Milan fashion week for a blogger means attending to fashion shows, presentations, parties, exhibitions, but also conferences or meetings with the protagonists of this world. Thanks to the last Vogue Experience held in conjunction with the Milan fashion week in September, finally I had the opportunity to meet the designer duo Aquilano.Rimondi.   Tommaso Aquilano talking with tha audience at the Vogue Experience in Palazzo Morando   Their career as a designer duo began in 1998, when they work as fashion consultants for Max Mara; then in 2004 they gave life to the 6267 fashion project, which won the competition WhoIsOnNext ? 2005 allowing them to present the collection in Milan. Since then it has been a continuous succession of experiences that crowned them as the true protagonists of the international scene, and it is not a coincidence that Anna Wintour once commented: “the show of 6267 is the only reason for coming to Milan”. Soon their road to success becomes filled of many important goals: in 2006 they are appointed as creative directors of the knitwear brand Malo, bringing it to show in New York; in 2008, are appointed as creative directors of the late Gianfranco Ferré, and at the same time they founded their own Aquilano.Rimondi fashion brand, which conquered season by season the most cultured niche of fashion, thanks to a “balanced opulent” style, looking beyond the fleeting seasonal trends. Besides the ongoing fashion consultations and collaborations with the most important Italian brands, in 2011 they become the creative directors for the female line of Fay, and by this year even for the male one.   First 6267 fashion show – Fall Winter 2006     At the Vogue Experience held in Palazzo Morando there was only Tommaso Aquilano, because Roberto Rimondi was busy with the models for the fashion show of the next day. During the meeting with the public have emerged very interesting reflections on the way they approach fashion and creativity in general. About the eternal dualism between art and fashion, as fashion designers they recognize a state of independence of fashion from the art: “Fashion is a job. I work with art, but I’m not an artist, I am an hard worker” said Tommaso Aquilano. Art is “only” a source of inspiration for the duo, it is a means to get to the finished product. Art is the input that triggers the creative instinct, allowing them to mix the various disciplines in a crescendo of excesses, passing from a Velasquez’ brush stroke to Bernini’s sculptures, balancing all through a rational labor limae. “Roberto has a more rational approach, I am more instinctual. We have both our own visions and then we put them together, making even improbable mixes”. The latest spring summer 2014 collection which re-traces the exotic years of Paul Gauguin‘s life, is the most striking example of their stream of consciousness inspired by the art. The printed fabrics declined on hoodies, mini dresses and princesse gowns, remind the sarongs and robes of Haitian women portrayed by the painter: stripes and floral contrasting patterns, shimmering shades, complementary colors and jais appliqué are the main themes of the collection, an opulently concept, applied on extraordinarily contemporary shapes.     Aquilano Rimondi SS 2014 – Paul Gauguin references   Aquilano Rimondi SS 2014 – Paul Gauguin references   Aquilano Rimondi SS 2014 – Paul Gauguin references   Aquilano Rimondi SS 2014 – Paul Gauguin references   Aquilano Rimondi SS 2014 – Paul Gauguin references     The conversation goes even through more light topics such as: – the musical tastes “I need rhythm to create a collection, sometimes I can put classical music as Roberto does, otherwise I listent to Peter Gabriel or Depeche Mode”; – his hobbies beyond fashion “Cooking is my second passion, it teaches you to apply creativity, adding the ingredients one after the other, allowing you to correct the mistakes and refine the taste”; – and finally some reflections regarding the role of the creative director “The more interesting challenge for a fashion designer is risking everything with your own brand, but lately seems that becoming a creative director is the acme of the career for a fashion designer, maybe even neglecting your own brand. The creative direction for other brands is very nice, but from one day to another you can be thrown out and left without anything in your hand”. Talking about their experience as creative directors at Gianfranco Ferré, Tommaso said: “When you’re a creative director you can’t be yourself at 100% because you have to metabolize something that is not yours. At Gianfranco Ferré we had one of the best experiences we could live because we were confronting with a sacred monster of the Italian fashion. Thanks to Gianfranco Ferré archive we have known a long history starting from his minimalist period with straight jackets enhancing every type of silhouette, and in our first collection (spring summer 2009) we wanted to re-propose that minimalism even in the fashion show set by removing all the Art Nouveau decorations of the room where he used to parade. Nobody expected it, but everybody liked it”.     Gianfranco Ferré by Aquilano Rimondi – SS 2009   Gianfranco Ferré by Aquilano Rimondi – SS 2009   Gianfranco Ferré by Aquilano Rimondi – SS 2009     The audience, made of young students, aspiring designers and aspiring fashion journalists, presses the designer with questions about the inspirations and the career, but they mainly ask for some suggestions for the new designers: “Our participation to Who Is On Next? has been the first real opportunity to make ourselves known by the international press and buyers. I suggest to the new designers to be “small” and seek their own identity, don’t even thinking to compare with top brands that have billionaires budget for their fashion shows. You need to be sincere in what you do. We are still building our identity, we are identified with a niche product mainly focused on textile and silhouettes research, but thanks to Fay (of which they are creative directors from 2011) we had the opportunity to get closer to ready-to-wear. We always hear about new talents, so it is expected that young designers make sell, but don’t exist anymore generous patrons such as Lorenzo il Magnifico. Nowadays there’s a totally different give and take relationship with the investors: if you make me grow, I’ll make you grow, so I can grow more. Maybe, especially at the beginning, we strayed from excessive simplicity and faith in other people.”     First Aquilano Rimondi fashion show – SS 2009     The meeting ends with a question from the web audience who follows the live twitting by the Vogue Italia account: the passe-partout item for a woman in addition to the little black dress according to Aquilano.Rimondi.  As much as frivolous was the question, I personally was amazed by the Tommaso Aquilano’s enthusiasm he replied. In his eyes you could see the creative instinct while he was imaging the outfit, describing it in detail and gesticulating with his hands in the air as if he was making the dress in front of the audience: “The little black dress is a wonderful item, but you risk to become a caricature. If you wear a velvet oversized sweatshirt with a mikado skirt and high heels shoes, the other women next to you wearing the lbd will disappear “. That single final creative moment gave concrete form to all the things Tommaso Aquilano said in the two and a half hours meeting. I will surely never forget it.     Alessandro Masetti – The Fashion Commentator   Credits:  Collages by The Fashion Commentator;  Catwalks photos from Style.com

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