TALKING TO TRAVIS TADDEO

Montreal-based fashion designer, Travis Taddeo, is one humble son of a gun. You’d never know from a simple phone chat how extensive and well thought out his collections are. You can purchase his women’s and men’s apparel in select Canadian boutiques, and through his e-shop. He also tipped us off to some fabulous-sounding open house events and private sales. When he’s not designing, you might find him observing London street style - “it’s pretty strong” - or scanning the blogosphere for “sex-in-your-face-type” menswear. 

“It takes a strong person to wear a strong fashion.” - Travis Taddeo

When did you start your clothing line?

We launched in 2008 in Montreal, and our first line debuted with Spring/Summer 2009.

Tell us a little bit about your brand.

It’s always been about Streetwear. My men and my women (that I design for) are urban, so I basically cater to the women and men who want to be individuals; they don’t want to dress the same way as everybody else, and they enjoy looking different. This is one of the main characteristics of the clothing I make, as well as using great fabrics. My main fabric is jersey - jersey dresses, tanks, etc. - but we also work a lot with leather. I try and do combinations, like leather shorts, bomber jackets, and pants, but also dresses in nice light silk fabrics. We like to create different opacities, mix up an outfit with a silk bias-cut jersey sweatshirt, for example. It’s not something a lot of people do, because it’s a challenge to sew it!

Where would you love your collections to be carried?

I’d love to be carried in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo… I think we’d really be strong in places like Brazil and Argentina, actually, because my strongest seasons are definitely Spring/Summer when we have lots of transitional pieces.

What are your favorite stores?

Seven in New York. I’ve always loved Oak and Opening Ceremony, which are both very cool and individualistic.

What are your inspirations?

My inspirations usually come from an idea or mood. Sometimes the woman (I design for) is a bit of a rebel - and so is he - it’s all about the strong, the powerful… They don’t take shit from anybody (laughs). You know, it takes a strong person to wear a strong fashion.

How do you feel about Canadian fashion in general?

Canadian fashion is something that’s definitely happening. There’s a lot of challenges, it’s a tough place. There’s not a lot of recognition for Canadian designers, and the one’s that do make it don’t necessarily stay here. It can be a bit tough, but there’s a market here. It’s a challenge for young designers to get known like the American and European designers.

How did you gain the confidence to start your own line?

For me there wasn’t any other way, really. I had something to say, and for me it wasn’t necessarily abut working for somebody else. I always had my own vision and something to say, so it was about going forward and never giving up.

What are your favorite blogs?

I graduated in menswear so I’m always on the menswear blogs. I like the site Homotography a lot. I like U+MAG. My all time favorite blog, though, is jjjjound. It’s like, you go there and you can be inspired by anything that’s happening!

How did you find out about BFB, and what made you decide to sign up?

It was my partner Raphael. He does the leg work and he wants to be a part of places that allow you to show your collections in a way that lets retailers see it. It just makes sense for people like us who don’t have the money to go trade shows. We haven’t gone to the trade shows yet. My partner always wants to, but in our position, you usually have just about enough money to make the collection. 

ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE EDEN BIKINI

“I’m not a trust fund baby. If shit goes down, I sell my car.” - Eden Rausch

Why did you start your swimwear line?

I get this question a lot… I had a girlfriend back in the 90s, and she saw some photo’s of my family trips - my family took me around a lot when I was a kid - and she saw some cool retro suits, and she knew I could sew, so I made some suits. And then - (laughs) - another girl saw a picture of my ex-girlfriend in those suits and I started making ‘em full time in 2003. I started out making suits based on belly dancers; my dad - he was German - had a strip club…more like a belly dancing house…in the 70s… I wish we still had that in the family, ‘cause it would be sick to do a shoot there. It was very French/Italian discoteque-style with red carpet. He’d bring in all of these girls, and we’d go on these holidays together, so I was always with these hot girls who were wearing these hot, like, low-cut tiger swimsuits. (Laughs…) There were a lot of tropical vacations, lots of marijuana… It’s a labor of love with this company, it’s really hard to make good money with it, but I like doing it. I started with a small run, and it’s still small. 

