Photo Credit: Vito Fernicola
Creative Director of Diesel Licences, Andrea Rosso grew up in the fashion industry. He had the curiosity for the way ‘civilians’ wear military garments on the street and decided to launch his own brand – MYAR featuring army style pieces evolving towards street style.
We catch up with Andrea to discuss his passion for the vintage fashion and the military aesthetic in the sign of sustainability.
Head to Andrea Rosso’s profile on Lablaco to learn more about his work.
You started sewing at 20 years old with a vintage Pfaff, what inspired you to chose original military garments as a base for your brand MYAR?
I actually started sewing when I was 12 years old and I made my first pants when I was 13. I got my Pfaff sewing machine when I was 20 and I used to sew in my house when I was living in Como in Italy. Military garments have always been a field of inspiration for me because of their shapes, functionality, fabric type, colors, patterns, and designs. I just modify shapes and looks from the past, customizing them to a modern time, giving them a second chance.
Sustainability is one of MYAR’s values. What does sustainable fashion mean to you?
Sustainability is a big topic, nothing in the field of fashion is 100% sustainable. We can learn to get closer to that 100% if we start to educate the younger generations. When I think about MYAR I usually talk about up-cycle: I personally put my hands and do the research among piles of military garments laying in dusty and fascinating warehouses, picking each one of them, clean and customizing them, giving them a second life.
What have you learned from your work as a Creative Director of Diesel Licences, that you apply to MYAR?
Actually, it is not something specific, but I do like the world of interior, there are so many design features coming from the military field.
What are the challenges that you face with upcycling materials and scalability?
None of the garment is identical to each other! Every item is different, this is the beauty but also the challenge of MYAR, as we need to standardize lengths, clean and also repair many garments. To find sizes is difficult and within the same type of jackets, for example, you will always have different lengths of sleeves even if the size is the same! Imperfection and uniqueness are the beauty of MYAR, though.
How do you combine technology and vintage and what are the future plans for MYAR?
We actually study the original construction of the garment in order to customize with a similar “sartorial” construction of that time. We also stamp with woodblock in order to give a similar “ink” stamp feeling as the original garment. The technology involved is not so “high tech” but the final customization of the garment looks more modern than its past.
MYAR is the modern view of the past.
Head to Andrea Rosso’s profile on Lablaco to learn more about his work.
