We loved Carlos Campos' spring 2012 presentation at Milk Studios during Fashion Week: the streamlined silhouettes, the sharp tailoring, and those watches... yes, those watches. So, we simply had to find out more about the brightly colored, sporting-inspired beauties that graced the wrists of many of the models, and had everyone from "it" boy Theophilus London to a member of the Ramones inquiring where they could cop one. Our search led us to a young Milanese company, Brera Orologi, and its founder Maurizio Pasi. Pasi chatted with us briefly about starting the brand, partnering with Carlos, and how he might be moving to New York...
The GQ Eye: Tell us a little about how the brand got started...
Maurizio Pasi: We started distribution about three years back with our men's collection, and we were fortunate enough to have Neiman Marcus as our first client, as a test for the Holiday season. Soon after, we landed Barneys New York, and things started moving along a bit in the U.S. We're now in Asia, South America, and of course Europe, and having some great success. Our original inspiration was the military, so we went with oversize cases. The name, Brera, is an area in the center of the city of Milan, where I grew up. I thought the name had a pleasant sound to it, and Orologi means watches in Italian.
GQ: It seems like oversize casings are popular on Italian watches, and your collection follows suit. Why is that?
Pasi: We studied the watch market in the U.S. for several years before launching our brand, so we knew what was trending, and what was popular. So our first rollout was oversize, and Italian military-inspired. We don't want to be pigeon-holed as just another oversized watch company, however. We tried to differentiate ourselves: interchangeable straps, added lots of color, things like that, you know, to make the collection edgier.
GQ: How did you originally hook up with Carlos?
Pasi: Our relationship with our publicist in the U.S. Rachele Testa, was the catalyst for our getting the opportunity to work with Carlos. Both Carlos' brand and ours are quite small businesses, relatively young companies, and we meshed well. Everything happened very quickly, and we were amazed how seamless it was to collaborate so effectively. It was a perfect marriage.
GQ: What about your tastes and Carlos' tastes meshed so well?
Pasi: Well, for example, the bright, Mayan/Aztec-inspired colors he used in his collection for next spring spoke to our love for similar colors and sport-driven designs; it was easy to figure out that bold color should be a focal point for the watches. The zig-zag pattern we did on the dials: we found that to be a prevelant theme in his collection for next spring, as well, This new technique called hydraulic stamping was a bit of a test for us, and we like it so much that it has opened new doors, design-wise for us going forward. And lastly, the colored ionic casings we collaborated on: people seemed to be very intrigued by those at the show!
GQ: How many times a year are you in NYC?
Pasi: Well, I should come more often, because I love it. It should be full time! But, truthfully, about two or three times. I lived in Miami for a bit, and it is nice, but New York, I mean, it's New York...
Read More http://www.gq.com/style/blogs/the-gq-eye/2011/09/behind-the-line-brera-orologi-x-carlos-campos.html#ixzz1ZBHf0CxC
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu