EXCLUSIVE: Stefano Pilati Is Rebooting, Powered by Mario Grauso
It turns out Stefano Pilati’s forthcoming coed capsule collection with Zara, which will be unveiled during Paris Fashion Week later this month, is something of a warm-up.
The Italian designer has brought on industry veteran Mario Grauso as a partner and chief executive officer of Stefano Pilati Studio, whose main activity at present is Random Identities.
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“I’ve always wanted to have a business partner to scale the brand,” Pilati said, disclosing the development exclusively to WWD.
Grauso’s initial focus will be to rev up Random Identities, the gender-fluid menswear line Pilati launched in 2018 from Berlin, drawing on the city’s vibrant gay and club culture for inspiration. Its signature items include heeled boots with top handles, roomy bombers and trenchcoats, and inventive knits.
Pilati said the plan is to also continue doing collaborations — as he has done recently with the likes of Fendi and New Era — followed by an eventual launch of a Stefano Pilati brand.
“There’s a lot of runway for development,” said Grauso, best known for his stints as president of Holt Renfrew, Vera Wang Group, Joe Fresh and Puig Fashion, parent of Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne. The American executive also held senior positions at Celine, Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani earlier in his career.
Like Pilati, he will be based in Berlin. He holds an equity stake in Pilati’s business, but particulars were not disclosed.
In a telephone interview, Grauso acknowledged that Pilati’s will be the smallest company he’s run in his career, but he characterized it as one with enormous potential, given the designer’s track record helming Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, Ermenegildo Zegna in Milan — and his burgeoning fame among young generations.
“I’ve admired him since forever,” Grauso said. “For me, he’s one of the top 10 talents in our industry. Wait until you see the Zara clothes — they’re next-level. It looks like a Paris runway collection, it’s so well done.
“The fact that he could do that Fendi collaboration, which was beautiful, and then do Zara, which is just as beautiful, I must say I’m impressed. I don’t say that a lot,” he continued.
Last year, Fendi’s Kim Jones tapped Pilati for a fall collection under the Roman fashion house’s new “Friends of Fendi” banner.
Pilati and Grauso both spy potential for Random Identities in beauty and accessories, given its unique gender-fluid positioning, and in direct-to-consumer channels. The designer said he would like to reinforce the brand’s accessibility in terms of pricing and distribution.
The brand has had fits and starts, and took a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. Pilati relaunched Random Identities for spring 2023 with help from brand stable Dover Street Market Paris.
At present, it is sold in about 30 doors, including Boon the Shop, I.T., Club 21, Addicted, The Park and Trends in Asia; A Propos, Boysloft, Modes, Slam Jam and Voo Shop in Europe, and SVB in Dubai, in addition to Dover Street Market worldwide and Ssense.
While he did not set any timelines, Grauso said a men’s and women’s collection business is a goal.
“I feel a lot of pressure to deliver against such epic talent,” Grauso said. “I really need to get in there and rethink how the business is done, and who it will be done with.…I will be choosing partners wisely.”
Foreshadowing the flurry of upcoming developments, and particularly the Zara project, Pilati recently perked up on his Instagram account, mainly detailing collections and campaigns during his YSL years that underscore his keen fashion and cultural instincts, his voluptuous and distinctive tailoring — and his proven knack for designing eye-catching shoes and handbags.
One post reflects on his fall 2007 campaign for YSL, which featured Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen in Paris at night.
“People who don’t know about my work will definitely go on social media,” Pilati said. “And so I try to explain who I am, what I did, where I come from and my experience. Somehow it became an exercise to reflect on my past.”
Pilati shot to international prominence when he succeeded Tom Ford at Yves Saint Laurent, where he served as creative director from 2004 to 2012. Next came three years helming Zegna, which included a stint designing Agnona. Earlier in his career he worked in senior design and fabric development positions for a number of Italian fashion houses, including Miu Miu, Prada and Giorgio Armani.
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