profile LUCIANO BARBERA ITALY’S AMBASSADOR OF STYLE BY WILLIAM KISSEL 98
GIUSEPPE PINO Opposite page: Luciano Barbera This page: A men’s look from Barbera’s fall 2011 collection Luciano Barbera always wears white for tennis, prefers dress slacks on the driving range, and would never consider putting on a colorful, patterned shirt to attend a dinner party. “Can you imagine someone going to dinner in a fancy collar and checks and stripes?” he once said incredulously. “It’s not possible. It will not match with the situation.” Barbera appreciates the established rules of proper dressing, but the dapper designer’s passion also extends to the fabrics and fine craftsmanship of his clothing and the factories where they are made, which must be in Italy, of course. This last mandate has proven a bit problematic, because current Italian law allows clothing makers to put ‘Made in Italy’ on their garments even if only one simple element, such as adding buttons or sewing on a label, is done in that country. Like most true Italian designers, he is strongly opposed to regulations that intentionally deceive the consumer, and he has been a pioneer in the efforts to change those laws. “Italian culture, quality and style should be promoted in the right way and not get jeopardized by other clothing producers outside the country. The customer has the right to know the truth,” he insists. Barbera has good reason to be proud of Italian style and production. Italy is unquestionably the producer of the finest luxury fashion in the world. Barbera’s collection, very much a product of the man himself, is no exception. Understated and deluxe, like Italian cashmere, is how friends and colleagues describe both Barbera and his label. Indeed, admits the designer, “I’ve always been considered the natural ambassador of everything we produce.” This fall, what Barbera has produced is a trilogy of designs inspired by the years 1930, 1940 and 1971— three significant high periods in 20th century fashion. He hopes to entice more 30- and 40-somethings to classic 99 style by creating hybrid products a man can wear in unexpected ways. (To wit, a tech-inspired down vest is faced in super 150s navy chalk stripe suit fabric to deliberately blur the lines between casual and dress.) Barbera’s suits, while clearly influenced by old-world English tailoring, are designed in the Milanese manner that stresses softly padded, narrow shoulders and a gently tapered waist. Yet most of his suits and sportcoats are made not in Milan but in southern Italy, by many of the same Neapolitan tailors producing clothing for other world-renowned brands. “They have a saying in Naples: ‘It’s like a second skin.’ This is exactly how a well-made suit should fit,” he says. Unlike other bespoke suit makers who emphasize the hand-make of their garments, Barbera’s clothing reflects a perfect balance between man and machine. “You can have a very strong suit made entirely by hand that is ugly because the person who made it has no style or sense of proportions. So what is the appeal?” asks Barbera. “The key is to have the ability to generate harmony in the garment but to make your suit where they are used to making the best suits.” Understated and deluxe, like Italian cashmere, is how friends and colleagues describe both Barbera and his label. What makes the Luciano Barbera collection so distinctive is more than just the tailoring. “I really consider the fabric the root of my clothing,” says Barbera, who started out as a textile designer. Not only are his fabrics exclusive to his designs, they are all developed in house at the Lanificio Carlo Barbera mill. Another important attribute of the Barbera line is the attention to detail he lavishes on every object. “It’s important that every single piece in the collection offers something special,” adds the designer, unable to name a favorite design from his label. “It’s like asking a man which is your favorite child; it simply can’t be done,” he says. Among Barbera’s favorite expressions: sprezzatura, the Italian word for detachment, but he says a better way to think of it is quiet confidence or low-key style. “The most forceful statement is understatement,” he says. “It is the philosophy behind everything I do.”
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