68. A Collection Based Solely on Leather…

Giorgio Cavalli holding Roberto Cavalli

Jeans are my favorite piece. I must find a way to present them in a new and different way. This might be the right idea to revive an amazing garment.

I buy a certain number of used jeans, widely used, at the market in Florence. Some are heavily worn. Their beauty lies in their subtle color differences. Each pair of jeans is of different denim and ages in a different way.

I cut out strips from the jeans excluding the main seams and keeping the pockets intact. Using a paper model I then cut new jeans in various shades made of pieces of the old jeans. I re-use the pockets of the old jeans and I cover the worn parts and mistakes with my leather printed in different colors and patterns.

Now I am really pleased! I carefully critique my work and I get excited… with my own ideas! This time I leave for Paris with a different collection. The customers who visit my booth immediately show more interest.

A good collection is perceived immediately and the news spreads quickly like wildfire, like a Tom Tom. Within hours, word of mouth transmits and amplifies it from customer to customer. The next morning, at the opening of the stand, I have many clients who are waiting for me! We are not prepared to face so much excitement!

It is as true today as it was yesterday – fashion needs something new, something different!

The boutiques and the buyers are competing for an exclusive on my new collection. My confidence in what I have accomplished is reflected in my decisions and my answers!

This is the beginning of something important… a success unknown to me before… from the very first moment I love it… I know immediately, intuitively, that I must take this in very small doses… like a mighty miracle drug!

This is the story of my beginning, but my adventure continues with many stories that will seem at first implausible, even impossible!

Life is wonderful if you understand its’ meaning and appreciate the music!

I LOVE YOU