Carpe Diem, Lmaltieri, Linea, etc.

[gavagai]

unecessary

[lowrey]

lets keep the personal bickering out of here

[PoubelleMaBelle]

a bit confused -- is there a place to see current production models, or were you all just quoting prices learned from back channels etc?

& on altieri's peccadilloes, i'm not familiar; so when you're referring to this delay in exhibition/active participation -- is that because of real work in progress or just his own imaginable fixations?

[lowrey]

the m_moria footwear was shown earlier in tokyo and now at dsm in london, which is where the quotes are from.

[xeraphim]

m_moriABC

"Beginning with a chair on the roof, continuing throughout the building and travelling into the Basement cave, where a selection of shoes are displayed, m_moriABC is a project that has been created to "give meaning to the meaningless". The concept utilises retail areas that are not normally considered commercial selling spaces ensuring the shopping experience becomes diagonal and transversal. Many of the objects included in the installation come from a studio in Italy and they are tied together, metaphorically and literally, by threads that weave down the staircase to the Basement. The shoes have been made to the highest standard and are completely handmade by a very small group of craftsmen using only the finest materials. They come in three styles based around 3 lasts - A, B and C. These have all been engineered with unique precision, in a project that has spanned 5 years, and each month a new style will be released. Exclusive to DSM."

Source: DSM

[Macro]

^^ this sounds exhausting.

[MikeN]

After speaking with the man for a few hours over the course of a few days, I think I can contribute some information regarding his work and its future.

He doesn't seem to be concerned at all (or even acknowledge) the direct aesthetic cues, as merz puts it, of designers that have followed in his footsteps. I think his brain is operating so far ahead that he doesn't care at all what's happening today. He's happy with his current work with m_moria (though not completely satisfied by the result) and basically made it clear that he wouldn't consider creating anything (for sale) beyond shoes in the future, but for an interesting reason... He says that the means of creating and/or producing the ideas in his head (and the few that he's put to paper) don't even exist yet. As if he's designed with techniques and methods in mind that may only exist in the future, if at all. Reminded me more of Paul Harnden than anyone else. A designer that truly created and lives in his own world, with not a care for anything going on around him (and both certainly willing to cash in on their own hype ). An interesting side note that may or may not be true: an old stockist of Carpe and PH told me that Altieri was inspired to create his washed leather shirts after seeing Harnden's washed leather blazers. Who knows though.

Another interesting thing I noticed was that he really plays the role of the "crazy mastermind" better than I had ever expected. Not that it's inauthentic, but it's really almost everything you'd expect, and more. He was wearing nothing recognizable except for his shoes. It could've been ripped Levis and a Champion sweater for all that I know, it definitely wasn't Carpe or any of it's children. And of course everything was ripped and torn. He slept INSIDE of DSM for the days of his exhibit, with his bag of possessions next to him, and when he said they offered him a hotel room for the final night, he joked that he would only accept it if it was infested with rats. Though I'm sure it was tounge-in-cheek, he insisted that he must suffer for his work.

He was also very open about his process, and all of his sources and production seem to be very well-known in Italy. When other designers brag "these are made in the same factory as carpe diem" or "the same shoemaker as CCP" is because there are basically a handful of factories that make everything, and they are not exclusive. If you have designs and have money, they will take it, and you can write in all of your press releases that your clothes are made in the same factories as ma+. Of course that does nothing to take away from m_moria, as the shoes ARE exceptionally beautiful, the beauty is more in the design than the production. Are they the best quality shoes in the world? No, of course not. I think we've basically reached a point where the shoes of all the italian designers we speak about are basically the same level of quality. We've reached a plateau that's difficult to surpass. So why are these shoes 4000GBP and m.a+ or Augusta are 1000GBP? I really don't know. The name? The excessive sample making? The ultra-small quantities (definitely less than any other designer we discuss)? The fact that the majority of it is Horween leather? I think the shoes are the price they are because people WILL pay it. I guess just think of it as tithing to the man who basically started it all.

[sshum88]

Mike, thanks for sharing your conversations here...provides a small glimpse of his world.

[PoubelleMaBelle]

much appreciated Mike.

... He says that the means of creating and/or producing the ideas in his head (and the few that he's put to paper) don't even exist yet. As if he's designed with techniques and methods in mind that may only exist in the future, if at all.

did he elaborate on this at all?

(or was its mention more of a tangential passing?)

[docus]

[He] basically made it clear that he wouldn't consider creating anything (for sale) beyond shoes in the future...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Enaml]

same thoughts...

a tear for each continues sub-line will be shed tonight... and another for the low prospects of seeing any new clothing in the future.

[Faust]

Maurizio Altieri is the Marcel Duchamp of fashion.

[lowrey]

great post Mike, thanks

[snafu]

indeed great post, mike.

He said similar things to me when i saw the roof space, which i was lucky to see, since they had closed it.
Such a warm and friendly guy is what struck me.
I second everything mike said, you put it in a far more eloquent way than i would have.

[AKA*NYC]

altieri is the sly stone of fashunz