Interview with Rossella Jardini: Milan Fashion Week Spring 2018

Laura De Rochas
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Interview with Rossella Jardini: Milan Fashion Week Spring 2018

Interview with Fashion Legend Rossella Jardini

Rossella Jardini is an Italian fashion designer born in Bergamo, Italy. She began her fashion career in 1994 alongside mentor and best friend Franco Moschino of Moschino, working as Creative Director of the house until 2013.

Prior to that, she was a fashion consultant for Bottega Veneta and worked with Nicola Trussardi, and today consults for Missoni. Given her résumé, it’s no surprise that Rossella would launch her own collection under her iconic name Rossella Jardini. In her collections you can see her eccentric style, elegance, class, comfort, and most of all her love for what she loves — and does — best … fashion.

Franco Moschino and Rossella Jardini

In our FWO interview, she talks to us about what sparked her passion for fashion, her relationship with Franco Moschino, and her collection for Spring 2018, presented at Milan Fashion Week.

 
Rossella Jardini Spring 2018

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The Interview

Q: Growing up, when did you realize fashion was your destiny?

Since I can remember, I have always been attracted to fashion. Back then, we wore bespoke dresses made by a tailor and I had already decided on the style of my own clothes. When I was 7 years old, I remember I was already fighting with my mother over the length of my dress.

At 7 I was already fighting over the length of my dress

Q: Tell me about your day. How does it begin and end at the house of Rossella Jardini?

My studio is based just downstairs from my apartment. Every day I prepare myself and I reach out to the office by 10 AM to meet my assistants, and we keep on working until 7 PM almost every day.

We work 10 AM – 7 PM every day

The first part of the day we focus more on paperwork. After a quick lunch we focus on the collection, working on fabrics and designs. However, this schedule changes entirely when fashion week approaches. During fashion week we work until late in order to organize the presentation of the collection.

Q: You were the Creative Director at the house of Moschino for 20 years. How did you begin that amazing journey with them?

I met Franco in Milan thanks to common friends. We immediately became best friends. We started working together far before the Moschino company had been founded. We developed together for [Italian label] Cadette and then I started working for Bottega Veneta.

Later, when he launched his line, he immediately called me to work with him. It was in 1985 when we started working together and he taught me everything. In 1994 I devoted myself to keeping his soul alive.

In 1994 I devoted myself to keeping his soul alive.

Franco Moschino and Rossella Jardini

Q: Moschino’s style has changed since you last left. What are your thoughts on that?

Jeremy has a different approach to fashion. He is more focused on communication and gadgets. He plays with fashion. I am more focused on making clothes, on creating something that makes women feel comfortable.

I am more focused on creating something that makes women feel comfortable

Q: In 2015, you launched your own collection under the label Rossella Jardini. What inspired you to branch out on your own?

Everything I know about fashion I learned from Franco. I always play with classics and I like stealing from the menswear wardrobe. I like playing with proportions, and I always start with materials. I am obsessed with quality. I am fascinated by elegance and I have my own point about it.

I am obsessed with quality.

Franco Moschino and Rossella Jardini

Q: What is the story behind your Spring 2018 collection?

I started with the idea of a white shirt. I believe the white shirt is an essential part of any woman’s wardrobe. I play with it, combining new proportions, volumes, lengths and I customize it for this collection. I love the idea of focusing on a particular garment. To uncover and speak about it through its evolution. I like to focus on individual elements that make up my ideal wardrobe.

I love the idea of focusing on a particular garment.

Q: You are a fan of menswear and have added a masculine touch to pieces in your collections … do you think women today embrace masculinity more so?

To me, men’s suits are like a uniform. For women like me, the code of men’s style is comfortable and reassuring. The uniform is reassuring. My style always features tuxedos, trenches, and all the basics taken from men’s classic fashion.

Rossella-Jardini_Profilo_2

Q: Which fashion designers inspire you? Why?
 
I love all the designers. I wear them all. However, the one that I love the most will always be Yves Saint Laurent.

Q: Do you have a muse?
 
Myself.

Q: What do you want people to always remember about Rosella Jardini the fashion legend and style icon?

Franco Moschino and Rossella Jardini

I would like to be remembered as the woman who kept Franco Moschino’s memory alive.

Q: Where do you see the brand Rossella Jardini in the future?

Nowadays, fashion changes very quickly. I wish that my clothes will continue to be enduring leaders.

