FOR years, Esteban Cortázar was known as fashion’s wonder boy. He was just 17 when he staged his first show at New York Fashion Week – the youngest designer ever to do so – and only 23 when he was named creative director at Ungaro. He left the brand when Lindsay Lohan was hired as artistic adviser, but – as he prepares to launch his second collection exclusively at Net-A-Porter – he has officially put his past behind him.
„I feel confident about what I’m doing and who I’m doing it with,“ he told us. „I always thought that when I relaunched my label, it has to be innovative and done in a way that’s relevant to today’s world. It was scary coming back, but I’ve lived the criticism, good and bad, since I was 17. I’ve already had the experiences most designers my age are only just going through – maybe I had them too young. It made me grow up, not just as a designer, but also as a person. I learnt to be very decisive – no team wants a boss that can’t make a snap decision.“
He relaunched his eponymous label in May last year, and has stayed true to the sculptured, architectural shapes that he first became known for. Although the Colombian-born designer has eschewed the traditional seasonal format (he refers to his collections as trans-seasonal), his latest offering is a softer take on his signatures.
„From the beginning, I felt that there had to be a strong continuation throughout everything I did,“ he said. „The collections must speak to each other, but the silhouettes are more fluid this time round. There is an athletic, sporty feel and an elasticity to the clothes, which the women who have tried on the samples say feels really empowering. The clothes hug you, they lift you up and give you good posture.“
His comeback collection, which was also planned as a Net-A-Porter exclusive, was so successful with potential stockists that the luxury retailer and Cortázar decided to change their original plans – allowing boutiques such as Maria Luisa in Paris to also sell the line. The designer himself wants to expand slowly but steadily and is currently in talks with stores in the US and Europe to carry his collections. He is also in discussions with various investors for potential financial backing.
„The plan is to eventually do a presentation during Fashion Week, but everything needs to be aligned first – all parts of the puzzle need to fit,“ he said. „This is a new business model for us and we’re just taking it easy.“