Geoffrey B. Small

[Geoffrey B. Small]

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THANK you so much Treves and unwashed for your comments and for reading, very appreciated...


Now we'd like to move on to some current new works from the "On your mark" and "wait" collections that are continuing to take "artisanal" to an entirely new level. So much so in fact, that we have had to recently decline a major fashion media outlet story that wished to lump our work all together with a myriad of "other artisan designers" that for us, was simply unacceptable. There are an awful lot of imposters out there right now, imitating things that we pioneered a decade ago and taking credit for it in the mass media, which is suddenly grabbing at straws now that their corporate streetwear bullshit is starting to be seen for what it truly is... and their ad budgets are going down the toilet. And frankly, it pisses me off.


Unlike Karl Lagerfeld, GBS is a fundamentalist design firm. The designers run the company and run the business at every angle and every detail. And nobody is doing what we are doing right now- not organizationally, creatively or technically, period. Whether or not the mainstream fashion media ever wakes up, gets off their asses and figures that out or not, we don't care. In today's crazier and crazier IG, What'sapp, WeChat and whatever comes next internet-direct world, we don't need them anymore. What counts is product, brain, work and soul. And the best people in the world working together to make it all happen. And we've got them, the real artisans and designers now who are building up to go right at Chanel, Hermes, Gucci and anybody else who claims they are making things by hand or in an "artisanal" or "luxury" manner. On that note, some exciting examples of the latest production work coming out of the amazing GBS Sartoria workrooms at Cavarzere Venezia in Italy, and arriving at our worldwide dealers as described in the captions, please contact them to view or reserve (we cannot reply adequately to PM's)...

new ultra-advanced silhouette extended shoulder double-breasted Varese superlight handkerchief linen
OYJ02 early 1980's Italian reproduction jacket with our own completely hand-built shoulder pad construction
now arriving at Hostem Archive in London and Darklands in Berlin. Coming soon to Eth0s in Shanghai,
Dongliang in Beijing and Secret Service in Taipei.




















ultra-advanced relaxed wide leg antique french navy sailor's reproduction trouser in hand dyed Varese
linen and cotton oxford weave cloth now arriving at Darklands in Berlin.













Spectacular early 1950's handmade reproduction race-car driver shoe cut and made by hand at San Zenone
di Ezzelini in vegetable-tanned black Toscana leathers by Giuseppe Rebesco exclusively for GBS "On your mark"
SS2019 collection, for sure one more in a long line of advanced GBS/G.Rebesco shoe designs
that will be copied by all the others. Coming soon to Darklands 5.0 (Berlin).















Handmade silk supershirt in pure Como silk GBS Botticelli exclusive print raso satin (OYS29)
now arriving at L'Eclaireur Boissy d'Anglas store (Paris), Darklands 5.0 (Berlin), Chapter 1 (Seoul).
Coming soon to Atelier (New York), Dongliang (Beijing), Hues (Fukuoka),
Gullam (Daikanyama), and Leisure Center (Vancouver).

















The OYS19 silk supershirt in pure Como raso satin silk floral print with extreme accident hand-dye
technique performed individually in our workrooms now arriving at L'Eclaireur Boissy
d'Anglas (Paris), Hostem Archive (London), Darklands 5.0 (Berlin). Coming soon to Arts & Science (Aoyama) Atelier (New York),
Gullam (Daikanyama), Liberte (Kobe).



























The new “On your mark” OYJ03 and OYP03 spring/summer 2019 Paris collection handmade suit in
Luigi Parisotto’s crisp and ultra-cool ramie & cotton “Zola” herringbone pinstripe weave suiting cloth
exclusive for GBS, features our classic early 1910’s silhouette with advanced vertical breast pocket
styling along with a myriad of extreme handmade technology details and superb value for money.
Arriving now at L’Eclaireur Boissy d’Anglas (Paris), Darklands (Berlin). Coming soon to Ink (Hong Kong),
Eth0s (Shanghai), Atelier (New York), Provogue (Nagoya), Liberte (Kobe), Cathedral (Osaka & Ginza),
Gullam (Daikanyama), Secret Service (Taipei)

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[Geoffrey B. Small]

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"wait" SS2019 collection relaxed-living elegance OYWJ22 handmade belted shawl collar leisure design jacket in Luigi Parisotto's
amazing new linen & wool complex weave glen plaid with stunning design corozo-nut buttons by Claudio & Cinzia Fontana created
only for us, and L. Parisotto super 120's "doppio-ritorto" double-twist luxury cotton & silk shawl collar handmade shirt. Now arriving at
L'Eclaireur Boissy d'Anglas (paris), Chapter 1 (seoul), Journal Standard Luxe (tokyo & osaka). Coming soon to Eth0s (shanghai),
Dongliang (beijing), Arts & Science (aoyama), and Leisure Center (vancouver). photo of Adja in Paris by Guido Barbagelata.


