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Learn More

rossellajardini.com

With love,

FWO

Edeline Lee Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Barbara Fleskens
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Edeline Lee Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Mature Nature: Edeline Lee London Fashion Week SS18

On a constant search on what it is to be a woman and how to dress a woman, Edeline Lee developed a matured SS18 collection that might be her best work yet.

Always inspired by art, and simultaneously receiving great support from the art world, it was artist Georgia O’Keeffe that served as her muse this time around. Whilst Lee engaged in a surrealist conversation on gender for her ’17 winter/fall collection, being influenced by Dada artist Hannah Höch, she now relocated her focus on realist femininity only through O’Keeffe’s journey to self-being in the landscapes of New Mexico.

 
Edeline Lee: London Fashion Week SS18

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So, what does it mean to be a strong, courageous woman who has found her place in this world? According to Lee there lies vulnerability and strength at the core of every woman, which she translated in comfortable, semi loose-fitting dresses, suits and sweaters in traditional ladylike shapes, soft colors and fabrics.

According to Lee there lies vulnerability and strength at the core of every woman

O’Keeffe’s enlarged flowers were reconstructed through origami-like folds and knots, in azure blue and old pink, placed on white, effortless yet powerful dresses in Lee’s signature Flou Bubble Jacquard fabric. Twisted ties and knots on shoulders, arms, waists and even shoes played with shape and proportion, which formed a mimic juxtaposing against the delicate appliques in similar blues, pinks and golden metals on slightly transparent silk blouses and skirts.

O’Keeffe’s enlarged flowers were reconstructed through origami-like folds and knots

While her entire collection and its reference is so on-point, her choice of models might be criticized in the sense that, if Lee aimed to represent a woman in full like O’Keeffe, her choice of young girls (not yet women) seem slightly off. However, they did reflect girls/women of all cultures, and the fact that she put the hijab on such a fashionable pedestal, can only be applauded. Next to this, the models poetically embodied innocence with their messy, out-of-bed hairdos and au naturel make-up, whilst Lee’s sleek and sophisticated designs made them look strong and confident. And isn’t that exactly the essence of dress?

Maturity shines through both this collection and Lee herself. Whereas her previous work was more youthfully playful and frisky, it is interesting to see her grow towards a more quiet vocabulary.

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Learn More

edelinelee.com
London Fashion Week

With love,

FWO

To Be Thrill Spring 2018: New York Fashion Week

FWO
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To Be Thrill Spring 2018: New York Fashion Week

TO BE THRILL x JUDGEMENT OF PARIS BREAK THROUGH AT FASHION WEEK

Asian rising-star designer Edison Lu rocked New York Fashion Week at the Angel Orensanz Center with his new collection.

The venue has hosted shows from Alexander McQueen, Scotch and Soda, and was the venue of choice for the marriage of Sarah Jessica Parker. The production featured the collaboration of To Be Thrill X Judgement Of Paris.

 
To Be Thrill: NYFW SS18

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As a designer but also a former celebrity stylist, Edison Lu has come into his own style, delivering a creative point of view on life itself via his latest New York Fashion Week collection. With the idea of different aspects of life, Edison developed four collections of ready to wear clothing entitled “Birth,” “Ignorance,” “Empower,” and “Relief.”

a former celebrity stylist, Edison Lu has come into his own style

To Be Thrill was sponsored by the American local organic beauty brand Judgement Of Paris.

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Learn More

NYFW schedule

With love,

FWO

DKLTJU Spring 2018: New York Fashion Week

FWO
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DKLTJU Spring 2018: New York Fashion Week

Kids Take over NYFW with DKLTJU at New York Fashion Week

Chinese children’s brand DKLTJU has already captured the attention of many at their New York Fashion Week debut, attracting worldwide attention. The fairy tale inspired children’s brand has been at the forefront of those to reach an international platform, being one of the most prominent on display.

With a well-received debut at NYFW, founder of DKLTJU, Ms. Wen Xihu, was ecstatic, stating, “It is a new adventure for us to present our collection at NYFW, and to be recognized by the world. The global recognition for Chinese fashion brands has a long way to go, but we hope DKLTJU will go further and reach new heights in the children’s wear market.”

It is a new adventure for us to present our collection at NYFW

 
DKLTJU: NYFW SS18

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In the debut titled “Rong” — translation meaning “blend in” — DKLTJU presented three groups with brilliant styles and unique cuttings, reflective of their design philosophy.

