Design Hero: Emilio Pucci
He was a minimalist before minimalism; a jet-setter before jets were flying; a scientist before fabric technology became a discipline; provocative in his modernity and sartorial daring. For him, prints were rhythm & movement, and in prints he expressed a message of contagious happiness. — Laudomia Pucci
Working with cashmere has many technical aspects, and my focus is often on developing new production and processing techniques. But at it’s core, The Green Goat Project is all about providing designs that soothe, inspire and comfort the human spirit in a cold world. Emilio Pucci was one of the first designers to inspire my work and open my mind to possibilities of color and form.
Eventually known for exuberant prints and elite fashion, Pucci was not a traditionally trained designer. In fact, his life took on an unlikely trajectory. Born into an aristocratic Italian family, his ancestors were leaders of the Florentine republic and cardinals. Being in a trade was not on his radar. He studied to manage the family estate and earn a spot on the Italian national ski team in the 1930s. He landed a skiing scholarship to a university in Oregon and received a masters in history. On the side, he redesigned the school’s ski team uniforms.
Returning to Italy, he was a pilot through World War II, and landed in a Nazi jail. His family was able to get him to Switzerland where he taught Italian and gave skiing lessons to survive. On a holiday after the war, Emilio noticed his girlfriends’ ski suits were more restrictive than mens. So he went about designing modern, ski wear that gave women more freedom of movement and style. This was a personal project — not a business plan. A photographer from Harper’s Bazaar happened to see he and a girlfriend skiing one day, took a few photos and gave them to the legendary Diana Vreeland at American Vogue. One thing led to another and he received orders for a collection from Lord & Taylor in New York. Inspired by his own life, friends & travel he expanded his work into swim wear, then resort collections. He wasn’t influenced by other designers or fashion of the time. He focused on freedom of movement, liberation and became a pioneer in ready-to-wear.
Pucci has became synonymous with the bright, exuberant prints he drew and produced in silk. The rhythm of this work inspires my wave designs and some of my more complex compositions. His color sense pushes me to try new, brighter color palettes, combining colors that almost clash in order to build energy. If you want to learn more about Emilio Pucci, I highly recommend reading the Taschen edition of “Pucci". The ultimate coffee table book, I return to this encyclopedic collection of his work and backstory time and again. My copy was a gift that keeps on giving — truly one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.
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