“I didn’t tell her she was opening the show until the day of,” Simone Bellotti said of Guinevere Van Seenus, who kicked off his debut show with Jil Sander last September and joined him on a panel Tuesday evening. The model and longtime Sander muse sat opposite the designer at Marian Goodman Gallery for a discussion on the house that Jil built—a precise and crisp fashion world staple reimagined under Bellotti’s leadership this past year.
Bellotti’s sartorial story begins in his native northern Italy, where he slept as a child in a prized pair of shoes (“My mom had to take them off when I was already asleep.”) and then set out on a flurry of mid-’90s clubbing (the best kind of R&D exercise), steeping him in the nightlife-friendly designs of Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Dirk Bikkembergs. “People came from everywhere—Naples, Rome, Bologna—to meet around the same passions. That’s probably when I first thought, Wow, this is really something,” Bellotti told CULTURED.
That hunger for provocation continued as the designer settled in Milan then Antwerp, studying at the studied at the latter’s Istituto Secoli; interning at the avant-garde house Carol Christian Poell; then launching his career in earnest with an assistantship at Belgian label AF Vandevorst.
Stints at Bottega Veneta and Dolce & Gabbana, a 16-year term at Gucci, and the lead role at Bally then solidified Bellotti’s credentials and prepared him for the seasons ahead at Jil Sander. After the talk at Marian Goodman, the designer sat down with CULTURED to share exactly how he plans to spend them.
Your first campaign—lensed by Stef Mitchell—launched today. Can you take us behind-the-scenes of bringing a new vision to Jil Sander?
I wanted to focus on this idea of proximity between the characters, expressing this feeling of closeness between them in a subtle way. It was research on sensuality, which I think is really part of this brand. It was a challenge to express this idea in a subtle way. But I think Stef Mitchell immediately got this idea, and she was really amazing at translating this into beautiful imagery.
I’d love to hear more about your vision at-large for the house.
If I think about the first show, I wanted to build a new base to start again. I was searching for an ideal purity, and as you saw, the lines were very precise. What was important was to offer a very clear message to build on. From now on, this can be the base that can help me explore new territories, adding something each time, and maybe disturbing the peace and creating new movements. Let’s see.
When you first started work in the Jil Sander studio, what did you change immediately, and what did you leave untouched?
I really think it’s one of the most beautiful studios I’ve ever been in, and I didn’t change anything! It’s a modern space in a very old building, in front of this super old castle [Castello Sforzesco]. This combination cannot be touched. It’s already perfect for me. I just filled up my little office full of clothes, which is not minimalist at all. [Laughs.]
One reason for this is that I don’t have any more space at home, so I keep them with me at the office. They’re also very useful for research. Maybe a piece is interesting for its color, another for the fabric. It’s like a reference that I use. Everyone who comes to my office is surprised to see clothes in a designer’s office.
It’s like how you slept with your shoes. It’s a lifelong thing.
Ah si, exactly!
What have you been reading, watching, listening to, and surrounding yourself with ahead of Jil Sander’s next show on the 25th?
I’m very inspired by certain artists—Richard Prince, Ragnar Kjartansson, and this American artist Wallace Berman. He’s an artist from the ’50s connected to the Beat Generation. He did really great work, and one of his biggest collectors was Dennis Hopper.
A book that I read and reread again is by the Italian writer Italo Calvino—Il Barone Rampante [The Baron in the Trees]. It’s a beautiful story of this young kid who has a fight with his family one day. He decides to jump into a tree, and he never looks back. He lives his whole life in the trees in a forest. I love this story because it makes me think about someone so convinced about an idea that he never changes his mind—this amazing conviction.
Now, I just started a book in English, The Tibetan Book of the Dead. I just started it on a flight. It’s a philosophical book about the meaning of our existence, which I like. It’s very interesting.
A good book for a flight.
Yes, I’m always scared. But more than flying, I’m scared of being trapped in an airport. I hate the dynamics—all the steps before getting on a flight. In the last year, this has made me very nervous.
Looking back on your time at Gucci—16 years, working under two designers—what lessons stayed with you?
There were two very different approaches. Frida [Giannini] hired me at Gucci. Alessandro [Michele] was head of accessories at the time. Frida was a very organized and rational person. Alessandro was the opposite, and a real artist. They both helped build who I am today.
What was interesting about Alessandro was that there were no limits. That was clear. There was a very special alignment at all levels of the company—between him, between us, between the CEO. Those magical moments don’t happen often.
Nodding to our environment at Marian Goodman today—how are art and craft being implemented in your version of Jil Sander?
Art can be a very strong inspiration and helps develop ideas, translating them into something totally different—in this case, a product to sell. Music is important as well, and I like to work with musicians. I’m going to work with a very interesting artist for the next show. It’s a secret for now, but I’m very curious to see what will happen…
Looking back now, what advice would you give to the version of yourself just starting at AF Vandevorst?
I would say, “You are on a good road. You are lucky. Very lucky.”
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