Roberto de Villacis

Last updated

Roberto de Villacis (born March 10, 1967, as Robert O. Henrichsen de Villacis) is an Ecuadorian American fashion designer and artist, best known as for his Trash Couture clothing brand and art collective, United Aliens.

Contents

Early life

De Villacis was born in Quito, Ecuador [1] to American Civil Engineer Robert Henrichsen and Ecuadorian socialite and humanitarian Olga Ortiz de Villacis. He spent his early years between Ecuador, New York City, Florida and the Caribbean. When Roberto was seven, the family relocated to their beach house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after the death of his father while working on an oil project in Trinidad and Tobago During his senior year at the Pinecrest Prep School, he won a scholarship for the Pratt Institute. After attending Pratt's foundation year, de Villacis transferred from Pratt to study fashion design at Studio Berçot in Paris where he was mentored by Madame Marie Rucki. [2] After graduating in 1991, he remained in Paris where he created his first collection.

Early career

His first collection was featured in Spanish Vogue, styled by Lisa Lovatt-Smith and Flavia Lafer, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld. [1]

Shortly thereafter, Roberto was introduced to Stuart Kriesler, formally of Ralph Lauren, through a mutual friend, Temple St. Clair in New York. Kriesler presented Roberto to Saks Fifth Avenue who purchased his collection at age 24.

After a quick success, Roberto found he was unprepared to meet the demand for his product. He decided to take a sabbatical from Fashion and started focusing on his other artistic talents. He began working on light sculptures, which were a part of the "L'Art de la Table" and are now part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Decorative Arts at the Louvre [1] in Paris.

In 1995, de Villacis worked as a head designer for the launch of Anna Molinari's [3] signature label. In 1996 Roberto joined Missoni's creative team [2] as their Men's Designer for the re-launch of their brand. [4] He stayed with Missoni until 2000. He then consulted as an Art Director for Lancôme, creating the slogan "Believe in Beauty" and the "Poetry of Science" for Kerastase L’Oreal. In 2002 he founded Trash-Couture [3] /Future Vintage London/Paris.

Recent

In 2007 Roberto moved back to America after 20 years in Europe. Now based in Los Angeles, CA and Bal Harbour, FL, his focus shifted to Haute Couture for the Arts, catering to artists, aristocrats and an A-list clientele. American Idol and Grammy award winner Carrie Underwood selected Roberto to create the dress for the album cover Carnival Ride which went to become number one in America. His collaboration extended to designing the red carpet dress, a disintegrated ballgown top worn with jeans for the Pop idol show and an evening dress for the music video of the Disney film Enchanted. [5]

His designs have been photographed by Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth, Steven Meisel and featured in Vanity Fair , Vogue , Harper's Bazaar , W , and Elle . [6] [7] Mega-stars including Penélope Cruz and Kirsten Dunst to super-models Kate Moss and Verushka [8] showcased his original designs from red carpet premieres, press photos to charity events. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Saint Laurent (designer)</span> French fashion designer (1936–2008)

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, referred to as Yves Saint Laurent or YSL, was a French fashion designer who, in 1962, founded his eponymous fashion label. He is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers of the twentieth century. In 1985, Caroline Milbank wrote, "The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise from its 1960s ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubert de Givenchy</span> French fashion designer (1927–2018)

Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Paul Gaultier</span> French fashion designer

Jean Paul Gaultier is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corsets, marinières, and tin cans. Gaultier founded his eponymous fashion label in 1982, and expanded with a line of fragrances in 1993. He was the creative director for French luxury house Hermès from 2003 to 2010, and retired following his 50th-anniversary haute couture show during Paris Fashion Week in January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Galliano</span> British fashion designer (born 1960)

John Charles Galliano,, is a British fashion designer born in Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. Galliano has been named British Designer of the Year four times. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, he was named the fifth most influential person in British culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elie Saab</span> Lebanese fashion designer (born 1964)

Elie Saab is a Lebanese fashion designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariacarla Boscono</span> Italian fashion model (born 1980)

Mariacarla Boscono is an Italian fashion model and actress. Rising to fame in the early 2000s, Boscono has walked the runways of major worldwide fashion weeks and festivals, including Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, the Met Gala and Venice Film Festival. In 2005, over a two-week period, she walked more than seventy runways in three different cities, establishing a world record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viktor & Rolf</span> Dutch fashion house

Viktor & Rolf is a Dutch avant-garde luxury fashion house founded in 1993 by Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren. For more than twenty years, Viktor & Rolf have sought to challenge preconceptions of fashion and bridge the divide between fashion and art. Viktor & Rolf have designed both haute couture and ready-to-wear collections. The duo is renowned for their avant-garde designs, which rely heavily on theatrical and performative fashion runways.

