Daniel Roseberry: "I Always Liked The Fact That Elsa Schiaparelli Is An Outsider"
He arrives with a spring in his step and a wide smile. Outside, the Place Vendôme is bathed in sunshine. The autumn day has been generous enough to let the light filter through the windows and soften the atmosphere. We have a date with the 33-year-old man who, for 11 years, worked in New York alongside Thom Browne. More than a decade of loyal service. A sincere friendship. The creation of men's and women's collections, all innovative and desirable. Other than that, we know very little about him.
Dressed entirely in navy blue, except for a striped white shirt peeking out from the collar of his sweater, and with an impeccably-trimmed beard, Daniel Roseberry practically radiates positivity. Not the overplayed kind, which we often come across. No. He is polite and pleasant without using platitudes.
Since he took over as artistic director of Schiaparelli less than a year ago, the designer has already presented a highly-acclaimed haute couture collection and, as a big surprise, a ready-to-wear collection during Paris Fashion Week last October. A first in the history of the fashion house, which relaunched seven years ago after 60 years of dormancy. It was Diego Della Valle, the CEO of the Tod's group, who had the nerve to put the house back in the spotlight. Today, we have the opportunity to get to know this American a little better.
What does Schiaparelli represent for an American?
I always liked the fact that Elsa Schiaparelli is an outsider. It has a very special history. Being an American, the first to head the French house, allows me to feel connected to it. It is easier than to break the codes.
That is one of the reasons you accepted this position. Did you perceive this as a modern, global challenge, linked to reality?
Exactly. Schiaparelli is both deeply rooted in reality as well as in fantasy. It is with these codes that I want to have fun and that I want to tell stories.
Do you think we have time to think about poetry in our business-focused world?
It's primordial. And customers are prone to that. We are used to seeing amazing things that challenge us. Instagram is a springboard to these advances. Everything is so messy these days, we even go so far as to speak of the end of the world, and everything that can be fun and entertaining becomes serious again. Now is the perfect time for Schiaparelli to speak.
Humour is a key element at Schiaparelli, do you want to highlight it in your creations?
The challenge is that Elsa remains an inimitable person. So I'm just trying to be myself and express my humour through clothes.
And you, what kind of humour do you practice?
I think I am a little more reserved than Elsa would have been. But I have my own sense of humour. And what is perfect with this house is that I can express it through my clothes and my shows. My best friends have confessed to me that they have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
I have the impression that in life you are reserved, but also that you are hiding something more extravagant. Is trust essential for you to reveal yourself?
This is exactly it! I grew up learning how to always behave appropriately. Maybe I do it too much?
Speaking of your childhood, where are you from?
From Dallas, Texas. I come from a large, traditional, and religious family. I was one of four children. My father was a priest, and one of my brothers is too.
Did you imagine working in fashion?
Artists have always been a part of my famliy as well. My mother, my grandmothers... I grew up surrounded by sculptors and painters. Art was pretty much everywhere in the Roseberry house. Everyone always supported me because they saw how much I liked to draw. I was quite gifted, even at a young age, so my mother decided to teach me how to draw, which became my means of communication. And I would not be where I am if I had not been this young gay boy and artist in a very traditional family, who attended a private school and regularly went to church. If I hadn't grown up with this secret identity, the story would not have been the same. Being different was the trigger.
Have you always been a dreamer?
I hid all this imagination within me. It's quite surprising: you see someone, rub shoulders with him, without suspecting all the obsessions he harbours, of this constant reverie which pursues him. That is what I like. The most banal person can hide in him an immense fantasy.
You grew up with this secret and fantasy-filled universe?
Yes. You are building your own world in your mind. Many designers use clothing to express their imagination, their flamboyance... Which I find absolutely wonderful and very liberating.
For you, freedom was what?
Expression.
When you were young, did you want to leave Dallas? Or continue to dream secretly?
I always knew that I wanted to live in New York, that I wanted to be in fashion. I was totally terrified of getting started, but I knew it was going to happen.
Why did you choose fashion rather than sculpture, art, or cinema?
