Costume National

Italian brand created by the designer Ennio Capasa, who was born in Lecce in 1960. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts of Milan, he traveled for a long time in the Orient, and in 1983 went to Japan to work on the team of an extraordinary designer, Yoshi Yamamoto. In 1987, back in Europe, Capasa designed the first Costume National Collection, minimalist in inspiration, reduced to basics, characterized by a distinctive slender silhouette, close to the body. The New York Times called it “a new chic and cool modernism.” In 1993, he presented Costume National Homme. His style was immediately adopted by the emerging trends in music and cinema, which made him a cult designer. Costume National is a family business, located in Milan, for which Ennio Capasa designs the Collections and his brother Carlo is general manager. They both own the brand, which is divided into women’s clothing, men’s clothing, and accessories.
The brand focuses on a “space-romantic” theme. The Capasa woman wears men’s blazers with pointed shoulders, long gloves over sleeves, mini-skirts with soft suede boots, and men’s-style trousers, but also lace, leather, and tulle inlays, all cut as in a painting by Fontana. Black dominates the Collection, lightened only by a few touches of emerald green.
The Collection marks a return to Japanese fashion and the Japanese-style origins of Ennio Capasa, whose master was Yamamoto.
Capasa designs the costumes for a show by Motus, the experimental Italian theater group. The new show, Splendid’s, opens its tour at the Hotel Elysée in Hamburg.
Costume National opens its first boutique in Paris, for a total of six worldwide. With a total of 2,000 square feet on Rue Cambon at the corner of Rue Mont Thabor, it is designed and furnished like a private house, with unique pieces and carpets. In the Melrose Avenue boutique in Los Angeles, the griffe launches Scent, its first fragrance.
Eroticism and fiction are to be found in the Collection that Ennio Capasa presents at Paris Fashion Week. The main character is a digital beauty, a heroine of virtual games. Though admitting that eroticism isn’t part of the Costume National style, Ennio has given in to it, creating a hyper-contemporary and high-tech Collection which follows the romantic-comics-graphic style begun more than 20 years earlier with the success of the film Blade Runner. Obvious, and expressly shown off, are the references to corsetry, rigid stitching, exaggerated padding as a way to stress the lines of overcoats and jackets, belts and bustier dresses, soft leather tight leotards, and spiral-cut fox furs. The Capasa brothers bet on the shoe market, which is now 30% of their turnover. They have just opened a new plant in Strà. At the end of 2002, the company’s turnover was €50 million.
Costume National prepares its first youth line, which is to be ready for the Autumn-Winter 2004-2005 season. A 5 year license agreement (renewable for five years more) is signed with Ittierre Spa (Group IT Holding). It provides for the manufacture and distribution of two lines, men’s and women’s, complete with accessories. Ennio is to control the image and style, and will work directly on the advertising campaigns.
At Milan Moda Uomo, the Spring-Summer 2004 Collection brings back on stage the figure of Casanova, and icon and symbol of womanizers. But a modern Casanova, of course, with some hints of the 1700s: corsetry fasteners, hooks, garters, matelassé ( or quilted garments), and night gowns.
It’s called C’n’c and is produced by Ittierre, a new line inspired by women’s street style that mixes rock & roll and night-clubbing. The Collection is very large, with 400 pieces, plus accessories.
The firm launches, with Ducati, a clothing and accessories Collection inspired by the world of motorcycle racing, called C’n’c for Ducati.