MILAN — “To feel more desirable is priceless.” Starting from this tenet, Michael Kliger, chief executive officer of Mytheresa, believes Giambattista Valli’s first exclusive womenswear capsule collection achieves the purpose.
“During COVID-19, people started feeling more comfortable buying on the internet, and they now have a different perception and way of shopping,” said Valli in a joint interview with Kliger from Rome, where a gala dinner event on Tuesday evening celebrated the collaboration. “They want to feel beautiful and are not only buying practical clothes, there is an appetite for wellness.”
To be sure, Valli’s delicate and romantic gowns and cocktail dresses, which will be available globally from Wednesday, reflect Valli’s design aesthetic and respond to a need to “celebrate happy times, and the summer season’s special events,” as the designer put it, following the lockdowns and the consequences of the pandemic.
Valli’s feather-light chiffon dresses and signature ruffles, pleats and floral prints are presented in a color palette ranging from lemon to rose pink that is reminiscent of “Roman sorbets and ice creams,” he said. Born in Rome, the Italian capital is central in the dedicated editorial story produced by Julian Paul, Mytheresa’s global creative director.
A look from the Giambattista Valli x Mytheresa collection.
Patrick Houi
“I wanted to style the capsule in Rome, to tell a story and give it a Dolce Vita modern context, also reminiscent of Portofino or Capri, as I love the idea of clothes that have a nomadic way of traveling anywhere, from a pool party with flats to a formal event, reinterpreted each time,” said Valli.
He said he indulged in a “more dreamlike, playful side mirroring the positive moment.”
“The capsule gives a very positive energy, the colors, the craft, how it responds to customers’ needs is the perfect smoothie,” said Kliger with a smile.
“This is a special collection that allows us to create a moment, a story about fantastic products and creativity,” he continued. “Clients will discover not a capsule but a collection. We want to generate interest in the brand, for now but for more, additional moments.”
The nine-piece Giambattista Valli x Mytheresa collection will have a halo and “lasting effect to bring more customers into the brand,” contended Kliger. “With it we have many opportunities to create desire. You don’t need to be rational, it has an emotional quality that fulfills our customers’ dreams. You don’t need to buy it but you want it.”
He believes the collection is “very inclusive,” offering couture details and fully respecting Valli’s craftsmanship. The executive touted the “amazing quality” of the clothes and the designs, which “hit the spot of what’s going on in our customers’ lives.”
The dresses retail at between 3,500 to 5,500 euros.
Mytheresa has been carrying Valli’s collections for several seasons, so both Kliger and the designer can rely on a rich customer database. “We join forces in a perfect balance between creativity and our customers’ requests,” said Kliger.
A look from the Giambattista Valli x Mytheresa collection.
Patrick Houi
