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| Photo illustrated by Yiying Lu |
Nicola Formichetti,aka Mr. Lady Gaga, must certainly be busy being behind some of fashion’s biggest names, as he is, after all, fashion director for Haus of Gaga, Uniqlo, and Vogue Hommes, and is the creative director for French brand MUGLER.
However, like many great designers, the half-Japanese, half-Italian designer is finally pursuing his own line—a high-tech and digitally enhanced one, to be more specific.
Formichetti told WWD that he wants to create clothes that could incorporate solar technology, charge cell phones, or even mold to the wearer’s body.
He’s venturing into the world of fashion meets function. This digitally fused aesthetic comes as no surprise, as we’ve seen Gaga’s futuristic outfits and MUGLER’s minimalistic modernity.
The future line, whose team is based in New York, is simply named Formichetti and is expected to launch mid-2013 with apparel and accessories. But don’t expect to see models strutting some solar energy pads on the runway anytime soon, as the line, which is break for Formichetti, will be launched online and possibly not in the fashion order of by “seasons.”
There’s no doubt that fashion and technology go hand in hand— this season, we’ve seen laser cut apparel, LED-lit dresses and digital printed fabric on the runways, but this is the first time a brand will be wholly tech-based. The stylist brings up a good point by stating that fashion is stuck in time due to its redundancy of the same fabric choices, and with all of the technological advances, it’s a surprise we haven’t seen more tech based looks.
Nicknamed affectionately as Nicopanda by fans, the designer currently has a pop up shop of that same nick name at the Lane Crawford luxury department in Hong Kong, which features his cartoon design logoed onto gifts and apparel, in addition to an exhibit of 20-plus looks worn by Lady Gaga. And while we won’t see models wearing Formichetti pieces, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Gaga wearing a piece in the future.
Formichetti may be venturing out in front of his labels, but he isn’t ditching Gaga, as they are forever connected by their similar aesthetic and work ethic.
And can you imagine Gaga shows being anymore theatrical than it already is?
We certainly can.
