meet Nino Bauti of TANE...

As with any area of fashion and its contiguous areas of design and style, we are constantly being fed information and media coverage about the same coterie of brands and designers. One of my aims is to spotlight brands/personalities that are not as well-known but have long and vivid histories. These are companies and designers that have thriving ongoing businesses and yet are hardly as well-known as the Dior’s or Cartier’s. Some have achieved their notoriety on a regional level and some are best kept or open secrets! Think of this: TANE is to Mexico what Georg Jensen is to Denmark! … And Nino Bauti is the Marcus Teo of TANE! TANE is the luxury brand of Mexico celebrating its 70^th year!!

artwork by Marc-Antoine Coulon

In addition to the above, TANE was a favorite of the King of Morocco, Frank Sinatra and that Mexican spitfire and Cartier loving Maria Felix. Another tidbit of information is that the now 70  year old firm produced for Tiffany & Company at one time as well as being the collaborator for artists like Luis Barragán, Leonora Carrington, Francisco Toledo and Ricardo Legorreta to name a few. What is most interesting is that these partnerships catapulted the brand into museums via their quality of work and abilities to interpret these artists’ visions. TANE is at once silversmith and jeweler.

In the 21^st century they have named Nino Bauti as their leader or creative director who will now show the world that TANE is poised for recognition and growth on a global stage. Please meet Señor Bauti and hear what he has to say!!

1-Please tell us about your position with TANE. What are your duties and what is your plan?

I am the creative director of the brand, I work with a team, without it I am very lost ...I do anything which have to do with products and image ...I like to supervise everything, I design, overlook the image of the brand, work with different artist and designers in several collaborations, I develop concepts for campaigns ...Etc., etc. ...I could say I am the conductor of this big orchestra which is My wonderful team..but the real artists are the skillful silversmiths and artisans ... They made real all the ideas ...my plan is to play an amazing symphony which will show the world how wonderful the Mexican sophistication could be ,making Tane the luxury brand which proudly represents Mexico  ... That would make me happy

2-What are your favorite heritage brands... Meaning brands that have been long established ... and why?

Hermes and Loewe, because quality is the most important element in their product ... (also it remained me from my childhood) and because you feel special having their products ...I think in a different field we share the same philosophy

3-Who are your style mentors or style icons and why?

Well ... I learned about design with Giorgio Armani and McQueen but the person I always admired was Balenciaga for his elegance and sense of proportion, he really was less is more

4-What are your favorite designers and why... Fashion, jewelry, furniture, any area of style or design?

There are soooo many ... Love the work of architects like Barragán, Oscar Niemeyer and Calatrava... And the paintings of Rothko ... Designers (old Balenciaga and 70s Chanel)

5-What is your opinion about the current state of fashion? What would you change and why?

Today more than ever people know about fashion and trends, but quality is a bit forgotten ... We have access to a lot of information and everything is so fast ... I would like to come back to a proper understanding of quality and craftsmanship ... Go a bit slower

6-If you could live anywhere, have any job you desire, where would you live and what would you be doing and why?

I am quite realistic, I love what I am doing now and where I live ... Mexico is my home now

7-You can invite 5 guests to dinner... Anyone from the past or present… who and why?

my guests would be Maria Callas, Mademoiselle Chanel, Cristobal Balenciaga, Rothko, Barragán
They are my idols, and I guess all of them had something in common, the sense of perfection and discipline ... And an amazing sense of editing and saying so much with a little idea or gesture...You have in this group everything I like, art, fashion, music and architecture ... I could be happy only talking about those subjects

 
8-Is there something you wish to share about yourself that few people know about you?

Of course not! ... I try to be as private as I can sir...

Chanel Métier d’Arts pre fall 2015

Willkommen Schloss Chanel is all that can be said of this collection. Karl as usual has flexed his magic muscles, waved his wand and delivered a collection that is at once modern, historical, nostalgic, feminine and somewhat unexciting. Let’s add to that, more than a flavor of lederhosen for men and women, folkloric embroideries and a more than a heavy helping of the Tyrol!

As is the now the Chanel norm or the KL norm, the collection is huge and includes a jillion variations on a theme, so much so that by the time you have looked at almost 100 exits, you might think “when is this over?” Make no mistake, the workmanship, details and execution are beyond sublime but the silhouettes and combinations are not exactly up to what we have come to expect from past Chanel extravaganzas. Sad, that we become so jaded even when we view such incredible clothes.