The collection is both edgy and classic, while remaining neat, stylish, and aesthetically pleasing. Notable details include looks that incorporated Chinese embroidery, while merging Western silhouettes, creating noble and elegant looks.

looks incorporated Chinese embroidery with Western silhouettes

Many designers agree that most Chinese children’s wear brands lack a brand image, but DKLTJU’s debut has dispelled that notion. However, DKLTJU designers Zhou Lila and Shao Gang are no strangers to bold and smart creative risks.

DKLTJU’s designers are no strangers to bold and smart creative risks

They realized their creative culmination in their debut, perfectly combining opposing characteristics and elements. Their work further enhances the DKLTJU brand’s value and recognition, promoting Chinese culture through fashion to children.

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Learn More

dkltju.com
NYFW schedule

With love,

FWO

Mac Duggal Spring 2018: New York Fashion Week

FWO
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Mac Duggal Spring 2018: New York Fashion Week

Mac Duggal Launches Stunning New Collection at NYFW

Once again, Mac Duggal demonstrated why he is the go-to designer for the legion of fans of his glamorous, gorgeous, wearable dresses.

Held at the Angel Orensanz Center in Manhattan, the Mac Duggal NYFW Spring/Summer 2018 runway show was a celebration of body positivity. This season Mac had plus and sample size reality stars who formerly have worn his creations on the red carpet walking the runway at NYFW alongside professional models.

 
Mac Duggal: NYFW SS18

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Last season, Mac Duggal made headline news with his body positivity message by integrating regular and plus size models on the runway. After this news making campaign heard around the world the Steve Harvey Show took note and featured Mac Duggal himself in an episode this past May.

the Steve Harvey Show featured Mac Duggal himself this past May

Reality stars Arissa Seagal (Growing Up Supermodel), Roxy Earle (Real Housewives of Toronto), and Niche Caldwell (married to football star Andre Caldwell) wowed in dresses that featured swirling fringe, 3-D embroidery on lace, off the shoulder looks, stylish pearl beading, and dramatic shades of lilac and blue.

Producers from Bravo, Lifetime, and E! networks all filmed the show and their respective reality stars whether on the runway or in the star studded crowd, presumably to be featured in upcoming episodes.

Producers from Bravo, Lifetime, and E! networks all filmed the show

Notable celebrities and influencers spotted during the show included Kelly Le Brock (mother of Arissa Seagal and star of The Woman in Red), Aaliyah Rose (youngest contestant on The Voice), Carmen Carrera (trans model and activist), Asian Doll (rap artist), Jair Jurrjens (Dodgers baseball player) and wife Kaylin, Vogue model Halima Aden, Christina Mendez (international plus model), Kemetria Lily (social media influencer), Bianca Bonnie (American singer), and Sky Landish Love and Hip Hop star and fiancee DJ Drewski.

Mac Duggal never ceases to deliver an amazing collection season after season for the discriminating women who wear his namesake brand.

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Learn More

macduggal.com
NYFW schedule

With love,

FWO

Hardeman Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Pablo Starr
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Hardeman Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Walk on the Wild Side: Hardeman London Fashion Week SS18

Represented by EB Consults Worldwide.

If Lou Reed had a label, creating clothes for the cast of Transformer, it would probably look a little like Hardeman.

In the words of the press materials, “Hardeman uses denim to break conventions. The Amsterdam-based brand takes everybody’s favorite clothing piece and transforms it into deconstructed, gender-fluid clothes that couldn’t be further from your trusty 501s.”

This summer, Hardeman took denim to the highway, with a collection that plays on Route 66, that mythical highway that traveled two-thirds of the U.S., from Chicago to Los Angeles, California. Called ROUGE 66, the collection unveiled at London Fashion Week evinced a very focused vision, with a thrift-store chic appeal that calls to mind everything from Bob Dylan to New York punk.

Hardeman uses denim to break conventions

 
Hardeman: London Fashion Week SS18

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“ROUGE 66 represents those who choose their own paths, to move freely upon them. Inspired by the true and the daring, Rouge 66 means to be living life to its fullest.”

Indeed, Hardeman showcased a daring, fun collection. In our current climate of false revolutionaries and play-it-safe rebels, it’s a relief to see a designer who’s not afraid to take a walk on the wild side.

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Learn More

hardemanonline.com
London Fashion Week

With love,

FWO

Rejina Pyo Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Gabrielle Kynoch
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Rejina Pyo Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

We Are Family: Rejina Pyo London Fashion Week SS18

The SS18 collection from Rejina Pyo at London Fashion Week was a celebration of diversity and sisterhood. Choosing an open-cast call, the models represented a range of ages and backgrounds. The clothing was beautifully relaxed in the drape while the shine of the fabric and colour pallet added opulence.

