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When you realize fashion is really just a collection of objects—albeit delightful, lustful often times pricey objects we’re often slaves to—designer Natalia Brilli’s collections of miscellany are far from arbitrary. The Italian designer from Belgium, who currently calls Paris home, has designed everything from drum sets and dominoes to leather jewelry for men and women. For Brilli, leather is a staple; the fabric equivalent of a little black dress. She manipulates the soft, matte material into various oddities so deftly that these wearable accessories could easily be mistaken for objets d’art. It’s no wonder why she was brought on as head accessories designer for Rochas in 2004 during Olivier Theyskens tenure. I recently caught up with Brilli to learn more.
What was the inspiration behind your most recent collection?
N: For the SS11 collection the general inspiration was the desert, more precisely the Tuareg and nomadism for the men’s collection, and a more abstract and poetic vision of the desert with its mirages, reflections of the sun and colors for the women’s collection.
Did working under Olivier Theyskens for Rochas change your work or approach to design?
N: I learnt a lot working with Olivier Theyskens, he is a very rigorous designer and doesn’t make any concessions in his work. My approach remains the same, I always remain faithful to my own desires and I wouldn’t sell my soul to the devil for more success.
With your background in sceneography, do you feel that may have inspired you to also design objects? What is it about objects that so amuses you?
N: Yes, scenography is very present in my work because it allows me to think directly in 3D. I think of the object in space, not only on the body, it also allows me to work on bigger volumes. It’s a pleasure to create objects in this category, because they allow me to feel more free in my creation. There is no constraint or limit of the object worn on a body or the constraint of the market and seasons particular to fashion.
What other objects would you like to design?
N: Shoes, furniture, and one-off pieces of course…
What are your 3 favorite objects? I particularly like the Nolex watchbracelet, the Vanity bag and the Skateboard.
What projects are you currently working on? I am currently working on a collaboration of jewelry objects with the American artist Frank Stella, my future shoe collection, a capsule collection in collaboration with the designer Emmanuel Bossuet, and new art pieces [as well as] other collaborations I can’t talk about yet.
Can you describe what your atelier looks like? My workshop is based in Le Marais in Paris, it is a very nice place with an office and a showroom around a courtyard. All of my team (6 people) and myself work there.
When will your online shop be launched? Very soon, but as we want it to be perfect it takes time.
What people, places or things inspire your vision as an artist? The list is very long… My closest friends; women such as Edith Sitwell, Nancy Cunard or Charlotte Rampling for their timeless beauty and their typically British spirit, their troubled and ghostly auras and the mystery that shrouds them; Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger‘s poetic and surrealistic movies; Jacques Tourneur’s film noir; Midnight Movies from Dario Argento; Alejandro Jodorowsky; 20s and 30s decorative arts and decorators such as Janine Janet and Tony Duquette; Italian architects Carlo Mollino and Gio Ponti; the Northern school of painting (for Belgian, British and Scandinavian painters); contemporary art; traveling; curiosity cabinets; natural sciences and gardens; Nick Cave.
Is there is anything you’d like our readers to know about? Currently you can see some of my work in the Christmas windows of thePrintemps department store in Paris. I have designed several headpieces and covered a life-size horse in leather. We also opened a pop up store on the second floor at the Printemps until mid January 2011. www.NataliaBrilli.fr