Designers Roberto Capucci and Robert Wun Discuss Being Fashion Innovators
The two designers are at vastly different points in their careers. What they share is an unapologetic dedication to their creativity.
Roberto Capucci, the Italian maestro by whom even Christian Dior was awestruck, is 92 years young, sketching incessantly to this day. With a delicate soul and iron will, he rose to the fore as a creator of dreams, garnering worldwide fame for the wearable, diaphanous masterpieces he architected for the world’s most elegant icons: Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and the ladies of the fabled Agnelli family of Italy, just to name a few. Having earned the genius status to which he is often referred, his vision endures.
Based in London, Robert Wun was born and raised in Hong Kong, and although 60 years Capucci’s junior, he creates with the same uncompromising attitude towards fashion and style. An indisputable talent, Wun saw his career take off right after he graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2012, driven by the sheer force of his vision. After his debut collection caught the eye of upscale Hong Kong department store Joyce, Wun was encouraged to launch his own eponymous label, eventually worn by Lady Gaga, Erykah Badu, Cardi B, and Tessa Thompson.
Both designers create clothes full of meaning that transform into another level of magic when someone is actually wearing them. With grand volume and distinct shapes, Capucci and Wun share an endless passion for pleats as a way of making their garments come alive as they move through space and time.
The leading Italian couturier just cut the ribbon on an exhibition at Milan’s Triennale Museum. Metafore, curated by Gianluca Bauzano (open until January 9, 2022), unfolds in a narrative of metaphors born from the designer’s thoughts. Similarly, the burgeoning London talent sees his very first solo exhibition unveiled at the SCAD FASH Museum in Atlanta. (Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy, on view until April 24, 2022.) Visitors will see his most prized works, or, what he’s “been doing so far,” the designer quips with a swift, unpretentious mix of self-awareness and enthusiasm.
Capucci’s voice is soft; the resonance of his laughter is as hushed as the trickle of a mountain creek, but his charisma is not to be underestimated. His eyes penetrate, spellbinding the individual before him. The questions one had in mind dissolve, but the realms of his art remain.
ROBERTO CAPUCCI: Are you asking me about fashion?
L’OFFICIEL: Of course, Signor Capucci.
RC: Then we have a problem, because I don’t know anything about fashion. I’m not in contact with that world.
L’O: What if we talk about your fashion then?
RC: There isn’t “my” fashion. Fashion belongs to everyone.
L’O: Maybe we could start with the two exhibitions dedicated to each of you. How does it feel to see your work in a museum?
ROBERT WUN: It’s a surreal moment for me. You put your career in perspective when you see your collections displayed in a form that is not a regular one for a fashion designer. We normally think per season, while here, there’s all you’ve done and it’s like, “Oh, that’s how much I’ve grown.” And you can also tell if things still make sense, comparing them to what you did earlier. All the fashion students, when they start, attend designers’ exhibitions, and I was no exception. My first one was a Viktor & Rolf show at the Barbican in London. I still remember how they put something like 25 collections in one room, and now it’s happening to me. I am so grateful.
RC: I am 92, and I did so many exhibitions in Russia, in China, basically everywhere in the world. They’ve all been exciting. Still, as I grow old, I’m not looking for emotions anymore. I’m searching for truth.
L’O: And which truths have you found so far?
RC: That each of us should only do what’s congenial.
L’O: Do you both feel you achieved that freedom?
RW: Looking through the SCAD exhibition, I think it proves I never got distracted from what I love. I managed to stick to what I am really passionate about.
RC: When I started in 1951, couturiers were usually coming from a family of tailors or seamstresses. That wasn’t my case. I studied art, and when it came to clothes, it was a reflection of my cultural background. The jolie madame dress was not my cup of tea. I never loved those pretty things for pretty ladies.
L’O: How hard is it to not be part of the system?
RC: The Italian press didn’t like me at first. My vision was scandalous to them; they took it as an outrage. Back then, I thought they didn’t understand that it was my way of paying homage to women. Creativity cannot be constrained when you try to innovate. Besides, my clientele loved my dresses; I made them because I sold them! I always designed to sell; it was never just for the sake of it.
