Meet Christopher Di Giorgio, one of Omaha Fashion Week’s featured designers this season. Read on to learn more about his fascination with textiles, and how he continues to perfect his urban inspired brand.
How did you get into fashion?
I was extremely influenced by music and pop culture when I was younger, and always interested in clothing and looking as dapper as possible. I loved to dress people, and it eventually lead me to begin sewing capsule collections. I believed that I was creating something interesting and cool that other people needed to see, and eventually just completely immersed myself into the industry. I love it. Clothes are my everything.
Describe your brand and the point of view you wish to convey. What category of customer are you catering to?
I love clothes that can stimulate an emotion from within you. Whether it be happiness, something that makes you laugh, or reminds you of a blast from the past, I try to evoke an emotion with my clothing that my audience can connect with. I believe my clothes can be worn by anybody, and I often go for a more androgynous look because I want anyone who likes my clothes to be able to wear my clothes.
RED model Anthony Flora wearing Christopher Di Giorgio SS18 Pants during NYFW.
What are your personal goals, or goals for your brand?
I would really like to attend design school - I think it would be very beneficial for me! Overall, I see myself being a creative director or designer for a well established menswear company based in NY or Paris, that's my goal. On top of that, I will continue to grow and develop my own personal brand. I would like to make Christopher Di Giorgio a well respected fashion house with a position to debut my collections during NYFWM.
Describe your favorite project or projects you have worked on.
I am intrigued by textiles and how you can alter them in a way to convey and execute a conceptual design. In the past, I was extremely interested in waxing denim. It made for a really beautiful, shimmery garment that was wind and water resistant, but still highly fashionable. From that point forward I have been interested in textiles and how you can finish them to give the fabric a completely different look and feel. The waxed denim pants I made in my FW 16 collection looked as if they were calfskin! It was really an excellent look, as well as environmentally friendly and comfortable to wear. It certainly taught me a lot.
Christopher Di Giorgio wearing a tie dye camoflauge t-shirt from his SS18 collection during NYFWM in July.
Describe the collection you are creating and where you found its inspiration.
I was heavily inspired by punk rock mixed with some western vibes. This collection features a lot of crazy denim pants, some beautifully woven button ups, vests, leather and suedes. Each and every look features a coat to accentuate the outfit. It turned out to convey the punk rock attitude and feel in an excellent way. I wanted the clothes to look like something Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrrison would wear.
What kind of design elements can we expect from you this season?
This season has been a bit of a learning curve, and I've been experimenting a bit. I'm utilizing fabrics that I haven't in the past, one of them being sequins. I'm also using some calf skin and a beautiful red suede, unbelievable quality. The silhouettes are slightly different than the past. I went for a more tailored look - the trousers are much skinnier and some of the jackets feature my contemporary version of lapels. I believe the changes, although subtle, make for a very well-rounded collection based off of the concepts I was going for.
Preview of one of Christopher's SS18 looks, debuting August 23rd as well as August 26th during the VIP Runway Finale.
In what way is this collection similar or different than your past work?
Over the past few years, I feel that I have developed the brand of Christopher Di Giorgio and created an established look and aesthetic. I believe that when you see a piece I've made, it is fairly apparent that it is a Christopher Di Giorgio piece. This collection is similar to my previous collections, but also slightly different, with new fabric choices and different silhouettes. I think it will be apparent and well perceived.
To learn more about Christopher visit his website and follow along on Instagram to get a behind the scenes look at his collection!