ukadapta.com | Gustavo Lins interview

Gustavo Lins
	Interview with Gustavo Lins Forty-five year old Gustavo Lins studied to be an architect in his native Brazil. He would be designing dwellings today if his professor hadn't asked him to reconsider which materials he'd rather be working with - glass and steel or linen and silk? Fashioned from the most exclusive fabrics - cashmere, silk jersey, cool wool, wool crepe and softest lambskin - Gustavo Lins' clothes are quietly luxurious. As a fledgling designer, he apprenticed with John Galliano, Lecoanet Hemant and Jean-Paul Gaultier Couture, and worked alongside a woman who used to be Cristobal Balenciaga's chef d'atelier. These were experiences that taught Lins the rigors of cut, the importance of fit, and instilled in him a love of fine fabrics. The men and women who wear Lins' clothes are a select bande d'inities. They recognize eachother by the topstitching that articulates the ''joints'' of their jackets and trousers;

	the slim leather piping finishing the edges of a jacket lapel or detailing the drape of a dress collar. Another giveaway would be the Gustavo Lins label, but you'd have to really look for it. His name is there, certes, but completely hidden, under an architect's triangle of smooth leather stitched at the back of the neck. - Can you tell us a little bit about yourself as a fashion designer and your brand. G: I have worked as a pattern maker for 14 years after being graduated in architecture. I was curious about the structure of shapes ''clothes'' around the bodies and began to study about techniques of cutting and assembling by myself : tailoring making. I took some time to understand how complex is the correspondence between clothes and the body.

	After working for important brands such as Louis Vuitton, Kenzo or Galliano I was able to know how to make deluxe products and tried to fit my sensitivity to the keys of a luxury brand. My best school of marketing was to work for LVMH group. - Can you tell us a little bit about the new Autumn/Winter 2008-09, what were your initial concepts? G: The beginning of this collection was my work with falls of leather recycled and over topstitched I have also thought about working with porcelain as pieces of garments as fragments, that’s why I designed the pieces as ''OBIS'' for the kimonos. With three articulations I try to create my universe completed by the decor, a magic box, where the girls were supposed to cross.

	My colors are grey, violet, rose “carne”, orange coral, black, midnight blue and green tea. The materials are leather, silk, cotton, linen and wool, tulle, knit. The shapes come firstly from the men’s wardrobe to be feminized onto draped dresses; sensual kimonos transformed into dresses and small jackets with narrow shoulders as well. - Regarding your S/S 2008 collection, can you tell us a little bit about the detail. G: The details come from the stichings on pieces of gathered leather. The way I close the garments with hooks and loops is a way to give to clothes a neutral ''facade'' as in architecture where we do not have too many apparent details.

	- What is the most important facet to pay attention to in your designs? G: The back of dresses because the back is the side we cannot see but someone that cross us is supposed to retain when one turns over. It is for me the intuitive side of a garment. - Do you have any favourite materials/fabrics and/or special techniques you enjoy using? G: I love working with leather mixed to silk as well as gathering several pieces of leather and over topstitched. I do love transform kimonos onto dresses and creating women’s draped dresses with masculine fabrics. - In the beginning, what actually made you get into designing? G: My curiosity about my image and how to describe my personality around clothes. It was the first step I had to climb to understand how fashion is a deep profession because it touches us very closely and deeply.

	- How would you describe your style? G: A mix of rigour and sensuality, a kind of jetty elegance. - What are your opinions on the current Europe fashion scenes? G: I really appreciate the evolution of European fashion because we are trying to rediscover classical designs with a touch of contemporarity. - What is your favourite thing to do in day off? G: Reading, swimming, going to cinema and expositions. I do like to meet my friends. - If you have any good friends (or recommend) of fashion designer in Europe, could you let us know the name or brand please? G: Lukas Ossendrjver who works for Lanvin menswear line. He is a good friend of mine.

	- What are your career plans, do you have any future goals? G: I would like to design a collection for a big house in order to apply my principles of construction for this kind of structure. - Do you have some words of wisdom for any young designers and our readers? G: It is essential to be patient and stay calm to be able to receive what life can offers us. If we are supposed to live any situation life will give it to us.

	Website : http://www.gustavolins.com/ Written by Toshimi Takaishi
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Gustavo Lins

Interview with Gustavo Lins

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