"Artisanal" taken to another level. The new super limited edition OYJ11 extreme handmade architectural
jacket built in our world-famous Cavarzere workrooms using entirely hand woven super soft luxury cotton yarn
fabric created exclusively for us on 18th wooden hand looms by the late Giuseppe "Pino" Colombo and the
Colombo family at Tessitura La Colombina in Badoere di Morgano. Exclusively in all of Europe at
Hostem Archive in London (now arriving). Coming soon to Eth0s (shanghai), Atelier (new york),
Hues (fukuoka), Carrefour (jiyugaoka), and Leisure Center (vancouver).


























Special version of the superlux "On your mark" OYJhandmade hooded blouson in hand dyed L. Parisotto advanced
weave linen & wool plaid check with special linen & cotton lining and spectacular geometric corozo-nut design buttons
by Fontana. Only 3 pieces made in the world exclusively at Hostem Archive in London.



















"On your mark" advanced extreme shoulder OYC02 early 1980's Italian-design raglan sleeve duster coat in iridescent weave Luigi Parisotto superfine luxury cotton high-density poplin cloth with reversible top-collar handstitched buttonhole detailing, and ultra-clean invisible hand constructed fly-front closure. Now arriving at Hostem Archive (london), Journal Standard Luxe (tokyo & osaka). Coming soon to Eth0s (shanghai) and Ripe Ark (utsunomiya).
























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[Geoffrey B. Small]

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The super relaxed three-piece OYT01set adjustable leisure suit jacket, shirt and trouser combination in Luigi Parisotto ultralight super 120's luxury stripe cotton created only for us hand dyed in our workrooms. Now arriving at Hostem Archive (london), Darklands (berlin). Coming soon to Zovin (shenzhen), Arts & Science (aoyama), Eth0s (shanghai), Atelier (new york), Gullam (daikanyama), Hues (fukuoka), Leisure Center (vancouver), Secret Service (taipei).



















Giuseppe Rebesco's formidable handmade GBS bumper shoe trainer in luxurious Vicentina calfskin uppers and linings with vulcanized black rubber soles designed to last a decade. Just 13 pair being made for the entire world, coming soon to Darklands (berlin)
and Eth0s (shanghai).



















Exquisite pure Como silk blouses in exclusive black angel and hand dyed 16th century Italian Veneto drawing prints only
2 pieces of each made in the world. Now arriving exclusively at Atelier (new york).



















Antique19th century French tailored pullover prairie ruffle collar blouse (OYWS04) in hand dyed exclusive Botticelli floral print pure Como silk raso satin fabric created only for us. Now arriving at Atelier (new york), Darklands (berlin),
Journal Standard Luxe (tokyo & osaka). Coming soon to Zovin (shenzhen), Arts & Science (aoyama), Dongliang (beijing).



















White angel exclusive print Como pure silk raso satin fly-front belted shirt dress and classic narrow-shouldered 19th century cutaway Varese hand dyed linen jacket created only for Atelier (new york) and now arriving.

































Super elegant Botticelli exclusive print Como pure silk raso satin camisole column dress and signature GBS classic handmade narrow-shouldered 19th century cutaway Varese hand dyed handkerchief linen jacket. Just two pieces of each created in the world this season now arriving exclusively at Atelier (new york).


























New ultra-advanced silhouette extreme hand-built shoulder construction peak-lapel women's jacket in Varese hand dyed handkerchief linen with our exclusive in-house hand-made shoulder pads, new special embroidery pure silk bozzolo milano thread stitch design work, massive handworked mother-of-pearl buttons, and Tessitura Mauri's beautiful viscose and cotton striped lining story. Now arriving at L'Eclaireur Boissy d'Anglas in Paris and Chapter 1 in Seoul. Coming soon to Dongliang (beijing), Secret Service (taipei),
and Leisure Center (vancouver).

As stated above, please contact dealers listed to view or reserve (we cannot reply adequately to PM's).


Thank you as always for reading and supporting.


Best wishes,


Geoffrey & the team




P.S. Coming up next: the Paris women's AW2019-20 collections fashion week is starting now…
a word or two on what we are going to be doing there.







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[Geoffrey B. Small]

A word on what we are going to do this Saturday night in Paris.

SINCE 1979, we have been steadfastly building a new model for the design and clothing industry based upon the human being, ethical production and environmental sustainability and safety. Like many other concepts we have pioneered since then, our ideas have been watched by the industry and then "knocked-off"- copied and lifted in a manner that conveniently suits selfish short-term exploitative interests and always fails to adhere to the true underlying principles and intentions of our original innovations. Today, the word 'sustainable' in fashion and textiles is becoming more than just a lie or a coverup. It is becoming a criminal assault on all of humanity's existence, survival and dignity. While we have promoted the idea of sustainability and adhered to its principles with all of our ability and actions long before the rest of the fashion "pack", today we no longer wish to use the word to describe what we are doing. The word itself has been stolen, distorted, and poisoned and is being used by the very worst of companies, designers and practitioners. When we hear the word 'sustainable fashion' now and who is using it to describe their practices, it makes us sick, literally.


