My Favourite Fashion Brand – Schiaparelli

It’s extremely difficult to name one brand your ‘favourite’, especially when considering the different factors that make a fashion brand what it is such as – the designers, what the brand stands for, the brands ethics etc. There are different reasons as to why I can appreciate certain brands, however a brand that has stood out to me most recently is Schiaparelli.

“In difficult times fashion is always outrageous” – Elsa Schiaparelli

Elsa Schiaparelli was born in Italy to an aristocratic family in 1890. After moving to New York at a time when surrealist art became exceedingly popular she met numerous artists that would have influence over her ideas with her brand in the future. Elsa also met French fashion designer Paul Pioret who has contributed massively to the fashion world, moving womenswear from a more structures silhouette to a more streamlined one based on draping. At the age of 27 after being apprenticed by Pioret, Elsa opened her first atelier – ‘House of Schiaparelli’. House of Schiaparelli grew extremely popular and soon enough Elsa became the first rival of Coco Chanel through her innovative mindset and avant-garde designs. One of my all time favourite artists is Salvador Dali who is known for his dream-like surrealist art, Dali and Schiaparelli had a long term partnership which massively shaped the playful and unusual designs that have been released over the years. A favourite of mine is Schiaparelli’s take on oversized jewellery with the oversized bee broach. But my love for the brand really came from the more modern works of creative director Daniel Roseberry, who has brought Elsa’s surrealistic themes to present day haute couture. One of the more recent talked about Schiaparelli collections was the Spring 2023 couture collection that raised controversy over 4 animal head replica designs which was a reference to Dante’s Inferno. However, despite this the overall collection is one of my favourite which definitely defied the boundaries of art and displayed amazing craftsmanship. I personally think Schiaparelli is a brand that will continue to grow and I’m excited what future collections from Daniel Roseberry in particular.

“I’ve always thought of Schiaparelli as a Sphinx, less of a human and more like a creature” – Daniel Roseberry