Under Kris Van Assche, Berluti maintains an haute style statement minus the many embellishments so many designers rely on.
Soon after leaving Dior for the relatively mature LVMH brand Berluti, Kris Van Assche paid a visit to the brand’s factory in the northern Italian city of Ferrara to find inspiration.
At the atelier, where shoes are given their colour, he noticed that the white marble workbenches had become stained over the years. Here he found what he was looking for. “I was so in love with the contrast between the luxurious and the raw,” he said. “I took pictures of the workbench and didn’t retouch them. They became the theme for shirts and coats. The beautiful palette set the design tone.”
Of course, he also made good use of the brand’s proven technique of creating alluring aged patina. This all culminated in his debut fall show for Berluti, which included a stunning marble print collection.
Many designers have attempted to recreate in studio the essence of paintings or photographs, but KVA’s work was original in every sense of the word.
And while the marble print is not part of his 2020 Spring/Summer collection, KVA continues to set himself apart with colourful suits that breathe new life into stylish tailoring—little embellishment required.
For shoes and accessories, KVA had artisans create lasts (a trade secret) with diamond-shaped tips for both the leather shoe and sneaker collections.