-When multinational corporate brands who have built their empires on mountains of contamination, waste, slavery and carbon emissions that they have created now pass themselves off in the press and become applauded and supported as being ethical and sustainable...


-When the Paris system fashion establishment suddenly tries to do the same after ignoring and banning the industry's leading ethical and sustainability designer firm from its official fashion show calendars for over a decade and a half…


-And when an explosion of individual designers, celebrities and media suddenly label themselves as being ethical and sustainable pioneers with no intention to really practice even the shallowest principles or methods, but rather to profit from humanity's concern and self-promote their own interests in a quick and easy manner…

It is time to say something about it.

ON Saturday night March 2nd 2019, we will present our 107th Paris collection to date entitled "I am not sustainable" as a direct protest and a reaction against the false and immoral use of the word and its meanings by the majority of the fashion and textile industries today--from one of the leading pioneers and true practitioners of the concept. While we will continue to advance and adhere to the work and commitment of our practices, we will not use the word that so many other liars have suddenly and brazenly stolen to describe theirs. "I am not sustainable" will present both a controversial and emotional runway statement as well as raise a fundamental question about humanity itself, and whether our species truly has what it takes to avoid creating its own extinction within this century.


In the meantime, we will remain more true to our commitment and our goals than ever, and cordially invite you to join us in this important protest and statement as we present our most challenging and innovative Paris collection to date. To do so, we have reserved a limited number of spaces for SZ people so if you are in Paris and would like join the presentation we kindly ask that you rsvp immediately to Mr. Lionel Cisinski to secure your place to see the show.


RSVP: Mr. Lionel Cisinski at fashiontherapy@free.fr


Thank you very much as always for reading, understanding and supporting.


Best wishes,




Geoffrey



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[Geoffrey B. Small]

THE actress Tatiana Anisimova leading off last night's controversial GBS's Paris show "i am not sustainable" wearing our signature pure cashmere classic 19th century cutaway outfit from her stunning performance in the "the onion." In a riveting presentation that marked a radical protest against fashion industry greenwashing, models hurled the phrase "i am not sustainable' to the audience and the cameras as a rejection of any further use of the word by the designer and the firm that has pioneered the concept and the movement for almost 4 decades. photo Guido Barbagelata. More coming up soon. Geoffrey & the team

[Geoffrey B. Small]

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Video by Kris Dionisio with many thanks to everyone who helped to make it happen...















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[Geoffrey B. Small]

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WHILE mainstream fashion media systematically ignores or avoids many of our controversial anti-corporate Paris presentations, our shows are often honored by the presence of some of the metier's most intelligent and noted photographers and video artists, whose work we respect, admire and welcome as part of our family and our movement including Matteo Carcelli, Guido Barbagelata, Dario Ruggiero, Elizabeth Creseveur, Toru Kitahara and Matthew Reeves among many others. Some are young, brilliant and rising and some are legendary masters. Last Saturday's "i am not sustainable" was no exception. For the first time we were honored by the presence of the veteran french photographer Catherine Faux during our backstage before the show moments before it began. Madame Faux has a long career shooting for the news agency SIPA, Liberation, Elle, Hachette, UNESCO and free-lance and is famous in France for her iconic portraits of people in the film, music and art worlds including Wim Wenders, The Clash, Werner Fassbinder, Serge Gainsbourg, Marcello Mastroianni, Dennis Hopper, Gerard Depardieu, Jane Birkin, Zhang Yimou and Gong Li. Quietly working backstage, she caught an unerringly human and beautiful side of some the amazing people whom we had the pleasure and the privilege to work with that evening before they were all about to execute one of the most radical, daring and powerful performances of the entire AW2019 fashion season. A remarkably refreshing alternative to the typical "fashion-look-only" backstage photography so commonly running in the media these days. With her permission, we are very pleased to share some of the artist's images here on our thread at Stylezeitgeist. With many thanks, Geoffrey & the team

Anastasija and Lera







Paul Bradley, David Wild & Brandon Leung







Nadine and Laurine







Sara and Lexie







Marienne







with Sasha Popruga in front of the video cameras of Luca Lazzari and Showbit







Chloe & Adja








Marienne







Margo







Marienne

(all images copyright & courtesy of Catherine Faux)




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[Ahimsa]

GEOFFREY B. SMALL F/W19 WOMEN’S – “I AM NOT SUSTAINABLE”
Photography by Matthew Reeves.













