ARTHUR ARBESSER
There are plenty of reasons why Arthur Arbesser can claim to be happy. Fashion, he says, “has therapeutic value. When you wear something you like, you feel good.” Currently, he divides his time professionally between his eponymous brand, which is “small but independent”, and his role as creative director for Fay, which is “a very multifunctional project” that serves as an excellent counterpoint to the more artistic side of Arbesser’s collections. The designer states he’s also delighted to be European. “For me, as someone from Vienna, it was easy to study in London. Then, when I came to Italy, finding work at Armani was facilitated thanks to Europe.” In 2013 he won Who is on Next?, which he describes as “an encouraging, positive experience.” Then in 2015 he was one of the finalists in the LVMH Prize. “It was an exceptional year, with Jacquemus, Off-White and others, so there was a taste of really strong competition.” Having collaborated with the Vienna State Ballet for the 2019 New Year’s Eve concert, Arbesser will be creating the costumes for Der Rosenkavalier at the Berlin State Opera next February. “As a child, I loved going to the theatre with my parents even just to peek at the ladies. I dreamed of being an opera singer!” His work always contains refined art references that are charged with emotion. “I reach my objective when people tell me there’s magic and feeling on my runways. And yes, I also like that apparent fragility in my collections.”•