New On The Catwalk

Ilaria Nistri

Ilaria Nistri unfolds a universe of darkly futuristic fashion in every collection to date. Her first, held at La Bourse de Commerce, met with success in paris in 2006. Her entire design philosophy is one defined by a constant examination into the non-natural balance of things.

" True balance out of bright contrasts and clashing materials. vision enlightened by crystal-clear intuition."

Ilaria creates heightened dynamic tension between a post-modern vision where rough elements, like leather and metal, and impalpable ones, like silk and transparencies, give life to unexpected beauty. The result is a fragile, poetic and gothic style whose color abstraction allows for graphic prints distinguished by a strict pictorial character.

"I don’t invent anything. I imagine everything."

Ilaria’s land is inhabited by a conceptual she-warrior who protects her fragility. Deep femininity interprets cuts and instrumental deconstruc- tions reveal manifold faces of the muse. In 2008, Ilaria was selected by Vogue Italy as upcoming designer and she reached the final stage of the who is on next contest called upon by the prestigious magazine and organized and promoted by Alta Roma. Numerous awards and accolades have accompanied Ilaria’s illustrious rise to the top of the fashion game.

  • ilaria nistri INTervIew

    ___ describe your personal style in one sentence.

    fragile, post-modern gothic, where rough elements like leather and metal combine with impalpable ones like silk and transparent fabrics, create unexpected moods.

    ___ many designers today say that fashion is a kind of storytelling. if so, what story were you tell- ing with your last collection?

    the latest collection rotates around an idea of isolation, in seeking and defining a refuge that permits and protects an experience of intimacy. an isolation-home, shell and protection for a non-place inhabited by voice-thoughts. a valuable experience: solitude with gilded walls whose voices are listened to by the angels in wim wenders’ wings of desire. this is a collection with large hoods that close around the face like soft armour and structured collars that almost shield from view, allowing unexpected glimpses of light.

    ___ what is your favorite piece of clothing or ac- cessory in your closet?

    black leather trousers.

    ___what kind of woman do you design for the most?

    the woman i imagine is a fragile warrior: a woman who fights and protects her fragility, whose appeal emerges out of perception of who she is and her capacity to recognise and accept the various sides to her personality. a woman with intense femininity who gives fashion its most contemporary interpretation: a language that activates personal experiences and images. a tool for living and recounting the many aspects to her character.

    ___what is the best experience you can share about your very first catwalk show?

    my first catwalk, at the milan fashion week, was not a runway show but a performance-event created through collaboration with the neo-avant-garde italian theatrical company, santasangre. immersed in a surreal atmosphere, two performers trapped in a magic glass lantern interacted with holographic projections. inside there were no real elements, only moving 3d images that created dreamlike, liquid, suspended settings, fully illustrating the concept that inspired the liQuida matrice collection: a dark stain with coral flashes with a different slant each time. a pulsing cell, a planet, an eclipse, a life.

    ___ what inspires you?

    an unnatural balance of things in art and nature, and also in people. this unstable equilibrium is the result of combining elements thought of and seen as distant, which allows unexpected ideas to emerge.