IN MILAN this season Liborio Capizzi, the Sicilian born prêt-à-porter provocateur with a couturier’s sensibility, presented Transgenia to the fashion press in the Italian fashion capital. Making a uniquely brawny statement for his brand DiLiborio, Liborio set about designing for a way of life that involves the most extreme modes of dress in his own unyielding sartorial opinion.
This is an AW16 collection not for the faint of heart, or for that matter, for the fearful of luscious lappings of latex, something which the driven designer has introduced to his latest line in a highly experimental, and heavily embellished, first.
DiLiborio’s AW16 Presentation
Further carving out his niche as the original Milanese enfant terrible, Liborio’s twisted punk predilections came into play in classic formalwear in plush cashmere gone awry, wool stiffened by stern pinstripes, all bonded and shaped by forward thinking panelling composed of fragmented neoprene.
Not for a moment intending to gender any of his off-centre couture-esque creations, Liborio deconstructs stonewashed shirts for AW16 and adds wild dashes of silk organza for a gender ambiguity swank in its remoteness that frankly doesn’t need eulogising, simply adopting by the right fashion tribe in a coolly aloof manner.
Guests at the DiLiborio AW16 Presentation
The fashion tribe in question being Liborio’s loyal army of savagely stylish Milan-based demimonde with daring fashion tastes and penchants for running in rambunctious party circles. A tribe of all ages and infectiously gregarious attitudes, Glass was able to get up close and personal with DiLiborio’s clientele at his convivial AW16 presentation in Milan, were the fashion-pack cooed over a collection that pushed luxury to the elusive sadomasochistic trappings of the leather world with such majestic nonchalance, in a manner even unusual to the London scene and a far cry from fashion capitals elsewhere. Only in Milan will one find such jubilant celebrations centred on such dark subject matters and we think it’s about time this caught on.
Designer Liborio Capizzi and one of his muses at his AW16 Presentation
Later on as Liborio’s presentation turned party at the designer’s dedicated loft-cum-atelier-cum-showroom-cum-playground Glass was able to catch a few words with the designer riding high on the elation of assembling a collection that was so close to his creative passions.
What have you always strived to bring to Italian fashion Liborio?
Good company, good times and anyone and anything that thinks experimentally.
As a designer who do you see yourself as?
Someone who surrounds himself with many muses from day to day in order to design my very own fashion world and always give, give, give more of it back to my muses. I love people and I don’t care where they come from, I just feel so much inspiration when I meet someone who thinks the same way as me.
When does a person look their best?
When a person is being real to themselves. As a person, if you have to ‘try’ at any point to do this or do that or fit in there or here or whatever, I think that trace of looking the best you can is done for. I’m a very passionate person so I can help but be authentic in my work and in other more personal aims.
When was the last time you were in London?
Just six months ago. I like London; the “rules” of fashion are a little bit more blurry, especially compared to the way things are treated here in Italy nowadays. I want people to just let-loose a little more, it’s just fashion.
So what directions would you like to see Italian fashion pursue in the future?
More understanding of one’s own roots, I think this will make everyone involved in Italian fashion grow as unique forces.
Finally, is there anything you’d like to add about your latest collection, Transgenia?
It was my exploration into a world of light and dark and the contradictions of each side of that, the bad and the good.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of DiLiborio