Recently, we caught up with Montreal menswear designer Dimitri Chris to talk about his collaboration with MODASUITE amongst other things. We first met Dimitri at the last Montreal Fashion Week. Dimitri has a great eye and is extremely knowledgeable about what's going on in today's fashion scene.
SMTL: We love the shirt with the rounded collar and the paisley pocket!
DC: Thanks! The white shirt is basically the piece in a man's wardrobe. It's always the piece I like to use and manipulate. Men always seem to think of the white shirt as a dressy piece and they are afraid to wear it other then at a wedding for instance, which is totally not the case. It's basically comparable to the white t-shirt. So, this is kind of my effort to say Hey, listen, this is a white shirt and you can do other things then just wear it with a tuxedo.
SMTL: What made you choose MODASUITE to do a collaboration with?
DC: Well I've done their menswear on a contract basis since they launched about a year and a half ago. So I design all the menswear and I used to do the artistic direction for the company as well. This season they wanted to cater a line of products that would be a bit different from their regular basics, to bring it up a notch. They recently opened up the site to the U.S. and Europe, so they asked me, amongst other designers as well to do a little capsule collection that they would feature. I am the first in a series of other collaborations that are coming out.
SMTL: Collaborations seem to be trending right now in fashion. Do you find the time involved in collaborations takes away from the time that you focus on your own collections?
DC: No, no, no. I think it's a question of managing your time properly and the same goes for everyone, you know? The good thing about collaborating is that some designers may not be known in certain markets and collaborating with other people or companies can open up the exposure to different markets or people and vice versa for instance.
SMTL: We didn't see your collection on the runway during the last Montreal Fashion Week. Are we going to see it next time around?
DC: Hopefully you'll see it before the next Montreal Fashion Week. There are projects in the works. I'm just working on the right dates for everything since next fashion week is earlier this time, it's in September.
SMTL: We saw you in the front row at a lot of the shows during the last Montreal Fashion Week. Which show did you like the best?
DC: I would have to say Melissa Nepton.
SMTL: Is there a dream collaboration that you would love to do?
DC: Oh boy! Right now? Yeah, Ricardo Tisci... but since he might be taking the job at Dior, who knows. hehe
We'll have to see.
SMTL: Who is your biggest inspiration?
DC: Thom Browne
SMTL: Who?
DC: Oh my god!! Thom Browne is a menswear designer, he does women's too. He has his own brand. He's from NY. He does Moncler's gamme bleu. He's amazing!!! I had the opportunity to meet him last summer in Milan during menswear fashion week!
SMTL: Nice!!
DC: Yeah! Amazing! It was the highlight of my life! I admire his career. His vision and esthetics's are similar to what I like in general. I'd love to work with him too at some point.
SMTL: What's next for Dimitri Chris?
DC: Women's wear and accessories.
Be sure to to check out his collaboration!
http://www.modasuite.com/modasuite/brands/dimitrichris/
And his solo act.
www.dimitrichris.com
good interview!!
ReplyDeletethank you!!
ReplyDelete