Cover-up at Cavalli as new creative director eschews its ‘very Mediterranean vibe’ and designs for the global customer
Less ‘rock chick’, more ‘respectful’ is the message from Paul Surridge as he moves Italian label away from red carpet dressing and into classy day wear – clothes for work, knitwear and summer coats
Roberto Cavalli is renowned for his decadent glamazon dresses, printed and embroidered with fierce creatures – but that’s all about to change.
The new creative director of the fashion label he founded, Paul Surridge, is taking things in a new direction, and will take his debut collection for Cavalli to Beijing at the beginning of November.
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Under Surridge the Italian brand, known for red carpet and event dressing, has moved into day wear. There are clothes here to wear to work, as well as knitwear and summer coats, although Surridge is not discounting the reappearance of the boho look in future collections.
In recent seasons, the Florentine house has been suffering as people’s lifestyles have changed, and Cavalli cannot rely solely on a customer that has a private driver and a helicopter at her disposal.
Surridge, a former menswear designer with an extraordinary level of experience at many of the major fashion brands, has been brought in to stop the rot.
“The classic scenario was the woman boarding a yacht for an evening cocktail wearing a Cavalli dress, but if it’s chilly she’s not wearing a Cavalli sweater because we have not been putting it into our stores,” Surridge says.
