Alcantara’s “New Wave” Collection Has Ties To Vogue Italia

MILAN, Sept. 22, 2014 Alcantara’s “New Wave” collection of spring-and-summer garments and accessories for 2015 features the work of six designers selected through an annual Vogue Italia design competition.

Previewed during Milan Fashion Show (Sept. 17-23), the Alcantara collection showcases the designs of past winners of Vogue Italia’s annual “Who is On Next” competition. Alcantara New Wave outfits and accessories will be on sale as unique capsule collections and given space at leading specialized fairs and design shows.

The Alcantara New Wave designers include Paul Andrew who launched his own brand in New York last year; Arthur Arbesser, whose fashions debuted in Milan in 2013; Mirko Fontana and Diego Marquez with Au Jour Le Jour; Paula Cademartori, a well-known designer of hand bags, and Stella Jean, an Italian-Haitian designer whose first collection was launched in 2012.

Comments about the Alcantara New Wave collection from the six participating designers follow:

Paul Andrew – A British designer, who now lives in New York,  Andrew launched his own brand in 2013 after working for more than 15 years with Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez and Alexander McQueen.

“It’s not the first time that I’ve used Alcantara, so I know its versatility. Last year, I made a shoe with this special material while participating in Vogue Italia’s Who is on Next?, which I won in the “accessories” category. As a designer, I’m always looking for new materials to try and fit into my creations. I’m really impressed by Alcantara’s versatility and resistance, and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to work with the material, so different from the usual. For New Wave I’ve chosen bright yellow and soft pink tones with a metal touch, as well as opaque white python with a denim pattern in Alcantara”

Arthur Arbesser — Born in Austria, raised in Great Britain and now working in Italy. Arbesser is a creative, cosmopolitan talent whose designs made their debut in Milan last year.

“Inspiration for my  Alcantara capsule collection, as usual for me, comes from a mix of ideas and hints –from the chairs of the Thirties designed by Josef Hoffmann to the stripes of Egon Schiele and the colors of Isa Genzken’s sculptures. For me, the “raw” pictures of “In the American West” by Richard Avedon are a reference point as well. With the Alcantara New Wave collection I worked with two different materials: an Alcantara net doubled with 3D mesh — a thick material that’s perforated to give it transparency. In addition to this ‘futuristic’ vision, I’ve also used a striped pattern of Alcantara over which I’ve placed a thin layer of shiny transparent stripes to give more depth to the design.”

Mirko Fontana and Diego Marquez — The two Au Jour Le Jour designers are known for “fun” collections that have achieved growing success and even captured the approval of Giorgio Armani.

“Inspiration for us comes from experimentation with materials. Alcantara has infinite possibilities. It’s a new platform for us and it’s been very interesting to try it and give it new meaning through our funny patterns and iconic images. We chose Alcantara in its most graphic colors, playing with all of its hues and focusing on color variations and matchings. Alcantara is a contemporary material, versatile and ever changing. Its ability to transform itself and fit into different uses is unique. It really is an extraordinary material and at the same time perfect for everyday life. We are sure that Alcantara will easily fit into our future collections.”

Paula Cademartori — A Brazilian designer of hand bags, Cademartori has a degree in industrial design and currently lives in Italy.

“I wanted to put into my collection a bit of my own country, playing and experimenting with unusual pairings. I selected two different kinds of drilled Alcantara because I think that the holes in the material can allow me to play with layers of leather and other materials, creating various hues of color and dimensional effects. I believe Alcantara is a very intriguing company –a company which, like me, focuses on Made in Italy and crafted quality.”

“I also like the way Alcantara continues to invest in research and innovation, with a special attention to sustainability. I have used Alcantara before. From the beginning as a designer, I’ve found it very interesting and have appreciated the ease with which it can be matched with other materials such as leather, cloth and metals, which I constantly use in my creations.”

Stella Jean – An Italian-Haitian designer, Jean is known as the queen of “wax and stripes” design philosophy. Her first collection successfully launched in 2012.

“My creations represent an intersection of European academic rigor with the spontaneous spirit of the Creole culture and its African roots. This is what I’m showing in Alcantara’s New Wave collection. I’ve chosen five different kinds of Alcantara to interpret my creative language. My purpose is to bring a strong personal point of view to the material. I think that Alcantara is a unique brand with a truly original personality which doesn’t fit into any specific product category.”