BY: Anna Madsen
A chic clique of customers, stylists and press had gathered at the Moda Operandi showroom in London on Wednesday for a night of champagne, fashion and stylish insights. Surrounded by rails of floral frou-frou and lace from Giambattista Valli’s latest collection, the guests were offered a glimpse into an American fashion entrepreneur’s and an Italian designer’s extraordinary paths to success.
“How did I make it? It was the passion of my life!” Giambattista Valli exclaimed when asked how his feminine, timeless dresses helped shape the world of fashion. “I was dreaming about being a designer from the age of six years old. But I was never obsessed with fashion, I don’t see myself as a ‘fashion designer’. I care much more about women and their beauty. I wanted to be a woman’s best friend; someone who makes her laugh and takes her partying. I wanted to be her ultimate support, and luckily I managed to turn it into a job!”. Lauren Santo Domingo, co-founder of Moda Operandi and influential style icon, mentioned her fascination for Kate Moss’ crazy days of smashing hotel rooms with Johnny Depp, to the model’s perfectly put-together and sophisticated look on the red carpet; emphasizing how fashion is often about how you transform yourself between roles and styles. Today, Lauren specialises in bringing original outfits straight from the catwalk directly online; no commercial looks or trade-offs – just the exact dress you saw in Grand Palais during Paris fashion week.
Lauren described how the idea was born as an editor at American Vogue, where she used to sneak out samples from the fashion closet to wear to parties, thinking; why shouldn’t all women have easy access to these runway looks?
With Giambattista’s and Lauren’s prestigious roles in today’s fashion, we wondered about the early days before their success. What was their first, real fashion moment? Giambattista recalls with a smile; “I remember the time when me and Mario Sorrenti were trying to crash into a Comme Des Garçons show in Paris. I was only 22 years old but I still remember it! But before I came to Paris, growing up in Rome meant taking part in something very historical. I really believe that you can’t envision the future without a strong knowledge of the past. My passion for red stems from the Vatican city, for example. The Fellini films, and how Fellini portrayed the exuberance of Roman women and their enigmatic side also had an impact on me. It was the perfect place to gather inspiration that I would later use in Paris”.
Famous for his haute couture house, Giambattista shared how the first period of being haute couturier was tough, as he struggled through a financial recession and a notion among fashion journalists that “couture was dead”. “I said to myself, it’s in difficult times that you have to take risks. The day you stop taking risks, is the day you become old”. His success would come almost over night, something he refers to the fact of adjusting couture to the new generation and facilitating its wearability. “It should be something you put on in the morning, zip up and then you’re ready for the day. This is the secret of my haute couture”.
Interview conducted by Gianluca Longo