One wonders what would be said of a collection such as this which is so heavily themed if it had been produced by a different brand and/or a different designer. Would you say “Oh yes, It’s so von Trapp!” or possibly “turn left on Schadowstraße until you arrive at Hildegard Knef’s house” or just maybe “it’s so Geiger!” There is no question that our opinions are highly influenced or perhaps even blinded these days by the power of the brand and/or the designer at the reins and this collection would be a stellar example of that instance.

Rather than provide a serious review of the collection, it might be far wiser to just examine who will really benefit from the collection and who exactly can afford a piece of this collection. It is safe to say that the audience that is being spoken to or addressed will be head over heels and chomping at the bit to own something/ anything from this Alpine sojourn.

P.S. just in case you need to know there are some spectacular pieces and some mega clunkers but it is all to be expected when you throw it all up against the wall ..so to speak

Marc-Antoine Coulon.. artist... illustrator .. friend

It’s not often that a writer gets to interview or feature a dear friend but that is the circumstance of today. Marc-Antoine Coulon is that person; he the most generous of friends, one of the most talented people in my world and above all a person that possesses great warmth and grace. No, please don’t think I paint him as an Albert Schweitzer or Mother Teresa but the man occupies a permanent place in my being because once upon a time he offered what he thought was a simple gesture of friendship and that seemingly simple gesture turned into one of my most treasured memories.

Friendship aside, Monsieur Coulon is a rare breed of artist who harbors no animosity towards others and still manages to retain an endearing almost childlike nature about him. He is the man of the world and the child with dreams, he is an artist with the heart of a saint and he is loyal to a fault. My question to you is just this... “Aren’t you sorry that you don’t know him?”

Please meet my friend who has my unending respect for his body of work as well as for the man who has become a cherished friend. Please meet Marc-Antoine Coulon….

1-you have been compared to Rene Gruau and to David Downton, how do you feel about that and what do you think separates your work from theirs?’

I have always admired René Gruau’s work. I discovered him when I was 4. It was love at first sight! I discovered a whole new world where women could have bleu hair for instance. Gruau was a genius. He created everything in terms of illustration - though he got much inspired from previous illustrators. Compared to mine, his work was perhaps more disciplined. He used much more backgrounds too. His characters’ faces were treated in a much more impressionist way. He reinvented his style all his life through. He knew how to put outrageous perspectives in his images. I loved everything about it - the lines, the colors, the atmosphere… I was very flattered when compared to such a genius.

I am not in the best position to judge my work. But I think my French Italian roots show in my treatment. I love unfinished work, because I want my viewers to take part in the image they are looking at. What you suggest may be much more interesting than what you actually show. I want it to be erotic, then promising, evocative. I give hints. I want it to be simple and apparently easy, effortless - though it is never effortless.

As for Downton, we have been admiring the same glorious fashion illustrators - Gruau, Viramontes, Lopez, Constance H. Wibaut …

2-if you could invite any 6 people to dinner who would you invite and why?

I would invite Colette, Madame de Maintenon, Edwige Feuillère - I would love to see the three of them talk together! I could even just sit by their side and listen - I love every novel by Colette. She has been my first literary love. I love her kind of cruel sense of humor, and the way she attached words to common undefinable feelings. Madame de Maintenon was such an exquisite yet strong woman - I feel so much tenderness for her. I would also love to have Flannery O’Connor at my table - her whole work was such a shock to me, I would have loved to discuss some aspects of it with her.

I would also love to chat with Federico Fellini and Winston Churchill.

3-what future projects do you have on your schedule? What has been your greatest achievement so far?

It is always difficult to speak of projects before they actually go public. There are many exciting things coming in 2015… among which are collaborations with world famous fashion magazines, book covers, and American exhibitions.

I loved almost every project I worked for. I am very proud of my work for French Vogue, for l’Officiel de la Mode, for Dean Rhys Morgan Works on Paper, my 5 month exhibition at the Carita salon in Paris and my collaboration with Olivier Nicklaus for his documentary film “Pop Models”.

4-who has been inspiration to you and who would you most like to collaborate with and why?

I have been inspired by René Gruau of course since the age of four. Apart from that I have admired Toulouse Lautrec, Degas, Ingres, Saul Bass, and Max Huber… as for my favourite subjects, Italian women and French legends are very important in my work. What a sensual joy to draw a black line of makeup on Deneuve’s or Silvana Mangano’s eye.

