. Why? A small child from a poor family in southern Italy had a dream to visit the Big Apple. I don't really like classical music, I like the music that Americans listen to. I like the American ghetto. I love the Bronx. I love hip-hop and R&B, I love electro-Latin, Latin music and everything like that.
D.V.:I like to work with the music playing at full volume.
R.T.: Yes. And I love finding something new. For example, now I'm listening to Nicki Minaj and Antony and the Johnsons. I also love changing musical directions. I like the conceptual aspect of Anthony Hegarty (lead singer of Antony and the Johnsons) and something in the style of Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott and Ciara. I love what evokes emotions in me. After all, I'm Italian. My close friend is Marina Abramovic, so I like strong, very aggressive political art. She looks like a mom who wants to adopt me. People say, "You're dark, you make dark clothes, you probably like The Cure or Diamanda Galas." Yes, I love Diamanda Galas, but I also love Madonna, Beyoncé and Courtney Love. They are all from different worlds. They are all different, but they evoke emotions in me. I am the one who needs emotions, the one who wants to convey them. Otherwise I would have changed my profession.
D.V.:Clothes evoke emotions just like music.
R.T.: Absolutely right. Every now and then she makes my heart beat like I just met my first love.
D.V.:Your latest couture collection evoked strong emotions in me. It turned out beautiful, modern and very stylish. It is clear that she was made great.
R.T.: When I started, everyone said that the era of Haute Couture was coming to an end, and that scared me. I will say more, I was terrorized by this idea. I come from a provincial area of Italy. When I was invited to work at Givenchy, the only thing I thought was: “Wow!” I signed the contract. But I will be honest and say that I only went through all this because of my mother, to buy her a house. Back then I didn't even think about what I was doing. It could not have been Givenchy, but any other company... I didn’t care, I just didn’t want my mother to live in a nursing home. I have nothing against nursing homes, but my mother, who went through so many trials, who raised nine children... I could not allow this. So, I started working at Givenchy. And I want to say that the era of Haute Couture is not over at all, it is just undergoing changes.
D.V.: I agree with you.
R.T.: Couture was the first stage of my career. Couture has changed because before, for example, there were princesses, they still exist now, but they no longer ride horse-drawn carriages, but go to parties, go to resorts, and sail on yachts. They all want to be in constant motion. I realized this, and immediately began creating things specifically for such girls. In addition to couture, we also create men's and ready-to-wear collections. When you do all this, you want to somehow differentiate the directions.
D.V.: It's better to do not many things, but make them amazing. Your samurai pieces (from the Spring-Summer 2011 Haute Couture collection) seemed brilliant to me. Hardness and softness come together without weighing each other down. It is excellent.
R.T.: You can say that in this spring couture collection I showed the romantic side of my nature, because everyone thinks that I am dark, like a Rottweiler. I show this romantic side to few people. I can only open up to people like you Donatella, because we have known each other for 5 or 6 years. I still remember our first meeting with you. You were then at a dinner with Miuccia Prada at the Vogue Italia editorial office. We stood upstairs and smoked. You introduced yourself and I thought you were a very strong woman. That's how we started becoming friends.
D.V.: I am very happy to see such a talented Italian designer in Paris. And your last show (Autumn-Winter 2011) reminded me of Gianni.
R.T.: You're not the only one who tells me this. You know, most kids were obsessed with robots or Barbie dolls. But my obsession was the Versace fashion house. I saved money just to buy a Versus T-shirt. I was obsessed with this. Today I am still the same fan of Versace and Versus. In fact, the Versace shows were the only shows I attended. I only work in fashion because of the few designers I admire. And that doesn't mean I don't like everyone else or think they're bad designers. I'm just very selective. I love Versace and I love Helmut Lang, even though the brand no longer exists.
D.V.: You also dress celebrities. At the Oscars, I saw Cate Blanchett in a Givenchy Haute Couture dress. She was the most graceful.
R.T.: Thanks a lot. I'll tell you that when I started working at Givenchy, there was some kind of confusion there. Before me, the post of creative director was held by such geniuses as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. They contributed to the history of the brand. But when I took over from Julian MacDonald, I could no longer define Givenchy's true style. Everyone associates this brand only with Audrey Hepburn, but on the other side of this perception there is the whole world. I closed all the doors and didn’t want to let anyone inside. This was the only way I could find myself. That's why at the very beginning I didn't want to dress celebrities. I started doing this later: I dressed one, two... We dress some stars because they are part of the family. These are the women I admire. And I don't care how famous they are.