Held at the Friends House in Euston, the audience gathered in a gymnasium-cum-arena theatre, where four triangle mirrors laid on the floor in a square. As the models came into the centre the flashes of the cameras bounced from the the clothes to the mirrored floor and back again – creating a Hollywood red carpet elegance.

 
Rejina Pyo: London Fashion Week SS18

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The silhouettes were designed to drift down the body, hanging loosely of the shoulders and gracefully touching the body in a laissez faire fashion. The colour tone was warm and romantic – opting for silvers, golds, tangerine and natural browns.

Inspiration came from Nicholas Nixon’s photographic series “Forty Years of the Brown Sisters” which explored age and female relationships. From these images Pyo wanted to recreate the softness of the women and the bond that women share.

Pyo’s passion of sculpture is represented in the footwear, the curved lines of the mule heels echoed the lines in the frill detailing of the dresses. The jewellery was a collaboration with London based designer Anissa Kermiche, gold earrings in abstract shapes were embellished with pearls. To complement the Hollywood glamour of the collection, Pyo once again collaborated with Korean Eyewear brand Projekt Produkt to produce feminine cat eye sunglasses.

This collection is a display of womanhood and the importance of female ties, taking a beautifully relaxed approach to decadence.

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Learn More

rejinapyo.com
London Fashion Week

With love,

FWO

Jasper Conran Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Barbara Fleskens
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Jasper Conran Spring 2018: London Fashion Week

Pop Ya Color: Jasper Conran London Fashion Week SS18

Truly indispensable on the British runway is fashion week veteran Jasper Conran. The Godfather of LFW (literally, as he helped found it back in 1983) is a true resilient in the ephemeral world of fashion. For SS18 Conran, held onto his heritage of mixing simplicity with style, whilst producing a fashion forward and youthful collection that is a true sight for sore eyes.

The Godfather of LFW, he helped found London Fashion Week back in 1983

After producing his first collection in 1978, Conran still serves as an inspiration for both upcoming and established designers, proving that it’s possible to have a flourishing career that will last a lifetime, without switching between different fashion houses along the way.

 
Jasper Conran: London Fashion Week SS18

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Synonymous with his versatile career and ever-growing empire in both fashion and interior design, Conran has managed, yet again, to combine a certain elegance with a utilitarian ease. Casual sportswear is weaved with feminine dresses — clashing cobalt blues with bright yellows — whilst also incorporating quiet tones of grapefruit pink and caramel brown. And it gets even more intricate: the collection presents a retro seventies feel with its sepia-tinted suits, alongside fashion forward see-through skirts and bomber jackets, combined with knitted sweaters on top of refined heels and tiny purses.

Conran has managed, yet again, to combine a certain elegance with a utilitarian ease

Conrad has managed to balance these seemingly contrasting elements in such a subtle way, that it results in a young, yet mature and harmonized collection. The adolescent models with their “no-makeup” look accentuated this even more. His optimism in color, combined with airy coats, loose-fitted trousers, and thinly layered separates, left the A-List crowd with a cheerful feeling, something which is oh-so welcome in the realms of today’s British attacks and political combats.

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Learn More

jasperconran.com
London Fashion Week

With love,

FWO

Interview with JOOBI: The Progress of Recovery

FWO
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Interview with JOOBI: The Progress of Recovery

Interview with JOOBI

JOOBI is a luxury womenswear brand created through experimentation. Utilizing distinct materials and unorthodox techniques, each collection contains a story, and JOOBI wants to talk to the world through clothes.

The latest collection, “The Progress of Recovery,” begins with the depression of a young artist. The designer works in the concrete jungle of the fashion district of New York City, where a lack of a social life and of light keeps her dark. Construction and other nuisances keep her awake in her small flat. By building and rebuilding, her first collection shows the progress of recovery from depression to happiness.

 
The Progress of Recovery

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Special thanks: MSA MODELS
Photographer: GO MINAMI

Interview with Joobi Lee

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background.
 
Originally, I am from South Korea. I was studying fashion and business in Korea and worked for creative fashion companies for several years before moving to New York. I decided to go back to school to study fashion design in the heart of New York, at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

The coexistence of different identities and so many cultures in New York — that is something you are not used to in Korea. There is something attractive about the mix of people from opposite ends of the earth. It’s the coexistence and individuality of this place that I was inspired by. That made me design.