I've asked myself this question so many times! Because fashion requires so much work... But it seems to me that this choice is due to the existence of shows. Having grown up in a church, I have this culture of ceremony, of quasi-performance. I was also in a choir. The show is as important to me in communication as the clothes.
Today, the usefulness of shows is questioned a lot. It's a lot of money, not very eco-friendly... What do you think?
We must surely think about other formats and options. But a show remains a show. Some of my friends came away changed by this experience.
You love music. Have you ever thought of becoming a singer?
When I was younger, yes. I would have loved to do a show like American Idol. But those dreams have evaporated. Or rather, they have changed. Today I am living one of my dreams. Which is interesting because when such a thing happens to you, you step back. I was unemployed in New York last year. Right after leaving Thom Browne. I had nothing left, no money, I even slept in the apartment of one of my friends. Then in four months, I moved to Paris, found this opportunity in such a historic house. It's crazy! The bottom line of dreams, of fantasies is that they can come true. Today I say to myself, how far can we go? Who can we dress and how can we have the greatest impact? My dream has come true wth Schiaparelli. Now I have to find new ones.
Let's talk about ready-to-wear. This is a first for Schiaparelli. What do you think of haute couture versus ready-to-wear?
The sewing process is extraordinary. I had never been able to experience this on such a level. And everything is for the customer. The most extraordinary piece of clothing for the most extraordinary human beings. Ready-to-wear is something closer to modernity, to our uniform. In any case, that's how I thought of it for the first collection, unlike with couture where each look represents a different world.
How many pieces have you imagined for this first collection of ready-to-wear?
It's quite small. I would say a little over 100. But this is just the start. The second collection will arriive in March, and I hope to be able to reintroduce the legendary coat. There will also be a focus on accessories. That will be for next fall, which is a season that I love to work on.
Schiaparelli has a reputation for being serious but eccentric, creative, intellectual... You are in the right place.
I totally agree. People feel this connection between what we do and what the house started.
Would you like to create a men's collection for Schiaparelli?
Yes. She did some in the 1950s. But it is not a priority. I really like the idea, though. There is something in my personality that really responds to the more introverted facet, which I feel more in menswear. It's very personal. The process is very different for women. I learnt a lot at Thom Browne, and I think he really makes the best men's collections in the world.
What do you remember from a decade by his side?
It was another era. I was in New York, in my twenties. I am very nostalgic for this period. I become very sensitive when it comes to the past. I was Thom's right arm, we shared the same office and I really saw the way he operated, at work, during interviews, during shows. Thom is not a fashion caricature. He is not dramatic, he is atypical. He is a role model for me.
What do you like about your past? What are you nostalgic for?
Innocence. I am not a cynical person and I am not attracted to this character trait in others. Innocence is a virtue of childhood that I love, and I love people who have kept a very pure innocence. Which I try to maintain myself. And that is not easy in this industry.
You live in Paris now. What do you like here?
I love Paris, and it's lovely because I live in the 1st arrondissement. It is an extraordinary city but the French art of living is something I still have to get used to. All the administration, the bureaucracy, the holidays. The reception of the French press was wonderful. I am part of the very closed circle of haute couture. I really can't complain. However, the French culture is completely different from that of New York, so it was a shock. And then there is the language. I would love to be able to speak French fluently and hold a conversation!
Do you get up very early? Do you go to bed very late?
It depends, but I sleep very little. Always up between 3am and 5am.
Do you like going out? Do you play sports? What do you like to eat?
I like going to museums. I don't eat red meat. I do a lot of sports, especially at Barry's Bootcamp, as much as my body can tolerate. If I don't do this, everything gets too crazy for me. Otherwise, I don't really go out. At the office, I am the first to arrive because I love working in the morning at Place Vendôme.
When were you born?
September 5. I am Virgo like Elsa Schiaparelli, who was born on September 10.
Does spirituality interest you, since you were born in a very religious family?
I am not Catholic but Anglican. Spirituality and meditation are very important to me. Especially in this crazy industry.
Have you ever been to India?
I was a missionary in India, Pakistan, Jordan, and Kashmir when I was 19-years-old. It was another life.
