JUSTIN O’SHEA AND THE EVOLUTION OF BRIONI

By Crash redaction

TAKING A LOOK AT BRIONI’S INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND NEWLY APPOINTED CREATIVE DIRECTOR, JUSTIN O’SHEA

On March 23rd, following the mutually agreed departure of designer Brendan Mullane, Brioni announced the name of its new creative director, Justin O’Shea. O’Shea made a name for himself in the fashion industry working for the German luxury online retailer MyTheresa, first as global buying director, then as global fashion director from 2009 to recently. Aside from his new role as creative director, Justin O’Shea is also responsible for the brand’s image, taking on a more comprehensive position that not only includes the design of collections. This decision corresponds to a recent shift in the way the job of a creative director is perceived. So O’Shea’s rather « unconventional profile », as Kering’s Chief Executive Officer Grita Loebsack describes it, shouldn’t come as a surprise for a House with such a strong heritage like Brioni. In fact, his first-hand experience as a buyer gives him a valuable customer-oriented approach that is essential to make a commercial success last, and his lack of formal design training is in fact no hurdle to creative input. Over the years O’Shea has become a thought-after style influencer. His approach of clothing – along with his tattoos – will certainly inject younger blood to the iconic Italian House. Brioni is world-renowned for its unrivaled know-how of made-to-measure suits respecting the heritage of a centuries-old tradition of tailors. It was acquired by Kering in 2011, and the group boosted its presence on the international market. Autumn-Winter 2015 was a big season for Brioni, which returned to the Milan runway after 10 years of absence on the Men’s Fashion Week schedule. Since 1945, Brioni continues to put excellence and traditional craftsmanship forward, producing the collections in Italy. Since 1985, the House also counts a tailoring school called Scuola di Alta Sartoria, where young talents can learn from the best and help perpetuate the secrets of tailoring. In the past few years, the House definitely went on a younger-oriented road and reinforced its link to art with the « Creative Minds » campaign debuted for Fall-Winter 2015-16 that featured artists John Armleder and Seth Price among others. Brioni is now at a turning point in its history, and with so much accomplishments and potential to further explore, we couldn’t be more excited to discover what’s next.

www.brioni.com

Justin O’Shea