ME, MYSELF AND I

Angelo Galasso says he has no influences, no interest in legacy and is concerned only with ‘self, self, self’. No wonder he’s the world’s most singular fashion designer

Angelo Galasso knows a thing or two about style. The charismatic Italian is not only a fashion designer to the stars, but also the eighteenth best dressed man in the world according to GQ. Here he discusses the importance of shoes, why he won’t work with Flavio Briatore and why Prince Charles is the best-dressed man in Britain.

When did you become interested in fashion?

I was born in a small village in south Italy, one of those places where everyone knows everyone. My father was chief of police and didn’t want me hanging round the streets getting into trouble, so they sent me places where they could check up on me. I went to the shoemaker, the shirtmaker, I helped to produce leather and cut trousers. I enjoyed it so much, but being a male fashion designer wasn’t really a solid career choice in Italy at the time. Until my father died I did nothing; the day after I did everything.

How did you find working with Flavio Briatore on the Billionaire clothing line?

There were problems. In the fashion business you need three things: the product, the ambassador and the money. When you have these you can do what you want. Flavio was very popular then. All the newspapers until then had talked about me, but when I was with him no one wanted to talk about me at all. It became a problem, and people turned away when they found out Flavio was involved. I pushed a lot of my connections to build up the brand. Meanwhile, his team wanted to downgrade the material we used because Flavio’s background was in Benetton, which is very high-street. They wanted to bring the price down and do fake luxury. I didn’t like it. So, we had a bit of a fight and split up and I launched my own brand in 2009 so I could do what I liked.

Tell us about the Unico service you are launching this month It’s the first official Angelo Galasso bespoke line.

In truth, I was one of the first to push for bespoke for men, perhaps 20 years ago, as a lot of the factories in Italy were against it. Now every big fashion brand – Armani, Prada – offers a bespoke service. You know, men are much more vain than women. They’ll spend on spa treatments, a Ferrari, or other expensive boys’ toys. With that in mind, our Unico service offers individually designed jeans, pyjamas and even underwear so men can look different in every way. And they are willing to pay well for the privilege.

Who wears your clothes?

Rod Stewart, Frank Lampard, Hugh Jackman, Al Pacino. I organised something in Venice for Al Pacino; he wanted a tuxedo that was a bit different. I was shown a picture of him wearing it the morning after an event to go to Starbucks in LA, so it’s fair to say it definitely looked different then! He liked that jacket a lot.

What trends do you like?

None: I ignore trends. I don’t want any influence, ever. I want to start with nothing. A classic look is the best. For me, the best-dressed man in the UK is Prince Charles. He must have a great tailor, you can see from the shoulder of his jackets and the stitching.

What are your fashion tips?

If you want to change your look, you have to do it completely, you can’t just change one piece. Never wear more than one flashy item at a time. The shoes are the most important part of a man’s wardrobe. If I want to know who you are, I’ll look at your shoes.

What’s next?

We’re continuing to open stores worldwide, but other than that I don’t have a plan. It’s the Italian attitude - we live by the day. We’re very relaxed. My father always said that the last suit you wear should have no pocket because we don’t need it. We can’t bring the money with us, so why do you want to work, work, work?

How would you like to be remembered?

I don’t want to be remembered. We should just enjoy the life we have. When we die, we die. There are only three important things: myself, myself, myself.

www.angelogalasso.com

KOMMERSANT RUSSIA

Another very expensive menswear store opened its doors in Bolshaya Dmitrovka - it’s a monobrand shop of an Italian brand Angelo Galasso. It is for rich people who choose to stick to conservative views on the clothing and who prefer variations of classical style.

At the same time «Angelo Galasso» is a very young brand. Before creating his own brand, its owner and designer used to work for a long time for a brand that is well known in Russia - Billionaire Italian Couture, created by Flavio Briatore. And the first shop of Angelo Galasso’s own brand was opened in London in 2009. The enterprise is very successful and is developing very fast - Angelo Galasso stores opened in Milan and Moscow in this year, and the openings in New York and Shanghai are planned for autumn. Moscow store has two levels, the design has been created specially for our city by Mariquita Papi and it is overtly expensive: lacquered eben wood, artificially old fumed oak, velvet and silk, marble and gilding.

