Costume National lost two of its designers on March 15. Ennio Capasa and his brother, Carlo Capasa, have left the Italian fashion house.
Costume National, the Italian fashion house that was founded by the two brothers, will be losing its founders, The New York Times reported. The brothers have said that it is a "bittersweet time" for them as they will end their journey in the fashion industry in a joint announcement.
The fashion house was based in Milan but the shows were in Paris. It became famous by using a certain trend in a cool minimalist style way back in the 1990s. Their fashion design signature was a black trouser suit that has a rock and roll look.
Costume National had problems with finances in the recent years and it got worse when its former partner Ittierre declared bankruptcy. After that event, it accepted another shareholder, the Asian investment firm Sequedge last 2009. This year, the firm took the option that was part of the deal which was to buy out the Capasas after a certain time.
On March 14, the brothers decided to leave the fashion house since they did not want to become employees serving another person's vision. Carlo said that he had different ideas for their investor like retail growth and online strategy. He clarifies that there were no problems with their departure.
Ennio wrote in a statement obtained by Business of Fashion that he will announce his resignation as a shareholder and creative director of Costume National. He said he was hoping that this did not happen and that he fought against the issue and discussed that the emotions that he felt are complex and reminisces of the 30 years in the industry.
What Ennio said he only wanted was to create style and continue to evolve it while not following the trend at the moment. He added the he does not believe that fashion is over today and only the marketing wins over the people and he will remain committed in making his personal vision real.
Meanwhile, Ennio will leave behind a 50,000-piece archive, in his estimate, at Costume national. Until the Italian fashion house names another designer for them, the remaining team will have something to do in the meantime.
Check out the Costume National fashion show exclusive video below: