Antonio Fusco for Women

Italian roots and an international approach; a love of quality and many years of experience: the essence of fashion as seen by Antonio Fusco. Understanding the sheer elegance of Fusco's style means understanding its deep roots in the family-based culture and legendary traditions of great Neapolitan tailoring, with its legacy of elegance and exquisite manual finishes. Antonio Fusco grew up in this unique environment, inspired by the family business in the furnishing fabrics sector. At the age of twenty he left Naples behind to broaden his horizons and expand his knowledge. He studied design and began working, completing specialist courses in New York, Montreal and Paris. He moved to Istanbul to take on responsibility for a clothing line for the Cerruti group. In 1976 he decided to head back to Italy, this time to Milan. Fusco's stimulating professional journey inspired him to work in complete freedom, without being tied down by rules and conventions. He opened a factory, a veritable melting pot of ideas that enabled him to import his model of craftsmanship to the industry. As his reputation grew, Fusco continued to work against the tide at a time when Milanese prêt-à-porter was at its very height. The louder the clamouring, the more this surprising master of fashion turned to silence, discretion and painstaking attention to his craft. In 1979 Antonio Fusco was joined by his wife Patrizia, who brought along her own blend of dash and intuition, as he set about revolutionising his style: he stripped bare the classic men's jacket, making it slimmer and lighter while keeping the shoulders for which Neapolitan tailoring is famous. He chose quality materials and techniques, shaping them with his incomparable touch and breathing new life into traditional fabrics. Most importantly of all, he brought the aplomb of a man's wardrobe to womenswear. Some of his designs – the Milano jacket, the Portofino suit, the Montecarlo and Vienna coats – are key pieces of his collections every year, confirming their status as time goes by. Antonio Fusco has truly become synonymous with quality and infallible style. Between 1996 and 2008 Antonio Fusco's collections graced the catwalks at Milan Fashion Week, organised by the city's Camera della Moda (Fashion Council), of which he is a founding member. The greatest names in fashion journalism have feted him as one of the leading lights of Italian ready-to-wear. And his designs have been immortalised by some of the finest photographers of the century – from Patrick Demarchelier and Steven Meisel to Michelangelo Di Battista and Aldo Fallai – in unforgettable campaigns featuring the fresh young faces of Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni. Antonio Fusco has received many awards for his craft, while his business remains firmly rooted in Milan and Corsico. The label has been untouched by growing globalisation and is still 100% Italian-made today. In 2003 he was awarded the Isimbardi Prize by the Province of Milan for his contribution as a Lombardy-based businessman to promoting and expanding Italian fashion; in 2008 the Chamber of Commerce of Caserta nominated him an ambassador for 'Eccellenze Campane' ('Excellency in Campania') which has helped bring world-wide renown for the region's craftsmanship. The Antonio Fusco brand continues to widen its horizons, from licences for Antonio Fusco Perfumes for Men and Women to new inroads into international markets. In June 2009 he was one of thirty-eight designers photographed by Alessandro Villa for his 'Lo specchio dei doni' ('Mirror of Talent') project, spotlighting illustrious names in Italian fashion.