D.V.: Now I have to ask this: do you have any new ideas for Givenchy or for your brand? I hope you understand what I mean.
R.T.: I understand what you mean. This question is related to the Dior fashion house. I am truly sorry for what happened to John. And I want to stay out of all this gossip about me and the Dior fashion house. I will say one thing: I am happy to work at Givenchy. I feel at home here. Givenchy is like my son. It's hard to explain, but it would be very difficult for me to leave.
D.V.: Givenchy is truly your baby.
R.T.: Absolutely. I started working with the almost destroyed House, starting from scratch. I did everything very slowly. And we really achieved a lot. I'm happy here. At the moment it is Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci. And I hope this will continue for a long time.
D.V.:We'll see if this is true!
R.T.: At the moment, this is the absolute truth. But my truth is this: you never know what will happen tomorrow.
Riccardo Tisci finally showed his first collection for Burberry. If we talk about the changes for which the brand management started personnel changes, then they certainly happened. Ricardo's debut is very different from what his predecessor Christopher Bailey (who served as creative director for 17 years) did. Whether this is good or bad, time and sales will tell. For now, let’s figure out what the designer wanted to tell everyone with this.
Archive
They say that while working on his debut collection, Tisci carefully studied the 162-year history of Burberry. It has many encrypted meanings: for example, the unicorn, which everyone was so surprised by during the show, was a symbol of the brand even before the horse (look for the old logo).
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Everything British
There are a lot of stereotypes about England and the British. But the thing is that these stereotypes are dearly loved by them - stiffness, monarchy, five o'clock tea, rain, and so on. Ricardo tried to reflect in the collection the most diverse layers of British culture - from rural life to punk - and went through the stereotypes. From here “cow” prints, umbrellas chained to the body, patent leather raincoats, quotes from Shakespeare on T-shirts, and numerous pullovers, to which Ricardo for some reason decided to sew the tails of a jacket. One of the models had a wallet disguised as a British one hanging on her chest. passport.
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Bambi
Riccardo Tisci has a very special relationship with Bambi. T-shirts and neoprene sweatshirts with cartoon deer that Ricardo made for Givenchy were very popular at one time and still sell well. Burberry's debut collection also couldn't do without Bambi - a number of items are decorated with a print imitating deer hair, and on one pullover you can see the inscription Why Did They Kill Bambi. The phrase can be interpreted in different ways. Firstly, this is a kind of industry call for humanism - let us recall that, at the instigation of Tisci, the British house abandoned the use of natural fur and angora. Secondly, the deer itself is associated with England, with the tradition of hunting (again, a hint of cruelty and a call to humanism), with aristocrats, and so on. Thirdly, Why Did They Kill Bambi is the name of a song by the British group Sex Pistols, which they wrote for the film of the same name (it was supposed to be a response to the rock and roll A Hard Day’s Night).
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What about the capes and plaid?
These characteristic Burberry elements are, of course, present. But there are not too many of them. The same Gosha Rubchinsky, in his collaboration with the British house, exploited the most recognizable things much more. Ricardo experimented with the style of the raincoat - in the collection, along with trench coats, there are many parkas and windbreakers. And he used the famous check, first of all, on the lining, where it should be.
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Massive Attack
The soundtrack for the show was recorded by the legendary Bristol band Massive Attack. Riccardo Tisci proudly announced this in instagram even before the show starts. The composition needed to be long - the show lasted almost 20 minutes, despite the fact that the audience hall was organized as a labyrinth with several podiums perpendicular to each other, along which the models walked simultaneously, which significantly saves time.
Scope
And no wonder. Burberry has double shows - the men's and women's lines make up one collection. So, this show had no less than 134 entries (you can watch the entire collection). You don't see this at every Chanel show. Now I wonder if the first drop will be sold out (go to instagram brand) 24 hours in advance, as prescribed by the new commercial strategy Burberry. It is no longer possible to destroy unsold items.