PARIS — Curiel — a storied couture home that pioneered the Little Black Costume in Italy within the ’60s and not too long ago made vital inroads in China — is readying its worldwide breakout.
The model plans to showcase a brand new capsule assortment for wholesale distribution on the Plan 8 showroom in Paris from June 23 to 29, making the most of retailers and press convening within the French capital for couture week and pre-collections.
“We want to suppose that our designs are versatile and on the service of all ladies,” stated Rafael Jimenez, who’s directing Curiel’s worldwide improvement. “They’re created with the intention of assembly the wants of various eventualities — from the day by day commute to work or to a proper event or cocktail.”
Based as an elite dressmaker by Trieste, Italy-based Ortensia Curiel in 1908, the home has been helmed by successive generations of designing ladies, its notoriety initially fueled among the many aristocracy and glitterati due to a partnership with the well-known Milan opera home La Scala solid in 1945. One little-known footnote within the huge model lore: Karl Lagerfeld, one in all style’s authentic employed weapons, designed a capsule assortment for Curiel for fall 1970.
An archival look from Curiel.
Courtesy of Curiel
In keeping with Jimenez, the preliminary capsule was particularly conceived for worldwide distribution “with a particular give attention to Europe and America.”
He stated he’s concentrating on “unbiased shops with a robust connection to their prospects,” and hopes to rekindle collaborations with key department shops.
Ortensia Curiel’s daughter Raffaella, who introduced portray into high fashion, famously introduced her first assortment in New York at Bergdorf Goodman in 1964, and at Harrods in London the next yr.
“We purpose to be in contact with a youthful technology of ladies that may respect timeless magnificence and savoir-faire,” Jimenez stated, touting its spirit of “la dolce vita” — the candy life, in English — and such values as vitality, ardour and glamour.
In the end, Curiel plans to construct out a community of freestanding flagship shops beginning with Milan in 2026, Jiminez stated, mentioning Hong Kong, Paris, London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul as different capitals envisioned for openings over the subsequent 5 years or so.
Chinese language luxurious model administration agency RedStone Haute Couture, which additionally owns high-end Italian model Giada, solid a three way partnership with Curiel Srl in 2015.
Right now, Curiel boasts 29 retail gross sales factors in China, together with a community of flagship shops and concessions at key department shops, together with SKP in Beijing.
A design crew attracts inspiration from the archives, with the preliminary capsule for worldwide distribution decoding iconic Curiel clothes in luxurious materials, together with velvet. “It maintains the easy, refined and stylish model that has been a trademark of Curiel for the reason that Nineteen Fifties,” Jimenez defined.
Most gadgets within the capsule assortment are advised to retail between 1,000 and 1,500 euros, properly below typical designer value factors.
“That is intentional as we want to attain a wider viewers to make them uncover our cultural legacy and hopefully assist purchase a style for couture to newer generations,” Jimenez stated, hinting that superstar endorsements, model occasions, collaborations and “artistic content material” could be amongst its advertising and marketing levers.
“We want to be an alternate for a lady who likes couture, appreciates style and would love an genuine atelier and noble providing at an accessible value vary,” he continued. “We predict this can be a transitional interval in style and we see alternatives for our type of method.”
Curiel’s product strains embody “alta moda,” its most luxurious line; made-to-measure night clothes and tailoring; its major ready-to-wear line, and LBD-Professional, devoted to ballet arts.
In September, the model plans to current its major assortment at its Through Montenapoleone headquarters in Milan, and once more in Paris.
Curiel’s return to the worldwide stage comes at a time when one other storied Italian identify, Walter Albini, is being prepped for a revival.
“A cheerful coincidence,” Jimenez stated, stressing that Curiel has stood “among the many main protagonists of Made in Italy all through style historical past.”
An archival look from Curiel.
Courtesy of Curiel