View more on SZ-Mag

[Geoffrey B. Small]

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WE thank SZ and Matthew Reeves for the superb editorial piece posted both above and at SZ-mag.com. No doubt, both Reeves and SZ are respectively, continuing to show a level excellence in the design and fashion media world now that more and more is standing alone, apart, and miles above the entire industry. And the fact that SZ founder Eugene Rabkin's op-ed and editorial review pieces are being published more and more by mainstream outlets from BoF to hypebeast, is clear evidence that a change is in the air and that finally, some sanity and some real design work and people are getting talked about by people who actually know what they are taliking about--as the multinational corporate streetwear and fake luxury boom cycle begins (thanks to unavoidable geopolitical and economic forces going down in the world today) to go into the bust cycle, where we all know, it belongs.

But we are not alone here on SZ. There are other revolutions in the fashion media now taking place. Like Italy, where (I have been informed by a well-informed long-time media-industry pro) a once almighty force like Conde Nast Italia (publishers of Vogue Italia, L'Uomo Vogue, and others) boasted over a hundred full-time contract iItalian employees on its payrolls has now slashed and burned itself down to around twenty. You can blame social media and IG for this as they all do, but I frankly blame management and top editorial people, for ignoring the new, the creative and the rising independent industry, and the large corporate groups who are now leaving them in droves as advertisers.

At the same time hard core working journalists in Italy are coming out more and more against the corruption, hypocrisy and outright deception and lying being practiced by both the global luxury and fast fashion industry. An investigative documentary shown last year in December on Italian RAI 3 network's "REPORT" continued to show the massive lie and poison our industry continues to spit out and more than ever, and how the media is completely tied up in it. The fact that it came out and was broadcast from Milan, virtually the heart of the global luxury production system is very important, and indicates the beginnings of a paradigm shift in what the consumer is starting to be made aware of...


http://www.rai.it/programmi/report/i...c096b4d5c.html



More recently, as we presented our controversial women's Paris collection and presentation "i am not sustainable" fully rejecting the abuse and hijacking of the word by many of the industry's worst violators of the concept, a young journalist from Milan's Basiclymag.com has just put out the first article and review on us and the Paris show to come out in Italy in many years. The fact that this story is now breaking in the Italian media at the independent level is significant. Like it or not, Italy still runs this industry. More than 85 percent of all major designer and luxury brands no matter what city or country they are based in around the world, is producing or should I say delegating the management of the production of their products with Italian companies. If you watch the documentary or have read earlier thread posts here, you will know that far too much of Italian production has been subbed out to poorer lower wage countries… but Italian corporations still run it all. And as the old corrupt media guard of corporate sycophant editors who all looked the other way at this practice which lined their own pockets, now get their pink slips and start to try to figure out how they will survive now as freelancers, a new generation of journalists with a new view of the state of the world as well as fashion, now have an opportunity to take the stage and get a new message out. A message that is more truthful and relevant to what we are all facing.


Giulia Massarenti did not come from nowhere, she worked for years at Conde Nast in Spain, Japan and London, and then the eyeglass colossus Safilo Spa in PR and communications in Madrid handling the group's brands from Dior, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, TommyHilfiger, Jimmy Choo, Elie Saab, Max Mara, to Max & Co., before starting to write pieces for Basicly in Milan. We are pleased to provide a link to her recent story (which we believe to be a pivotal one because it is coming from a new Italian media voice) here for SZ readers now breaking out in Italy with english translation as well as the movement continues to grow…


https://basiclymag.com/2019/03/07/pf...-b-small-show/





photo of Nadine at the show in Paris by Giulia Mantovani from the story in Basicly (click on the photo to see story)


With many thanks to everyone as always,


Geoffrey & the team



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[supercilious]

Hi Geoffrey,
My brother recently gifted me his GBS jacket, it is my first, though I have admired your clothes for a long time
It is made in Italy, but has a detail I’ve seen now and again on your clothing

I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind elaborating on (if there is any beyond aesthetic) intentionality behind the gathered stitches you often do in the tags of garments.

Best

[Geoffrey B. Small]

Hi Geoffrey,
My brother recently gifted me his GBS jacket, it is my first, though I have admired your clothes for a long time
It is made in Italy, but has a detail I’ve seen now and again on your clothing

I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind elaborating on (if there is any beyond aesthetic) intentionality behind the gathered stitches you often do in the tags of garments.

Best

Dear supercilious,

Thank you for your post and question, and thank you to your brother who gifted you his GBS. We are unable to answer your question however, as we need to know more specifically what detail you are referring to. If you might arrange a photo and/or jacket design reference number or photo of it as well... we of course, will try to give you some answer(s). As written however, we do not understand what your question is referring to exactly. Hoping to hear from you and thank you again.

