The Piazza Navona online column starts a new week talking about fashion and haute couture through an exclusive interview with the Italian fashion stylist Carlo Pignatelli.
Carlo Pignatelli is one of the stylists and one of the most famous brands in the world especially for his wedding dresses. And not only. Carlo Pignatelli, in fact, is the first stylist to approach fashion to football by dressing different teams: from Juventus to Torino F.C, from the Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo to Roma.
A brief but intense journey to discover and get to know the brand that has made the Made in Italy famous and honored all over the world.
So, let’s give our warmest welcome to Carlo Pignatelli thanking him right now for accepting our invitation and joining our virtual square.
Enjoy the reading!
- When was your passion for tailoring and fashion born?
When I was still living in Brindisi my parents sent me to the shop in the afternoon. It represented a sort of educational after-school where I learned a trade, that of a tailor. As time passed, I became passionate. There I was able to become familiar with the techniques and the “secrets” of high-level men’s tailoring.
- What were your Teachers?
Certainly in the tailoring in Brindisi I found my Teachers! They gave me fundamental values such as dedication, precision and respect.
- When did you start dedicating yourself to formal wear and why did you decide to “specialize” in this field of fashion and tailoring?
When I opened my first tailoring workshop in Turin. I received many requests from my clients so I decided to show at an important hotel with my first hand-crafted men’s collection. On the catwalk an unusual groom, lines, colors and new fabrics. It was a great success!
- How did you manage to revolutionize the traditional wedding dress?
I made a real “revolution”, departing from the excesses of boredom and usualness of the past and orienting myself towards surprising and extravagant looks thanks to daring combinations, always elegantly balanced. The groom conceived as a protagonist on a par with his bride, this is the concept that led to the great success of the brand.
- In the clothes that you creates what are the principles, the elements that never fail?
The principle of tailoring has always been for me the tool for the search for perfection and beauty on the body, an essential element of my stylistic philosophy. Dresses conceived as works of art and rigorously Made in Italy, real luxury artisan that derives from technique, creativity and beauty and that determines a real added value. I have always tried to make those who wear my garments unique, giving the possibility to choose among various proposals and always guaranteeing excellence in terms of quality and style.
- What does inspire you to create your clothes?
Every moment I live is a continuous source of inspiration, which I then translate into my creations. For example, I bring the “Turin smoking”, which I launched in my passed show .. one evening, seeing the image of the Gran Madre, the Po river reflecting its lights and the blue night of the starry sky, I thought: why not dedicate a dress printed with details of foreshortenings and landscapes of my adopted city? And so it was.
- In 1995 you made a foray into the world of sport by drawing the uniforms of Juventus. How was this professional experience?
I can affirm that it is thanks to my intuition that the fashion / sport union was born: I started to create tailor-made clothes like the uniform for Juventus in fact, then I had the players pull out and so I started a trend followed by many after. The collaboration with Juve lasted a long time, to which were added those with Torino, Palermo and Olympic Marseille. Professionally it is a good challenge to design the uniforms for the players, being athletes their physicists do not fall within the standards and therefore a particular study of the proportions and the silhoutte is needed.
- You are certainly an excellence of Craftsmanship and Made in Italy. What do you think makes Italian fashion and its style so appreciated abroad?
I think it is due to the attention to detail, the use of noble materials of the highest quality and the great tradition that is synonymous with unique style.
- In 2017 you received the prestigious Elle International Bridal Awards for Best Bridegroom Collection. What is your emotion in front of similar acknowledgments to your art?
It is certainly a source of great pride and satisfaction, all the more so in this period in which I see many attempts at imitations with poor quality photocopy collections. It may seem trivial, but I believe the obstinacy, humility and love for one’s work are always winning.
- What is Elegance and what does it mean to you?
The harmony of all the details without trying to overdo it. It is the indisputable prerogative of my style.
