2 minutes
Rochas menswear softens up with Federico Curradi
The fitted, sophisticated Parisian-chic look designed by Béatrice Ferrant last year has made way for a more bohemian, laid-back silhouette, as a metamorphosed Rochas menswear line is back centre stage again, under the aegis of new creative director Federico Curradi.
After relaunching Rochas menswear in 2017, with an internally designed collection masterminded by Béatrice Ferrant, the Interparfums group, which bought the label in 2015, decided for a change in tactics. Rochas menswear is now managed under licence by the Onward Luxury Group, the same as the label’s women’s ready-to-wear collections, which are styled by Italian designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua.
The new Rochas men's look for the Autumn/Winter 2019-20 remains Parisian at heart, but the focus is on a softer bohemian mood, with the hint of an Italian influence inspired by artists such as Amedeo Modigliani and Constantin Brancusi, who spent hours working in their creative ateliers, just as they did wandering around the French capital, to capture its vibe and find new inspiration.
“The idea was to find a link between Paris and art. I imagined a young poet sitting in a café, taking notes or sketching something in his diary,” said Federico Curradi to FashionNetwork.com. The designer elected to stage his catwalk show in an artist's workshop in rue du Cherche-Midi, a gloomy ambience with saltpetre-stained walls, cluttered with books and easels.
There is quite a nonchalant air to Curradi’s looks, whose volumes have a loose, fluid feel, while the colour palette draws on muted, natural hues, with matte effects giving the clothes a washed-out, almost pictorial sheen. Woollen hats and caps, and long hand-knitted scarves add a bohemian touch to the ensemble.
Angel-faced boys wear white shirts in soft poplin cotton, or zipped overshirts over striped turtleneck sweaters and warm knitted pullovers, topped off with deconstructed jackets and comfortable overcoats.
There is a great attention to detail, as in the trouser pockets with a folded-over end, as if it was unstitched, or the silk-coated wind-breakers.
“This is elegant, contemporary menswear. I tried to deconstruct formal looks, lightening them up rather than adding to them. Great emphasis is put on natural materials, in order to use as few polluting agents as possible. For example, the down-jackets are made using silk and not nylon,” said Curradi, before being engulfed in a swarm of the many admirers who came to discover his work at Rochas.
Copyright © 2024 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