Best wishes, Geoffrey & the team

[Geoffrey B. Small]

It’s a wild and crazy world these days.

Right-wing extremists are now becoming the incumbents all over the world. In armaments (both conventional and nuclear), trade, and big-tech… “Cold War” is back with a vengeance with no idea where it’s all going to lead to. The latest edition of the world’s biggest contemporary art exhibition, the 58th Venice Biennale Arte just opened with the title “May you live in interesting times.”- an ominous phrase used by ancient cultures to indicate not the best of wishes or expectations. The Trump administration seems ready to go to the brink of the abyss with China, Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Russia, Nancy Pelosi, the Mayor of London, the European Union, Huawei, Robert Mueller, Cuba and even a large contingent of the corporate members of the U.S. Department of Commerce and his own Republican Party while dragging any foolish allies along with him he can, into a black hole of economic chaos with no end in sight.

Science, critical thinking, rational thought, and any enlightened sense of real democratic freedom (due process, freedom of speech, press and assembly) are getting eclipsed as quickly as you can drag Julian Assange into a police van never to be heard from again, or Alabama can pass a no-abortion rule that throws women back into the stone ages. And all the while, the temperatures and the seas rise, the storm systems get more apocalyptic, the species keep dying, the floods get bigger, snow falls in June, heat waves come in December, the seasons no longer apply, and the causes of these changes continue to grow in a spiral of feedback loops that seem to confirm that the human race is on a race to self-destruction.

Our own industry of fashion continues to feed and lead this spiral. Patagonia’s CEO continues to portray the brand as an environmental savior while at the same time covering up and doing nothing about its huge role in continuing to massively poison the world’s water with plastic from its polyester fleece microfibers. Ditto Adidas, Nike, and almost every sneaker manufacturer and designer riding on the dad sneaker boom of the past few seasons- totally dependent on thermoplastic technology in its products and ever more poly this and poly that. And all of the cheap fast fashion and expensive corporate luxury brands who continue to offer poly-laden fabric clothes hooked up with plastic buttons, plastic labels and plastic threads to the moon. And the spin our industry can put on it too… you’d think LV and Kering were Greenpeace in 1972 the way they plaster their new green company brand imagery now with every placement they buy including Virgil Abloh’s repugnant opinion piece recently published by the New York Times (a clear payback to LVMH’s enormous ad-buys with the publication) and his equally shameless, ugly, and dumb art installation in Venice right now pretending to show concern for global warming and rising sea levels. Few designers (somehow I have difficulty using that term for Mr. Abloh) in the world have profited more from and perpetuated the damage and the lies put out by the corporate global luxury fashion machine than this esteemed colleague—and yet there he is- quipping about his “power” in the New York Times based solely on follower numbers and how much he now suddenly wants to “do good” in his position. Yeah, right dude. Maybe you can be Kanye’s running mate in 2020 and try to do a better job than Trump and Pence together when you get in to the White House too. In the meantime, why don’t you try to learn something about making a garment instead of just your hype spin? You might actually find it more rewarding and even enjoyable than just chasing influencer numbers all day long and getting rich and famous off of slavery, environmental contamination, and ripping off a generation of nouveau rich people who know absolutely nothing about design, product or values. And you might be able come up with something really your own for once that isn’t just another remix of something you lifted from somebody else and spun it to your mainstream media sheep as a bold new idea of yours.

We know. it’s not all you. After all you don’t own “Off-White” and you certainly don’t own LV—all “artists” serve some form of master, and you clearly have yours. And like Demna, Hedi, Riccardo and the others like you, you represent the corporate machine now, the kept designer in the golden palace… completely bought and paid for and hopefully capable and competent enough of fueling the sales growth and preening the image of the brand that you have signed away your freedom and to many of us, your integrity to. Don’t worry though, you can laugh at us- after all, you are in the palace not us. And those who own the palace are running things at the moment and they will protect you. For example, they have “managed” to get the official French Federation de la Mode (the government organizing body that sets up the official Paris fashion week runway show calendars) to name the new President of LVMH’s brand Celine as director of the men’s Paris fashion week. She is Hedi’s boss and part of the palace management, and she will protect Hedi and you from any real competition in the luxury market that could threaten to reveal the truth about the lie that the palace is built upon, and the coup that was performed over the past few decades to make the lie become the power. Like you said in the Times, all you have to do is believe you have the power, and you can get it. Maybe you and your owners are right. After all, you now have the system all rigged up— while many of our dear colleagues in the independent world seem to be dropping like flies.