Was your mom on these adventures, too?

She’s a hot lady for sure, but she wasn’t a belly dancer. 

How did you gain the confidence to start your own line?

I just wanted to do what I could see myself doing by the time I was 40, and I’m pretty close. My goal then was that I wanted to design power suits, I wanted to design a really really nice tailored suit, and I’m not quite there but I’m pretty good and can pretty much design whatever I want. My next thing is a more clean and simple run, with just a few bikinis. I live in an area where it rains all the time, and I find that I need to supplement my cash flow. I starve in the winter, and I feast in the summer, so that’s why I introduced the trench coat (last season). So I want to take off from that, introduce rain-proof kind of gear, a more Mediterranean aesthetic, which would be great around here. I do everything myself, except for writing HTML; but the styling, most of the photography, my website (when it was Flash) it was me, so it’s hard to get to the point where I can be running two lines at the same time. I do my own printing, so it’s a lot of silk screen trickiness… Last year was very technical, but this year it’s all in the stitch, it’s all in 8-inch under-cuts. There are no other suits that are cut and engineered to fit this way. I can’t find anyone that will be able to cut in stripes properly. The closest thing to my stuff is Milla Mills, and she charges $300 per bikini!

What are you favorite blogs & magazines?

I check out BUST magazine and Nylon, but I’m more into music blogs. I’m a record collector.

Dream place your swimwear line would be carried?

Bergdorf Goodman… That’d be good on the money side of things. But you know, I really like being in high-end boutiques. And there’s really too many to name. 

Do you have any plans to launch a couture collection?  

I’d like to get more into the clothing, but I’m gonna stick with the watery, sportswear kind of theme. I sell out of all my sundresses - all the clothing that I do sells out - because I use high-end fabric and people are drawn to that. I’d like to do a whole line of clothing, but I’d have to be set up to do bigger things. 

What inspires you?

That’s kind of a general question, but I can tell you what inspired my latest collection. For this line… Well, last summer I was getting back up on cult films, so I always rent these weird Italian cop show movies. It’s always been about the older stuff, the 60s and 70s. I grew up watching all those movies. My favorite one right now - I don’t know what it’s called in Italian - is Rulers of the City.

Do you have any personal style quirks?

I kinda of find what I like and wear the shit out of it. I really only buy clothes on holiday. I’m big on shoes, big on Japanese brands, Sunny Shoes are the only ones I wear, RPM… 

Why did you join BFB?

Visibility. If there’s any way that I can get more visibility from the companies that aren’t really buying from the shows anymore… It’s so expensive to get in there. I might do a show next season, I’ve always wanted to do the Miami Swim thing, but the timing is always weird. 

KATTY XIOMARA

At BFB we care very much about a few things: inventive fashion, attention to craftsmanship and detail, and a collection that reflects a Designer’s journey. The Portugal-based Katty Xiomara is an excitingly unpredictable Designer who has created collections that are a true reflection of those three principles; curiously, perfection seems like less of the point, while irony and a quest for the truly feminine are front-and-center themes. She seems to have hit her stride.

You started your line over a decade ago - you’ve been at this for a long time! How has the fashion landscape changed since you got your start?

Looking at this myself, I can tell you that I see many differences. I started too early; I created the brand when I was in fashion school, at a time when I had no experience and few contacts, and didn’t know the market. I couldn’t form an idea of what the brand would be. Today, I know what the brand is and can be, I know what my goals are, and I have the solid perception that I’m on track. Looking around me, I have no doubt that there are differences. We are talking about fashion, therefore the changes are a constant, and in a sense, fashion is moving even faster. The major brands make it difficult for consumers, as collections come and leave the commercial circuit at high speed. There is now a need for fresh collections in record time, which for small brands like mine, creates a pace that is difficult to keep up with.