The coexistence of different identities and so many cultures in New York

Q: How did you start your brand?
 
I had the desire to start my own brand for a while now. It was interesting to work at different companies while I was in FIT, but I really wanted to express my imagination through clothes. Creating my brand was a natural product of me living in a small room in the garment district, squeezed between the restless commercial cycle of Manhattan and the endlessly changing thoughts in my head as an artist. There was a period of depression and a lack of space for my thoughts. As I worked through this pain, I created my collection, my brand.

the brand was a natural product of me living in a small room in the garment district

Q: Tell us about your name?

My name is Joobi Lee. The brand name “JOOBI” is the same as my first name. Joobi symbolizes fulfillment, riches, and sympathies. It is also said that this name brings a wide range of capabilities, excellent skills and brilliant brains … My name Joobi contains a lot of values I look up to, and wish to bring to others.

My contains values I wish to bring to others

Q: What are your next three goals?

First, through this collection, I want to let the public know that there is JOOBI. I want the identity of this collection known. Secondly, I’d like to focus on the product for my clients, improving the quality and providing for my customer’s needs. But most importantly, I want to show that art and fashion coexist, and I hope that people take fashion more seriously.

Q: What are your long-term goals? What’s the dream?

The bigger world … to communicate with people all over the world through my clothes.

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More info.

joobiofficial.com

With love,

FWO

Bocaine: a Full-Body Accessories Label

FWO
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Bocaine: a Full-Body Accessories Label

Interview with Bocaine

BocaineLondon is a fashion label working on creating “full body accessories” in addition to other projects.

Bocaine represents wild souls with high standards of taste. In design they believe in creativity and problem solving, working with the finest materials and the finest team, for the finest customers.

 
Women’s Looks

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Men’s Looks

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Q: Tell us a little bit about your background.
 
Sere: I grew up in China, then moved to America alone at 15 years old for high school. In 2015 I transferred myself from a college prep to a proper Arts Academy in California, to study fashion. Then I did foundation year in fashion design at CSM — this was when I moved to London. I was unsuccessful when I attempted to apply for FDM BA, so I decided to change my direction of study to knowledge and theory, while remaining active in fashion. Therefore I was later accepted to CSM Curation, Criticism & Culture, my current major.

Nikki: Grew up in China, moved here in the states at age 15. High school dropped out at 17 years old, then transferred myself into community college. Two years ago I got a pre-offer from University of Washington majoring in Nursing. Even though I did nothing fashion related for the past 20 years, to be able to create art, work in fashion industry/ luxury management has always been my dream since day one.

Q: How did you start your brand?
 
Nikki and I Facetime each other on a regular basis. One day she came through with an idea of starting a “male and female lingerie brand” — which presumably can only be worn underneath clothing. The idea quickly transformed into “full body accessories,” which can be worn over outfits. The creative direction was gathered in a Dropbox folder, as the two of us lived in Seattle and London — completely different time zones. From there I started to sketch.

Q: What is your vision / brand philosophy?
 
We started Bocaine as an accessories line. The styling game in this industry keeps transforming itself towards more creativity, constructions, and uniqueness. Our designs manipulate the silhouettes of a minimal outfit — making something simple unique and daring. Menswear is arguably more important to us — partially because of my passion as a designer, also because we want to create something new in the fashion world. Menswear is going through a revolution. Men should be able to enjoy provocative styles just as much as women can, WITHOUT taking away from their masculinity.

Bocaine is a vibe/lifestyle. From there we can make designer furniture, and even do things in the service industry. We have much bigger plans for this company than just building a fashion label. p.s. Don’t worry. Nothing illegal.

Q: What are your next three goals?
 
1. Approach high-profile clients to work with them exclusively. Make exclusive products for shows/events etc.
2. Increase awareness of the brand in US UK and EU’s hip-hop/fashion scene.
3. Release a new product(s) every month.

Q: What are your long-term goals? What’s the dream?

We are positioned to be the perfect concept of “full body accessories,” and want to see this transform the industry. Being copied doesn’t bother me. I can always come up with something else. I post my sketches on my Instagram all the time — way before the products are ready. I want this concept to grow in the fashion world. It’s almost like we just planted a seed and now we can wait for the sprouts to grow out of the ground. We’ll water it carefully and feed it well with the correct nutrients, and hope for the best. Maybe it’ll become a flower or fruit, but we don’t know for sure.

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With love,

FWO

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