RW: The system can be sometimes very deceiving. It can fail people who are just trying to be creative and do what they want to do; you need to sacrifice a lot in order to fit in. When you do not belong to a certain group, the system makes you feel it’s not very inviting for you because of where you come from or where you graduated. I never said I will not be part of that system, but still, I don’t want to sacrifice my integrity—of who I am and what I do—in order to fit in. I feel kind of proud that I did not need them to get to where I am now.
I hope when people look at my work, they will see I’m just a stubborn guy who kept wanting to do what he wanted to do. - Robert Wun
L’O: What’s the main purpose of your work?
RC: As I already said, it was never a question of creating nice shapes. I’ve always been connected to the idea of the unimaginable. I always inserted something unpredictable, unexpected. I used bamboo, plastic, and stones when nobody else did. My clients spoiled me; they loved what I did and made me believe in myself. I wasn’t crazy.
RW: When I started my brand, I didn’t give much thought to the purpose. It simply was exactly what I wanted to do. What was in my mind had to get out of my system. I was oblivious about the direction, the pitch, the angle. Everyone can make people look beautiful with their clothes; there are great commercial designers around. But if I’m putting my name on a garment tag, it has to be unapologetically me. I realized I just basically want to offer my reality of what I think fashion can be: the construction, the imagination, the dream that you can still reach. Escapism, futurism, and feminism are three elements I always focus on when I am designing. It just has to be me, my imagination, and original... that’s my only purpose.
L’O: Where do you mostly draw inspiration from?
RC: My whole life has been devoted to art, nature, and animals. In particular, I love nature because it gives us all we need.
RW: Nature is fundamental for me as well. I don’t mean a landscape, but, for example, a very beautiful bird in the middle of the forest. It is something that captures your attention because it’s so original and organic. As for my clothes, I want it to be apparent that, either when worn by humans or even just on a hanger, they have an organic form. They can speak for themselves; they give you a story. Like Mr. Capucci, I love pleats because they remind me of the symmetrical patterns in nature, like the feathers of a bird. Pleats give fluidity; the fabric is still soft, not “lazy.” There is strength in pleats, but also grace.
As I grow old, I’m not looking for emotions anymore. I’m searching for truth. - Roberto Capucci
L’O: You have both dressed international celebrities. What do you like most about working with them?
RW: I am a huge fan of all the incredible women who have worn my clothes, and they probably could see themselves in what I do. I’d love to dress Tilda Swinton, as she is so chic in everything she does. She just knows what she wants. Also, I dream of doing the costumes for one of Ridley Scott’s upcoming films. He called Craig Green for The Covenant and I must say, I was mad jealous about that [laughs]. I already worked with Hollywood for The Hunger Games—an amazing experience made so easy by those on the costume team, who were always ready to share their vision. Still, it’s such a historical moment for any designer when they can dive into legendary movies directed by someone like Scott.
RC: Almost all the movie stars have worn my creations, with few exceptions like Gina Lollobrigida, who wasn’t my type, or Monica Vitti, which I deeply regret because she was wonderful. I really clicked with Silvana Mangano—she was simply perfect. I also designed the costumes for Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film Teorema, in which she starred with Terence Stamp. On that occasion, I fully discovered her humanity towards everyone. Even today, all my drawings have Silvana’s nose.
L’O: Do you still draw a lot, Signor Capucci?
RC: Every day, like crazy. It makes me feel like I am gradually detaching from life. I am old, maybe today, tomorrow, or after tomorrow I will have to leave this world. Do you believe in reincarnation? I don’t. It all ends. Oh well, I don’t think about being remembered.
L’O: But you will be. You already are in the history of fashion.
RC: I don’t want to leave any message. I only pursued the idea of doing something different, not just the same old clothes.
L’O: And you, Robert, how would you like to be remembered?
RW: One day, when I look back, I want to be able to say that, even if I failed, I couldn’t have done it differently. I hope when people look at my work, they will see I’m just a stubborn guy who kept wanting to do what he wanted to do. I’m a regular guy who didn’t fit in, but he kind of made it.
