Interview By Lucas Pantoja
As one of the designers who still continues to add something new to Milan fashion week, Cristiano Burani is one Italian designer who’s kept clothing innovative both technically and visually. Known for his unique developments in fabrics and the bold styles of his collections — Burani is one designer to keep on your radar if he’s not already.
After the presentation of his Spring 2019 collection titled “Flemish Revolution” an unlikely mix of Los Angeles street style and Flemish portraiture; we at TFP made it backstage to have a word with the man himself Cristiano Burani.
Check out the interview below as well as our review of the collection that had people climbing up walls to see.
LP: How important are your textiles to you when designing your collections? What qualities do you look for in deciding which ones to work with?
CB: Textiles are the base of my work. Once I decide the mood of the collection I am then sourcing fabrics accordingly. In this case (the Spring 2019 collection) it was about a mix and match between Flemish portraiture and Los Angeles street style. I wanted to use pure and cool fabrics like denim, cotton canvas, virgin wool, silk satin and real leather with hand made treatments on them. Tie-dye, wrinkles on spray prints, and pleating were applied to all fabrics.
LP: You studied medicine before attending Parsons for fashion design, what made you decide to switch careers?
CB: You know you always have to follow your ambitions and your loves. So for me it was really important to explore this world. I don’t know if I’ll be working on fashion for the rest of my life, but I’m happy because I put forth a lot of knowledge from my previous life’s work into my collections. This is something I love to do; adding accents from my previous studies in the medical field and from outside fashion to a garment which then becomes immediately interesting.
LP: Do you as a creative have any ambitions to explore outside of fashion?
CB: Well, in partnership with the Italian company Plastitex who works on furniture we are developing a fabric which we use for our colors. Through this thread we have created chairs and beds. They asked me to help them develop their products so I work with them on stitching, colors, and shapes. I don’t plan on having a line of furniture but I am collaborating on other projects.
LP: When not working on your collections or in your studio, what do you do to pass the time?
CB: Okay, this is problem because I’m really working a lot and consulting for other companies which is very important in helping my brand to survive. We are a small brand so we value this work from other companies. But I do especially enjoy traveling, and through my travels I keep inspirations for my job. Like for this collection I spent two months in LA, and I was so infused with images, colors, and street style that I wanted to remix this with my culture. Also, I enjoy exercising so in my free time I try to go swimming and to the gym.
More on Fashion Week by Lucas Pantoja.
I’m just a guy from Virginia who enjoys writing about clothes. Currently studying creative direction at The Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy.
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