Pierre Balmain S.A., trading as Balmain, is a French luxury fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain (1914–1982) in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine (brand)</span> French fashion brand

Celine is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1945 by designer Céline Vipiana. The headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at the Hôtel Colbert de Torcy, which has French Historic Monument classification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giles Deacon</span> British fashion designer

Giles David Deacon is a British fashion designer, Creative Director and Founder of Giles Deacon group, a fashion enterprise. Deacon joined the Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Deacon has been known to challenge the traditional ideas of womenswear and often uses wild prints and pop culture references in his designs. Deacon was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci, before founding his own label, GILES, in 2003. He launched his first collection for GILES at the 2004 London Fashion Week and was named "Best New Designer" at the British Fashion Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportswear (fashion)</span> Fashion category of relaxed day clothes, originally separates

Sportswear is an American fashion term originally used to describe separates, but which since the 1930s has come to be applied to day and evening fashions of varying degrees of formality that demonstrate a specific relaxed approach to their design, while remaining appropriate for a wide range of social occasions. The term is not necessarily synonymous with activewear, clothing designed specifically for participants in sporting pursuits. Although sports clothing was available from European haute couture houses and "sporty" garments were increasingly worn as everyday or informal wear, the early American sportswear designers were associated with ready-to-wear manufacturers. While most fashions in America in the early 20th century were directly copied from, or influenced heavily by Paris, American sportswear became a home-grown exception to this rule, and could be described as the American Look. Sportswear was designed to be easy to look after, with accessible fastenings that enabled a modern emancipated woman to dress herself without a maid's assistance.

Danita Angell is an American model. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia magazine and in the 2000 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Angell appeared in many runway shows for high-profile designers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Her couture runway appearances include Balmain, Chanel, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy, Valentino and Versace. She also walked in ready-to-wear shows for notable designers such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries van Noten, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Helmut Lang Jil Sander, John Galliano, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Missoni, Miu Miu, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Versace, Vivienne Westwood and Yves St. Laurent. She has also appeared in advertising for designers including Missoni, Roberto Cavalli and Versace. She was named as a new millennium it girl by Harper's Bazaar along with Kate Moss and Amber Valletta, and was photographed with Caroline Ribeiro by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia's editorial 'Danger High Voltage' in December 1999. In 2001, she was photographed for the New York Times Magazine twice, in February in the Doris Duke home, and in October in the Mark Twain House.

Italy is one of the leading countries in fashion design, alongside France and the United Kingdom. Fashion has always been an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and Italians are well known for their attention to dress; la bella figura, or good appearance, retains its traditional importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Éric Tibusch</span>

Éric Tibusch is a French artistic director, couturier and fashion designer. Tibusch was raised in Bonifacio, Corsica. He spent his childhood between Corsica and Tahiti prior to his education in France.

Michael Cinco is a Filipino fashion designer based in Dubai. He launched his eponymous fashion line in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Santo Domingo</span> American fashion businesswoman

Lauren Santo Domingo is an American entrepreneur, magazine editor, and socialite. She is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of online fashion retailer Moda Operandi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Ward (designer)</span> Lebanese-Italian fashion designer (born 1970)

Tony Ward is a Lebanese-Italian fashion designer. Named “The Architect of Detail”, he draws his inspiration from contemporary architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevan Hall</span> American fashion designer

Kevan Hall is an American fashion designer best known for his couture red carpet designs and his role as the design and creative director of Halston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Vasileff</span> Australian fashion designer

Paul Sebastian Vasileff is an Australian fashion designer who is the founder and head designer for Paolo Sebastian, an internationally known atelier based in South Australia.

Paolo Sebastian is an Australian fashion house, founded by designer Paul Vasileff. The atelier is located in South Australia, and the label is known for creating designs featuring intricate details and honouring the traditional methods of craftsmanship.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Rdv Bio". Devillacis.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  2. 1 2 "Excite - Fashion & Beauty". Fashion.excite.com. 1970-04-13. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  3. 1 2 "Trash Couture are Paris based designers Ann Wiberg and Roberto Henrichsen | Trash-Couture | Fashion mission.nl - Fashion Style Guide". Fashion mission.nl. 2006-01-11. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  4. ↑ "Trash Couture | JC Report". Archived from the original on 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  5. ↑ Tamblyn, Karen (2009-07-27). "karen Tamblyn, Designer for your image: Roberto De Villacis Couture Show In San Francisco!!". Karentamblyn.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  6. ↑ "Roberto de Villacis". Young Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  7. ↑ "Launch My Line - Photos - Launch Lineup - Bravo TV Official Site". Archived from the original on 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2009-09-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.