Angelo Galasso style is now of great demand. It is a specific union of accented splendor of barocco that visually demonstrates success and love to life, with a classic men suit, loyal to puritan bourgeois traditions. Of course Angelo Galasso clothes are ideally tailored and sewn, using traditional hand made technologies and the most expensive materials of the best quality. The assortment is regular - day and casual suits, tuxedos and velvet blazers, shirts, jeans, jackets, tracksuits, and also footwear and accessories: oxfords, loafers and moccasins, ties, belts, bags (from more sporty ones to those that are made for hats), humidors. Silhouettes and proportions are clear and distinct, almost fully responding to the modern rules of classical menswear - apart from the high stand collar on the shirts that have become recognizable in a short period of time. At the same time, luxurious materials and complex detailing are visible in any item from Angelo Galasso store. Even the simplest day-to-day shirts have faceted thick buttons, and ones of the evening ones are finished with crystals… All jeans have leather inserts, most often python and crocodile ones, and are decorated with very elaborate embroidered monograms that this brand uses instead of regular jeans stripes-emblems. Leather belts have very complex buckles made of carved bone and of openwork metal, there are also belts that have reptile heads buckles: snake ones on python belts and crocodile ones on crocodile belts. Ties have two layers - they have complex cuffs through which one can see silk of a contrast color. Almost all the clothes, apart from the most strict business suits are finished with thin contrast facings. These facings are a recognizable feature of Angelo Galasso.

Assortment of Angelo Galasso shops varies. This is a principal position of the designer, according to him, he is against the globalization in luxury clothing. Apart from that, the clients of the brand travel often and Mr Galasso does not want them to see the same set of clothing and accessories everywhere. Another serious advantage of the brand is the size range: one can easily find here clothes for very tall men, so the sleeves of the shirts and blazers will not turn out to be too short. And of course, one can order made-to-measure items in the shop.

ANGELO GALASSO OPENING IN MOSCOW

Designer with a world-known name, connoisseur of men and now also women fashion, Angelo Galasso, has opened his own shop in Moscow, located in Bolshaya Dmitrovka street, 20. First AG store was opened in London in 2009 and by 2011, the brand has been represented in 5 fashion capitals of the world. Angelo Galasso clothes combine in themselves Italian quality and new ideas. One of the most famous inventions of the designer is a shirt with a special sleeve for watches. It has been invented because of a former Fiat president, Gianni Anieli, who had to wear his watch over the shirt, due to his allergy. Now among the famous lovers of the brand one can find Sir Paul McCartney, David Beckham, Puff Daddy, Jay-Z and Beyonce. Gold AG abbreviation on the Italian granite facade of boutique defines what it is filled with: floors artificially made to look old, granite busts, classic chandeliers in fusion style, wall panels and shelves made of ebene wood, silk velvet in ultramarine colour.

Designer Angelo Galasso told Buro 24/7 why he decided to open the store in Moscow, where he finds his inspiration and what kind of women, in his opinion, should wear Angelo Galasso.

Angelo, tell us, why Moscow?

Because the brand has very different clients and is oriented at different fashion. I choose cities where people watch fashion trends. One can fully say this about Moscow.

All your boutiques around the world have totally different interiors. What is the reason? It would have been easier to make all the shops looks similar.

Angelo Galasso brand philosophy is to make a customer feel at home. In other words, it’s not a boutique, it’s a house. This is the principle on which we always base the interior design. Also all our clients are different. That is why, usually the clothing in Angelo Galasso stores is 30% same and 70% oriented on the city in which it is sold in and on the needs of the customers in this city. This is the reason why the interior of Moscow store differs from the one in London, for example. Moscow is different from other cities in general, that is why I want to do something new here.

What is the difference of Angelo Galasso stores from others that also offer quality menswear?

For example in a couple of months, we are going to introduce Toys for boys concept - this will be a special room where each client will be able to order something for him exclusively. Anything from the watches to the shoes. Also we have a small women collection, in which we use the elements of men’s style, and also a children collection. It has all that the men’s line has: for example Watch cuff shirts. Angelo Galasso is a boutique that doesn’t exist anywhere else and these are the clothes not to be found anywhere else in the world. We created our special atmosphere and we want to preserve it.

It’s interesting to speak of the women collection. What do you think, what kind of women will wear Angelo Galasso?

How do you see the heroine of your brand? Of course Angelo Galasso clothes are somehow oriented on business-women, but like with men collection, I want these clothes to be worn by every woman, I want them to be combined easily: for example wearing jeans, a blazer and loafers. The most important is that in the end it looks beautiful, charming and glamorous. Because our product implies it.

And the last question that one should ask an artist about. Where do you find your inspiration?

My inspiration usually comes from my heart. It also comes from everything around, for example, the pleasure that I get when I order special silk for my shirts, when I give this information to the factory… Or for example, I have diamond shoes, its creation has been inspired by my visit to an old jewelry shop where there was an auction. I think that art means to be different. When you are different, in some time what you have done, becomes art.