But like Apple and Huawei- fashion, like tech, is a very fluid game. And there are some of us out there, who still believe in hardware, fundamental research and development, true technology and above all, human beings with a passion for excellence. Like George Gilder the clairvoyant author of “Life after Google,” not all of us are sitting still accepting the status quo as a permanent situation. Indeed, the current situation of tech is nothing but a pile of problems and hassles beginning with security issues (read the first page of the book). No sir, we are looking ahead, investing, building and working on an evolving playing field based upon where things are going… actual solutions, real products and unprecedented transparency of process that will reveal a simple idea based upon the entire history of the human race—that when we work together with total commitment and respect for each other and are faced with either extinction or survival—we will choose the latter and do whatever it takes to achieve it. We will use technology, but the right technology needed to resolve the problems, not the technology that somebody like big-tech or big-fashion simply wants to sell to us for their own ends. And we will use our minds, eyes, ears, hands and bodies that when properly cared for, still represent the greatest combination of intelligence and physical dexterity capable of making things on this planet. More importantly, for our (growing) readers and customers, we will continue to make a product of superior value and usefulness that upon its acquisition will reinvest every penny into improving life on earth instead of degrading it and will help our customers to achieve their maximum potential in whatever they do or seek when it comes to wardrobe performance, comfort, innovation, and value.

For example, this extreme handmade technology OYJ01 superjacket which defies the digital fashion domination pundits. With only six pieces made for the entire world this season, its advanced wide shoulder silhouette, super-slim waisted design in hand dyed superlux hand woven Tessitura La Colombina silk, linen & cotton with fully hand-padstitched canvas fronts, fully handmade in-house shoulder pads, fully hand stitched buttonholes and buttons represents over 120 hours of human excellence and skill that neither Bernard Arnault, Francois Pinault, Jeff Bezos or anyone like them can buy or have. Exclusively at Atelier in New York and Ink in Hong Kong...

(posting in process more coming)

[Geoffrey B. Small]

(continued from above)






The rising men's supermodel Jimmy wearing the OYJ01 superjacket at its launch introduction
on the runway of "on your mark" presentation in Paris last summer.
(photo Guido Barbagelata)













THE BATTLE TO STAY VERY COOL RIGHT NOW IN SHENZHEN: Whether you are talking about the weather or about business, technology, and even geopolitical trade wars, Shenzhen China is one of the hottest places in the world right now. To win where it's really hot, great tools can keep you cool, sharp, and always on top. Introducing the lightest pure cashmere suit ever made in history, the incredible GBS TYJ14special Fratelli Piacenza 1733 170 gram pure Alashan "Breath" cashmere anthracite supersuit. Feels lighter than a macbook air. Only 1 made in the world. Created exclusively for the amazing new Zovin Boutique in Shenzhen...

































































(posting in process more coming)...

[Geoffrey B. Small]

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(continued from above)

DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE GRAILED CROWD: Contrary to the overused terminology now overrunning the online fashion world, our world-class workrooms humbly propose a real collector's item for consideration that delivers extreme handmade technology. mind-bending material sensory experience. and unbelievable wearing pleasure. The Sydney Pollack "Slender Thread" modified reversible 4-in-1 barracuta jacket in hyper-lux Super 210's "Arcadia" 13-micron diameter yarn wool (that’s 13 millionths of a meter wide) created specially for us at Pollone Biella by Fratelli Piacenza 1733, the oldest and most reknowned wool fabric maker in the world and one of less than a handful of weavers in the world even capable of weaving a super 210 fabric. At over 400 euros per meter wholesale, the OYJ24 has over 800 euros in fabric investment alone before we even begin to cut it. Touch it, and you'll immediately understand why. Makes your favorite cashmere sweater feel like sandpaper. Combined with our exclusive Botticelli floral print pure Como silk raso satin lining story, incredible advanced artisanal design horn buttons by Claudio and Cinzia Fontana, Excella top-of-the-line pocket zipper specially made for us in Japan. Only 3 for the entire world have been produced, each handsigned, numbered, and priced to compete with your average base model Mini Cooper. Not to be worn or confused with anything by Supreme. Only at Hostem Archive in London and Eth0s in Shanghai…

(posting in process more coming)...

[Geoffrey B. Small]

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How to build a 22 thousand euro suit.
Welcome to the world’s slowest designer clothes factory, birthplace of the world’s most extreme handmade suits.

Let’s start with the fabric. Again, Fratelli Piacenza 1733’s Arcadia Super 210’s 13-micron hyperfine luxury wool as described in the previous post for the Barraccuda blouson. Why not, for comfort, weight, all-year performance, and pure downright impeccability, it's one of the best fabrics made in the world today. This time for a TYJ13 supersuit, it’s 4 meters required at over 400 euro per meter wholesale. That’s over 1200 euro in external fabric alone before a single cut has been made. Add pure silk exclusive raso satins created exclusively for us in Como the world’s leading center for fine silk production at over 50 euros per meter wholesale. And that’s just for the linings. Most “luxury” brands spend less than that on their main fabrics plus their production labor (Rick, Prada and Moncler in Moldavia, LV in Romania, Yohji in China for example).