I also have projects with some famous photographers. I can’t wait to do those images. I am always fascinated to get the opportunity to work with these giants because they are so elegant as they allow you to think that you are worthy of working with them. Less talented artists usually don’t make you feel that way. They can’t give what they don’t have...

I think I am ready to collaborate with anybody. I want to draw for everybody. I want to get to know so many people. They all have their specific stories and I am interested in them. I love people with their flaws as long as they are giving and nice.

5-do you have any specific reasons as to why you select someone as a subject? Who would be your top 5 choices as subject and why?

There are two aspects here - live portrait or portrait from a photo.

For a live portrait, I need to feel something for my subject, even if it only lasts the time of the drawing session. And my subject has to welcome that feeling. It is a beautiful yet strange experience. It creates a bond, something strong and charming.

My top five subjects? So hard to tell - they all are my top subjects as I am drawing them. Yet I must admit I love to draw Catherine Deneuve, Ines de la Fressange, Marpessa Hennink, Mina, and… so many others!

6-are you surprised at your success and what would be the most desirable situation for you in the future and why?

Yes I am always surprised at my success. I would love to live in Italy and work there - it is in my blood. I would also love to reside in the United States. I would like to work for each and every fashion magazine in the world. I have so many images yet to draw and so much love yet to give...

7-tell us something about you that few people know.

Don’t tell anybody, but at night I put on my black outfit and I fight crime with my friend Robin.

8-if you could live anywhere, where would that be and why?

Rome!!! By all means!!! I feel home each time I am in Rome. It is a city where I belong. The music I like, the food I like, the colors, the fragrances, the way people dress up there, all of that makes me a true Roman guy. There is so much art everywhere that you need a whole lifetime to be able to say that you actually know Rome.

In an ideal world I wish I were a playboy in Rome in 1964.

9-do you think your main focus is fashion or do you not really have a specific choice? Why?

I really chose to focus on fashion. Fashion and art are very close friends. They are meant to meet, but fashion opens to so many other worlds too. I must add that fashion people love artists. When you do fashion illustrations, people are interested in your own special style. It means freedom to an illustrator. They want your style. They want you to do what you do and they respect your style. They almost never ask you to re-work your images. They never choose you at random.

10-how would your job description read? Would you be portraitist? Illustrator? Artist? Painter? And why?

I like to say that I am first and foremost an illustrator. But I can be anything you like to call me as long as my images seem interesting.

Salvatore Ferragamo.. A Man's Story

At a time in fashion when most heritage brands are nothing more than attention grabbing monikers there is apparently one brand whose current designer believes that history and legacy  are to be celebrated and not dismissed as unimportant. The brand is Salvatore Ferragamo and the designer is Massimiliano Giornetti and both have taken the step to mesh “what was” with “what is” or in other words … the Salvatore Ferragamo brand of the 21^st century and beyond.

Today, the house of Salvatore Ferragamo launches a creative collaboration that glorifies its founder and namesake as a pioneer in his field as well as propelling the brand into the digital era. Under the watchful eye of Massimiliano Giornetti, photographer and filmmaker Francesco Carrozzini has created a documentary of sorts that honors the brand’s history and founder which is communicated via photographs and videos. The premise of the project is that Signor Ferragamo set his own rules and carved his own unique path in the world of fashion. The story is further conveyed by a modern and eclectic collection of men who have achieved their respective successes on their own terms and by writing their own rules.

Mr. Giornetti perpetuates this message via his evolutionary designs for the brand as they exemplify the spirit of its founder as well as the times we live in. How refreshing for a designer at the helm of a storied brand to actually remember and incorporate the legacy of the brand into new collections?

For a man to have a vision and the courage of his convictions is both noble and timeless, as relevant today as it was a century ago when Salvatore Ferragamo went out on a limb to launch his shoe-making business …  Had he not taken that risk, this  brand that continues to grow and attract new generations may never have existed …. Massimiliano Giornetti

A Man’s Story will be available for viewing at www.ferragamo.com  as well as on any of the brand’s digital channels … #ManStory

The cast of players or storytellers in this series include: Douglas Booth( actor), ASAP Rocky( musical artist), Henrik Lundqvist (hockey legend), Ryan McGinley (artist & photographer), Alexander Gilkes( co-founder of auction house Paddle 8), Louis-Marie de Castelbajac ( artist & entrepreneur) and Tyrone Wood( Director of Heist Gallery).www.ferragamo.com