Chanel began with hats. Vivienne Westwood styled ripped t-shirts and chains. Calvin Klein launched with a coat collection. The start of a fashion designer's career is often marked by a single item.
Belts are what designer Renèe Cascarina premieres with this Spring at the Milan Fashion Week coinciding neatly with the return of the waistline on runways. Her Italian-made leather bands are embellished with saturated screen prints, from scribbly-floral to sportif stripes.
Unlike many fashion aspirants, Cascarina expresses nonchalance about influencing the fashion industry or even competing within it. Perhaps this is because she arrives on the scene through the world of packaging design and screen-printing. She calls her accessories "art pieces."
"I grew up as a painter," said Cascarina. "I love the raw process of art-making. I feel this changed when I went into the design world. I have been trying to marry these two worlds ever since. Expressing this in fashion satisfies a lifelong passion."
The idea of duality figures into her three lines. All are reversible, and her line "Marsupio" is unisex. On one side, the graphics appear roughened and edgy, like advertising posters whose used remnants blend into city walls and become interchangeable with the texture. On the reverse side, you find flat colors with understated markings that emphasize the belts' classic shapes.
Handmade in an Italian factory outside of Florence, whose methods Cascarina says are "quite secretive," the belts come in three lines. Marsupio is characterized by a thin strap of natural leather punctured rhythmically with holes, allowing the wearer to decide on its placement on the torso. A screen-printed flat pocket optionally attaches to the leather with a gold clasp."It's the designer's job to find solutions for everything," said Cascarina. "When I go out at night, I do not like to carry a purse."
Her Marsupio design was born of the desire to ditch the handbag without compromising a look. The Empire belts cinch midriff or alternatively encircle the torso just above the waist. These dramatically wide strips each contain a patch of elastic sewn into its center. A slim gold clasp holds it all in place. In one design, distressed white script spells, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" amidst a smoky speckled backdrop. The flipside represents its conservative twin: a solid, sleek black without markings.
The Skinny line is reminiscent of the trend a few seasons ago, when men's ties were seen looped into jeans and wrapped around short skirts, with extra fabric dangling down the leg. Cascarina's Skinny design is a sexy leather sash like an elongated teardrop dangling from a simple gold hoop.
"The line represents the connection between my two homes, Italy and New York. Italy being the classic sensibility, the timeless quality, like a foundation. The New York soul brings energy, a modern twist. It's a little gritty, but that's beautiful."
Cascarina’s brand officially launches this summer in Florence, where she lives part time. An irreverent and publicly-staged fashion show is planned, using the Renaissance city as a backdrop. Cascarina says, "I get all my energy from New York City, but I go to Italy to digest it."