What next? 158 hours of pattern, cutting, construction, pad-stitching, more construction, washing, finishing, buttonholing work all done by hand by master members of the greatest tailoring team in the world to build the single suit. No Moldavian bullshit. No "Romanian" or "Tunisian" hidden or secret main operation doing 98 percent of the work with just the buttons and the labels being put on in Italy at the last minute just so the brand can lie and put a “made in Italy” label on the garment that wasn’t made in Italy. This is real Italian production and design excellence with real Italian legal employment lifetime work contract personnel that we have spent decades to build and develop into the Ferrari of the garment industry.

Above: Nicholas Giannelli graduated design at RISD worked for over a decade designing for corporate America brands
(Gap, Carhartt etc.), left it all to join the hardcore tailoring designer elite at GBS in Italy, then worked on 17 GBS Paris
collections and now is the GBS Designer of Production, a management position unique in the industry exclusive to GBS that is responsible for
overseeing all production operations including prototypes with a uniquely design-oriented and artistic perspective. Below: A page from the firm’s 2018 Annual report
that highlights the people behind the amazing GBS story and the best clothes in the world.

And the lunacy doesn’t end there, not a single molecule of plastic or poly anything in the entire product; exquisite real horn buttons handcrafted by the greatest living button makers in the world Claudio and Cinzia Fontana, extremely expensive and impossible to get pure cotton threads for all main construction seams and impeccable pure silk Bozzolo Reale Milano threads for all buttonholes, top-of-the-line Excella zipper for the trouser made for us to order in YKK’s special dedicated top quality factory in Japan that moves with a silky smooth action that screams (or rather, whispers) of quality. Take the almost 1,000 invisible tiny hand pad stitches in the real canvas front lapel and collar that give it its superb natural role line, the fat and generous 2.5 centimeter seam allowances on major fitting seams that allow alteration for up to two sizes up or down to help last a lifetime, the meticulous matching of exterior plaids and interior lining story silk patchwork compositions that add hours to cutting and stitching operations, the unique way each button is attached that gives the solid closure experience that only our clothes offer when you button them, the undeniably personal character of every single hand sewn buttonhole each of which requires at least 10 minutes to excecute (over two hours of expert work just to make the buttonholes alone), the handcut and built besom and welt pockets everywhere, the full Bemberg trouser linings that make you feel like you are wearing pajamas instead of one of the best made tailored trousers in the world, the beautiful taped hand sewn hems that take another hour and a half to accomplish, the immaculate handmade vents and working sleeve surgeon’s cuffs… and even the exquisite new first-in-the-world no polyester all silk label created exclusively for us by Mion in Torreglia that continues to raise the bar and set the standard for sustainability in an industry that does more talking about doing something than actually doing anything about their already monolithic destructive practices. Whether it’ll be recognized as being 4 levels better than anything Hermes, LV, Gucci, Celine, Balenciaga, CDG, Yohji or yeah, even Chanel, now puts out as high-end menswear and see the twinkly side of status and fame from the mainstream fashion media and the stupid mass luxury customer’s recognition is anybody’s guess. We don’t care. ...

(posting in process more coming)...

[Geoffrey B. Small]

(continued from above)

Screw the formula, it’s about pushing the envelope with both hands and
just making the best fucking clothes in the world. And this is one of them. The only
one of its kind created in the entire world this year. TheTYJ13 Fratelli Piacenza
"Arcadia" Super 210's hypersuit. Built exclusively for Leisure Center in Vancouver.
Priced about the same as a base model BMW 1 Series or Audi A1, but offering a far
more exhilarating and rewarding user experience, and a hell of a lot less pollution...

(posting in process more coming)...

[Geoffrey B. Small]

(continued from above)

Shirts taken to the nth degree. First developed and introduced in Paris in June 2014, GBS handmade silk supershirts have been redefining an entirely new wardrobe segment that take haberdashery to the nth degree of exceptional comfort, remarkable details and unrivalled graphic print excellence. Their growing following has resulted in a long line of sold-out limited edition print series at our dealers worldwide and the firm is having increasing difficulty in meeting demand with from its master Como silk suppliers. People interested in one of our prints are strongly recommended to purchase (cop) on-sight, or else risk not ever being able to acquire it again. And no wonder, our deeply luxurious sumptous feeling Italian pure top level 16 mm momme weight pure "raso" satin silk that we use as our base cloth blows away the far lighter and chintzier feeling twill weave silk used by Hermes at almost a third less pricing in-store on average, and color retention and vibrancy is not even close. We know this for a fact, because we have worked with them both, and have made our decision based upon our experience. Then add the ultra-anti conformist anti-banal designs of our print art, the totally amazing maxed-out extreme handwork levels from labels to buttonholes and buttons to hand dye and fabric treatments that Hermes and other "top" houses can't even get near touching as a result of their enormous production volumes (total factory machine made schmaltz shirt product) and you begin to get the idea of the mind-bending design elements and features that swirl around this amazing new clothing category that we have single-handedly pioneered in the avant-garde market. Simply put, a GBS silk supershirt is a better value in every possible way. It's like a new 5G against a 3G, plus being able to acquire at a third less, and skipping the bogus bourgeois image as well. For some it may seem unfathomable to pay the same price for a GBS shirt as you could for some other brand's top jacket. But for others, it's a clear no-brainer. Each one is like no other shirt in the world, and far more thrilling and fun to wear than 99 percent of the jackets out there in the stores and e-com sites. New symbol of smart. No wonder they are selling so well...

