Versace - Alexander McQueen - Costume National Fashion Design & Creative Consultant Menswear / Womenswear / Accessories A passionate creative lead and brand accelerator, with an international portfolio in the fashion industry, spanning two decades. Professional experience with multinationals, such as Kering and Capri Holdings. Senior Design Director for Versace, Alexander McQueen and Costume National, leading in-house ateliers and developing custom pieces for Jay-Z, Rihanna, The Weekend & David Bowie among others. Decisive with an urgency to create; My creative spark thrives at the intersection of couture and underground, bringing a sartorial background to 360° creative direction, brand consulting and fashion design services. Clients range from emerging talent and up-and-coming brands, to established global concerns. Championing individuality and nurturing talent fuels my passion for fostering a vibrant collaboration culture. Many mentees excel under my leadership, carving remarkable careers. Empowering potential is crucial to the process. My creative leadership translates bold visions and innovative ideas into dynamic brand signatures, resulting in outstanding commercial success & unique pop culture moments. I transform classic to modern, for the culture and context of now. Collaborators Stylists Jacob K, Allegra Versace, Panos Yiapanis, Kim Jones, Paul Mather, Jay Massacret, Michiko Koshino, Robbie Spencer, Nicolas Santos, Camilla Nickerson, Joe McKenna, Anastasia Barbieri and Jodie Barnes. Photographers Nan Goldin, David Sims, Wolfgang Tillmans, Olga Grebennikova, Timothy Schaumberg, Harley Weir, Salvatore Caputo, Karim Sadli and Steven Klein Clients / Commissions Jay-Z, Rihanna, will.i.am, Bat for Lashes, Patrick Wolf, Pet Shop Boys, The Weekend and Japanese noise band Bo Ningen
• I provide creative direction and fashion design services to various clients, ranging from established brands to emerging designers. • My innovative design direction reflects the identity and vision of companies & clients, offering unique and fresh perspectives, whilst staying true to core DNA principles. This, coupled with my creativity, enthusiasm and dedication, has helped the businesses to continuously evolve, grow and expand globally.
• Working directly with Donatella Versace & CEO's, I designed exclusive Versace projects & relaunched Versace Jeans Couture with an iconic contemporary vision. • I built and cultivated strong creative teams & managed them through tight deadlines and complex, day to day situations whilst creating high-quality, impactful results. • Working closely with the merchandising & marketing team allowed me to establish a strong strategy to hit targets and explore seasonal opportunities; optimizing design and coheren brand vision across all apparel and accessories collections. • Putting a modern twist on tailoring & creating iconic shapes for the Versace LA show.
• Working closely with both creative directors, Lee McQueen & Sarah Burton. Conceptualised & developed the instantly recognizable brand DNA. Really unique, yet unmistakably McQueen. • I directed the design team & atelier from the ground up, establishing the language of the brand across all apparel and accessories collections. • I established a collaboration culture, bringing a new dynamic to collections. By creating a tight working relationship with the CEO as well as merchandising & marketing team, this contemporary vision quickly became the catalyst for exponential growth. • Working on Menswear, Womenswear, Accessories, Footwear.
• Consultancy to accelerate growth and elevate brand aesthetic. • Core focus on design & product innovation, strategy development and audience understanding.
• The youngest team member to take over a key leadership role. As Head of Menswear I designed and developed the full MRTW collections, reporting to Creative Director Ennio Capasa. (2004 – 2006) • I held the position of Head of Atelier, designing custom looks for red carpet & tour wardrobe for a wide range of artists and musicians. (2005-2006) • In 2003 I started as Assistant Designer for all WRTW collections and designed Cruise, Pre- and Main AW06 as Head of Womenswear. (2005)