It seems, from looking at your line as a whole, that you are very interested in time - past, present, future. How would you describe your line to someone who’s never seen it?

It is a very personal line. Its content reflects the way I look at and see life, in which case the past, present, and future make sense to me. There is no future without a past and the present is built with successive past moments and future hopes. It is a feminine line: it is how the woman moves, her tender moments, serenity, excitement, fun, sensuality, sadness, and strength. So it’s easy to find mixtures of materials and colors, as well as small details that surprise.

What kind of person are you designing for? 

A woman, a woman. As I said before, women have a character as volatile as it is confident, but at the end of the day it is necessary to have a great attitude towards life. It is this attitude that drives everything.

How did you gain the confidence to start your own line?

I’m not sure how I got that confidence. The opportunity arose and, despite knowing that I didn’t have enough experience, I thought I should risk it.

Who are your favorite designers?

Dries Van Noten and Paul Smith.

What are your favorite fabrics to work with?

Cottons, silks, knits, and spongey fabrics.

What is your biggest piece of advice for someone who has just decided to start his or her own line? 

My best advice is to take a hot air balloon ride during the bad and good times! On a more serious note, the best advice I can give is to gain a strong base, and I think one way to do that is to start with a very small collection, not only to assess the marketplace, but also to ensure that you will be able to deliver your orders. 

What are you favorite blogs and magazines?

Right now, I love “traveling” by Stumbleupon, Pose, and Pulse to see surprises in areas like food and fashion.

Dream place your clothes would be carried?

I realize that my collection is aimed at small special stores where personal choice is taken by the owners, who have their regular customers in mind. Markets like New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, London, and Milan are excellent starting points, even in small shops. But I can’t hide my ambition to have my collection for sale at Barney’s, Sacks or Bergdorf’s… Even to design a collection for a giant like Uniqlo.

You show at Lisbon Fashion Week pretty routinely, correct? What is that environment like?

Correct, but I also show my collections at Portuguese Fashion Week - “Portugal Fashion” - where I feel it’s more interesting. The organization is more consistent; from now it will be there that you can see my work. I’ve been to other fashion weeks, and the environment is similar; in Portugal it is clear that the scale of things are smaller and contained, but otherwise it’s almost identical.

How would you describe Portugal’s street style?

Nowadays style is a very global, a phenomenon that blogs and magazines contribute to greatly, and the truth is that Portuguese street style is not very different from European style in general. We might include some more traditional details - you see people who mix small handcrafted Portuguese wears in with other urban accessories - but the truth is that there is not much of a difference.

Why made you decide to join BFB?

SEE STELLA, BUY CLAUDIA

Stella McCartney outdid herself this season. First time we can remember truly wanting every single piece, especially the dresses. For those of you who walked out of a store, wandering the streets in an aimless and depressive state, I present to you Claudia Ligari. This Italian-born UK-based designer that you’ve never heard of is sure to come up in the next year, and we have a sneaking suspicion that she’s keen on Stella’s work. We’re not telling you what to do, but we’d suggest you amble your way to her e-commerce store faster than slower. Finally, fashion you can afford.

SEE - Stella McCartney

BUY - Claudia Ligari 

25 MAGAZINE SET TO LAUNCH

We’re not entirely sure what 25 Magazine is… Is it the project of supermodel Anja Rubik and her boyfriend Sasha Knezevic? Is it located in New York City or Vienna? Can we expect English translation, or has the whole enterprise been moved Stateside? We don’t know, but judging by the website, this magazine launch - it’s in three days! - is one to be excited about… & this just appeared in my Inbox!

WE ♥ Risto AW 12/13

Images Courtesy of  ristotheblog:

Lepa Georgievska - Photography
Elena Trajanovska  - Model
Misho Ristov - Assistant Photographer
Marija Lenchevska - Hair & Make-Up