Inside Glimpse: images of a GBS pure Como silk HUS04, pearl-buttoned supershirt being prepared in the GBS Sartoria Workrooms at
Cavarzere Venezia Italy for shipment to Canada’s leading designer store, Leisure Center in Vancouver. Arriving soon with over 22 hours of exceptional
handmade luxury craftmanship and design passion built into the single piece.




(posting in process more coming)...

[Geoffrey B. Small]

(continued from above)

And for those of us who still need to walk the streets, take a subway-metro-or tube, fly commercial, go to the office, and overall just plain slug it out in this new dystopian 21st century society, we propose a new darkside elegance designed to take the wear and tear and grind of the ongoing scam of urban contemporary existence with toughness, respect and of course, superb comfort, security and style. For example, this special version of the extreme limited edition HUJ11 handmade jacket and OYP12 trouser in dark black hand dyed Varese deluxe super-soft cotton gabardine chino twill created for Ink in Hong Kong with an OYS13 “superleggero” superlight handmade supershirt in cotton & wool striped weave garza weave also at Ink, Hostem Archive (London), Atelier (New York) , Zovin (Shenzhen), and Carrefour (Jiyugaoka)...

Or this superb version of the HUJ11 cut in Luigi Parisotto’s beautiful textured “Lepanto” weave linen, cotton
and viscosa created for Hostem Archive in London with an OYP23 cropped narrow leg trouser…
































Above photo courtesy Hostem Archive staff London








Or this extremely successful new “On your mark” OYJ03 and OYP03 spring/summer 2019 Paris
collection handmade suit in Luigi Parisotto’s crisp and ultra-cool ramie & cotton “Zola” herringbone pinstripe
weave suiting cloth exclusive for GBS created for Darklands (Berlin), L’Eclaireur Boissy d’Anglas (Paris),
Ink (Hong Kong), Eth0s (Shanghai), Atelier (New York), Provogue (Nagoya), Liberte (Kobe),
Cathedral (Osaka & Ginza), and Gullam (Daikanyama)…






























Keep your integrity. Support the resistance.
Contact our dealers, experience our newest work.
Excellence will endure.



Best wishes,



Geoffrey & the team

[zamb]

GEOFFREY B. SMALL F/W19 WOMEN’S – “I AM NOT SUSTAINABLE”
Photography by Matthew Reeves.

this dress gives me great joy.............

[Geoffrey B. Small]

this dress gives me great joy.............

Thank you very much Mojo1990 and Zam!

Credit for the dress goes to Toby Green who was the developing designer of the project and model Olivia who is with Studio Paris Model Management who is wearing the dress so well. Toby comes from Victoria BC in Canada and is training on our design team learning all aspects of design development and tailoring. This was one of his first official collection projects, with him developing patterns, muslin testing, cutting and constructing the piece all by himself. It must also be noted that before leaving everything in Canada and coming to Italy to try out for a slot on the Sartoria team about a year ago, he had never sewn or created clothes before (although he had been making jewelry and studied visual arts at the University of Victoria). An example of Toby's persistence and determination and the amazing developmental teaching and organizational progress that is going on in our workrooms as we build and develop a new generation of real practitioners in the art and science of tailoring for the future. Along with Nicholas Giannelli, Lois Dionisio, David Wild, Brandon Leung and our growing team of real working designers, great strides are being made in both the creative and productive capacity of our team.

Along with them, Toby will be in Paris this weekend to introduce our latest body of new works. The new collection, driven by those who think differently, and inspired to propose and define a new "intellectual style" for radical thinkers everywhere, will be dedicated to my dad who passed away earlier this year as well as other scientists, intellectuals, teachers and academics like him past, present and future who always expressed a different way of seeing and looking at things in our world.

Due to the nature of the presentation and in interests of discretion, we are only having about 50 private invitees. If you are in Paris Zam, you are as always most cordially invited.

For other SZ'ers in Paris who would like to attend please contact Lionel for a last minute pass: fashiontherapy@free.fr

Cheers and thanks again,

Geoffrey