Aurelio Costarella’s diffusion womenswear line YTTRIUM makes its debut at Myer this season. The celebrated Western Australian designer, who has been making lavish gowns and dresses for the best part of 30 years, says his decision to start an accessible line is his attempt to make himself a household brand.
“I wanted to launch a new brand that was more accessible and spoke to a very different audience,” says Costarella, who has just sold this very collection in Paris and plans to revisit Europe in October to work on a potential distribution deal for YTTRIUM.
“I had no desire to produce a traditional diffusion brand that was effectively a watered-down version of my mainline. YTTRIUM is a separate brand in its own right,” he says.
Fashion is all-encompassing for Costarella, who admits he doesn’t ever switch off from his job.
“My work consumes me,” he says. “I live it pretty much 24 hours and seven days a week. You can’t be in any creative field and ever really walk away from it. It becomes a part of who you are.”
Costarella’s first collection, titled Minima, sets the record straight when it comes to YTTRIUM’s fashion statement. “The collection is strongly silhouette-driven,” he says. “It’s all about draping, form and structure, and very architectural at heart.”
This winter is largely driven by slabs of black, glittery hues and lots of art-deco influences in the way his fabrics fold, swing and sculpt the body.
Costarella promises his spring/summer campaign will be driven by brighter colours.
“I wanted to present a different point of view, a different side of my personality,” Costarella says of the new collection.
“I have many dimensions that I would like to explore as a designer. Design is a creative outlet and should embrace all parts of one’s personality.”
He’s not big on trends, preferring to go with his instinct when it comes to his seasonal direction. He says “black will always be a staple”.
For someone who has been in the business as long as he has, Costarella says the key to longevity is realising you need to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of fashion. “Change is the name of the game. You need to be constantly evolving. This is what keeps life interesting. YTTRIUM was a creative challenge for me; a wonderful distraction from what I do with my main line,” he says.
There’s a hint of tough chic to his collection this winter. There’s edgy skirts, chunky knits with angular collars and sheer panels for sex appeal.
Right now, Costarella is focused on the week ahead because he is showcasing his summer 14-15 collection as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Sydney on April 7.
The collection is inspired by the works of surrealist artist Man Ray and his style muses Kiki de Montparnasse, Tamara de Lempicka, Nancy Cunard, Lee Miller and Juliet Man Ray [his wife]. It’s all about 1930s Paris, gowns that trail the pretty, flirt with the feminine and cling to all that is cabaret noir.
