Steven Passaro

At Steven Passaro, the designer has approached fashion by looking at the garments as not something seasonal but as something that can be added to, kind of like a painting on canvas, where you can add multiple layers until you reach the desired result. It is a message to the consumer to focus on buying not just sustainable pieces, but pieces that can be transformed, added to, manipulated to fit different conditions and seasons. In this interview we discover more of Steven’s approach in designing and the brand’s legacy.

1. What was the inspiration behind the SS21 collection? What message are you trying to convey with the choice of fabrics and cuts?

The Dawn of Liberty is a call for self-discovery and freedom. I want to give internal space for men to express their real selves. Showing that each one of us have the right to feel whole and supported.

This season we have introduced the Act of Growth - our core concept of evolutive garments. We want to offer the opportunity for people to adopt a new behaviour towards the consumption of fashion. It is overall a message of transformation, inner change that creates external change.

2. At Passaro you create some very elaborate designs, with many folds, drapes and pleats, giving the garments a very tailored look, where does your inspiration come from? 4. Did the pandemic affect your design process and did it change your direction when it comes to how you approach fashion?

Every season I deepen my work around the concept of self-awareness, giving new interpretation of the idea that the self is a set of folds, closing and opening hiding and revealing. Always changing. The design elements and techniques come from the exploration and research of body representation in the east and the west. Each culture has a way to dress the body, they wrap it or they shape it. Obsessed with tailoring, I tryto create harmony between the two techniques.

3. The colours you have chosen are very muted, and the whole aesthetics feels like it is a play with the idea of self discovery. Is there a story behind the colour scheme?

The colours are actually the idea of renewal, the colours of the dawn, fresh, vibrant, and colourful. I wanted to give a feeling of hope and power, the gentle one. I am not used to work with many colours, it was also a challenge and compose with it. I tend to choose natural and earthy colours; they bring a sense of wholeness. I don’t think the pandemic affected the way I worked, I am very lucky, I could make the collection as my studio is also my home. I put in place since the beginning of the brand a process towards a conscious approach to design fashion. The pandemic validated this approach as it highlighted the problems in the fashion industry that we want to tackle. In a strange way, I felt very supported.

5. Is there a celebrity you would love to see wear one of your designs? Which look?

I would love to dress Timothée Chalamet, I think he embodies the ethos of the brand perfectly. The young, strong, and sensible man not afraid to define his own masculinity. In terms of pieces, I would go for the navy pleated trousers, pleated vest and trench coat without hesitation.