“WHEN I WAS REALLY YOUNG I USED TO WATCH ANIMATION, AND THE WHOLE TIME I WAS DESIGNING GARMENTS AND CREATING A NEW WARDROBE FOR THE CHARACTERS. THAT’S HOW I STARTED. I WAS ALWAYS DRAWING GARMENTS, AND NOTHING ELSE—NOT A PICTURE OF A HOUSE, OR OF MOM AND DAD. THIS IS WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG, MAYBE FIVE OR SIX YEARS OLD.”
After graduating London’s Central Saint Martins in 2007, Liberatore worked for Viktor and Rolf in Amsterdam, Jean-Paul Gaultier in Paris and Brioni Womenswear in Italy before stepping out on her own. Propelled by Italy’s CNMI Next Generation competition, she started her own line in 2009 in Milan. She brought her line to the American market by winning DHL Exported, a partnership allowing her collection to be shown at a fashion capital of her choosing. New York was new ground and the obvious choice for this globally-minded designer. She partnered with Marist College for her Spring Summer 2017 collection at NYFW. Three months later, the designer is visiting as a teacher and source of inspiration. KYLE-ANNE BELL: YOU COME FROM A FAMILY OF ARTISTS. DO YOU HAVE A MEMORY OF WHEN YOU FIRST DREW OR MADE SOMETHING? FRANCESCA LIBERATORE: When I was really young I used to watch animation, and the whole time I was designing garments and creating a new wardrobe for the characters. That’s how I started. I watched my father in the studio and my mother designing and drawing. I was always drawing garments, and nothing else—not a picture of a house, or of mom and dad. This is when I was very young— maybe five or six years old. My parents, as artists, know how hard it can be, so they always told me to learn as many things as you can. So I did literature in high school, but when I needed to choose university everyone said to me, “Saint Martins, Saint Martins.” I did the application for womenswear, and I got in. KB: DID YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO CONSTRUCT GARMENTS? FL: No, absolutely not. Never even stitched a button. But, Central Saint Martins selects people for the womenswear program based on the likelihood that they can succeed in that field. It’s really hard to get in, and a strong personal- ity is what they’re looking for. They must feel that you are strong enough that you won’t get stuck, or get oppressed by this world. I think this is what makes CSM so unique—that
they choose only those people who can reach their aim. As a student there, you only see very successful, driven people around you. The environment is very competitive, but in a healthy way. KB: I GUESS SAINT MARTINS WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU. HOW DO YOU APPROACH A NEW COLLECTION? FL: Three months before the show I need to find my inspiration. I always say that fashion is a system with a certain schedule, a certain time, that we can not go over. Automatically my brain starts to look for things. After I have a show I need time when my brain is completely washed before I can search for inspiration. Three months before the next show I open my brain, totally, in every situation—going to the cinema, an exhibition, a trip, or going in the underground and seeing people around. At one point you find something where your eyes point your attention—where they want to focus.
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