CALZOLARI, GILBERTO

BRAND AND FASHION DESIGNER ,   C

GILBERTO CALZORI IS AN ITALIAN DESIGNER WHO FOUNDED HIS HOMONYMOUS SUSTAINABLE READY-TO-WEAR BRAND IN 2015

THE STYLIST

Gilberto Calzolari was born in Milan where he graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in scenography and Theatrical Costume. In 1998 he started working as a designer assistant at Marni; then he worked for other luxury brands such as Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, Miu Miu and Giorgio Armani. His creations appeared on red carpets and on the most prestigious covers.

BRAND OF GILBERTO CALZOLARI

After more than fifteen years at the service of major brands, in 2015 Calzolari decided to start his own label to best express his creativity and his vision of fashion. This is how the totally Made in Italy ready-to-wear brand, Gilberto Calzolari, was created.

DEBUT WITH FW18

The brand debuted with the FW2017-2018 collection entitled “My Arctic Heart”, an ode to nature and a world on the verge of extinction. For the occasion, he entered into a partnership with Polar Bears International, the most important non-profit organization in the world dedicated to the preservation of the polar bear and its habitat.

ALTAROMA AND FRANCA SOZZANI AWARD

This collection was followed by the SS 2018 entitled “Exotica” and the FW 2018-19, “2046”, previewed at the Altaroma Showcase event and during the Milan Fashion Week in February 2018, and then the fashion show in Rome on the occasion of the Next Trend event. The same year it won the prestigious Franca Sozzani Green Carpet Talent Award 2018 as Best Emerging Designer.

ss18, credits Gilberto Calzolari

COLLECTION IN THE NAME OF SUSTAINABILITY

The SS 2019 collection entitled “Une Partie de Campagne” is an immersion in the Lombard countryside that uses eco-sustainable and recycled fabrics in an experimental way, from cupro linen to jute coffee sacks embroidered with Swarovski crystals. This collection will make him win the prestigious award during the 2018 Green Carpet Awards at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

In 2019 Gilberto Calzolari won the Monte Carlo Fashion Week Award as Best Emerging Designer for his contribution to sustainable fashion, and his works were presented at Expo China, Budapest Central European Fashion Week and White’s WSM Fashion Reboot.

Nature and the environment have always been at the centre of Gilberto Calzolari’s stylistic universe. The fw20 collection entitled “un-natural” also intends to reflect on the concept of de-naturalization and counterfeiting of the natural element. The collection experiments with fabrics, shapes and colours with references to contemporary art by Mondrian and Damien Hirst.

REFLECTING ON FASHION:

THE TILT FASHION SHOW

The following year, in February 2020, Gilberto Calzolari opened the Milan Fashion Week with the fashion show of his first “seasonless” collection entitled “Tilt System”. A warning to stop and recover the ethical values of slow-fashion. The models themselves freeze as if on tilt on the catwalk, while on the maxi-screens “no connection” writings scroll.

In July of the same year the stylist won the first edition of the C.L.A.S.S. Icon Award, and in september he presented, in a digital fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week, “Tilt System Volume 2”. It took up the themes of the “Tilt System” collection: the season-less approach, feminine cuts that mix with masculine ones, bright colors, geometries and a markedly contemporary aesthetic.

AT THIS STAGE

Calzolari fashion pushes to a continuous reflection. Therefore, the fw21 is entitled “At This Stage”: a way of questioning the DNA of brands and fashion, returning to the essence. The show, entirely digital and shot inside the Franco Parenti Theater in Milan, aims at raising awareness of the dramatic situation of theaters, cinemas, museums and places of culture during the lockdown.

CONTE D’ETE

In September 2021 Calzolari obtained a new recognition: the Young Designer Dhl Award, and presented the SS22 collection, entitled “Conte d’été”. The ss22 is a distinctly “summer” collection. It draws inspiration from the 60s, from the clothes of Pierre Cardin and from the scenes of Roger Vadim. All the clothes are made in a sustainable way thanks to the use of fabrics such as the Seaqual polyester duchesse entirely recycled from plastics recovered from the sea, SFC certified linen and viscose, or the organic cotton and the GOTS certified silk organdy. Moreover, existing fabrics are recovered from inventories and historical archives of renowned textile companies. The origamo-garments stand out, a reference to Japan that has always been dear to the designer (starting from the brand logo, which recalls Ginkgo leaves)

ss22 origamo skirt, credits Gilberto Calzolari

STYLE OF GILBERTO CALZOLARI 

His style is represented by fresh, romantic and glamorous demi-couture dresses with an elegant and timeless design.  Sartorial workmanship and unexpected combinations create contemporary silhouettes for a sophisticated woman who does not give up a bit of irony. The brand’s productions are made following the values of environmental sustainability and quality through a careful selection of fabrics and processes.

COLLABORATION WITH VOLVO

In 2019 Calzolari began the collaboration with Volvo Car Italia which culminated, in September 2021, in the creation of a hi-tech and sustainable capsule collection inspired by the launch of the C40 Recharge car.

In fact, the capsule collection is made in Italy, only with reused materials (such as the exploded airbags) and is in limited edition. It’s the result of the careful research of innovative, sustainable and technological materials. The collection includes a long asymmetrical sleeveless dress, an elegant midi dress, a blouse with scarf collar and a multi-pleated skirt made of a crêpe de chine of recycled polyester, made by Clerici Tessuto using a yarn obtained from plastic recovered from the cleaning of the oceans.

Gilberto Calzolari x Volvo Studio Milano ss22 capsule collection, credits Gilberto Calzolari

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