In March this year, Brioni appointed Justin O'Shea as its new creative director after undergoing layoffs and reorganization. The news aroused public opinion because the 37-year-old Australian man has no fashion design background. Before joining Brioni, he was the global fashion director of the German e-commerce platform MyTheresa and has many years of retail background. In addition, Justin O'Shea has a figure and appearance comparable to that of a professional model, as well as an exquisite dressing style, which has also made him the darling of street photographers and a celebrity on Instagram - even shaving off his thick beard once became a hot topic among the public.

On July 4, Paris time, Justin O'Shea's first Brioni series after his appointment was released during the Paris Haute Couture Women's Wear Week. Vogue.com and the New York Times also interviewed Justin O'Shea, a "layman", and his views and practices, regardless of whether they are suitable or not, are indeed quite fresh.

It turns out he doesn’t like Brioni

Justin O’Shea used to be a frequent customer of New York tailor-made suit brand Jake Mueser. About a year before he took over as Brioni's creative director, he tried on a Brioni suit and found that he didn't like it.

Not a professional designer

He admitted that his experience in sketching was limited to drawing sunglasses on a napkin when he was bored on a plane, and he didn't know much about the craftsmanship of men's clothing before that.

Debut

The first series is named "Paris One", abandoning the practice of naming according to past seasons, and choosing to release it during Haute Couture Women's Wear Week to highlight Brioni's respect for handcraftsmanship. This debut show will adopt a "show now, buy now" model. Guests can order new clothes immediately after the show through private appointments, and stores, online stores and designated third-party retailers will soon start selling. What is particularly pointed out is that since the closure of the women's clothing line in September 2011 and the termination of the contract with designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua, this is the brand's once again involvement in women's clothing.

Make men who wear Brioni look more like themselves

Having an appearance and figure that does not belong to a professional male model, he has always been a frequent sight in the lenses of street photographers, so Justin O'Shea decided to make Brioni's new image closer to his own style. "I don't worry about others saying that these looks are too much like myself. I have to thank François-Henri Pinault (CEO of Kering Group, Brioni's parent company). He told me that if there is no shadow of you in the new series, then don't do it."

Not caring

Being a non-professional designer, media suspicion, public opinion... these are not problems for Justin O'Shea, "Who cares!" ? The fashion industry is no longer what it was ten years ago, and we can no longer follow the same old routine. "In addition, he also feels that "it is better to be supported by a few people than to be so-called liked by a group of people."

But also afraid

“I'm almost scared to death. If this series doesn't work well, I'll be done with it in my life. But it all starts with trying, and this is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

Self-defeating video

On the eve of the release of the new series, Brioni's official Instagram released a series of short videos. Justin O'Shea made a self-deprecating mockery of public opinion's various speculations and doubts about him: For example, in the short film called "The Skecth", he drew a design sketch that was almost at the kindergarten level and tried to explain the mystery to the work team; in "Language" In "Barrier" (Language Barrier), Hei studied Italian with the iPhone software, but no one could understand him; in "Campaign", he narcissistically told the PR staff that it would be great if they could put the photo on the Eiffel Tower, but the other party didn't respond at all. When talking about filming an advertisement with members of the Metallica band, he portrayed himself as a silly sweet guy who tried to point fingers but was ignored... In short, Justin O'Shea responded to various doubts from the outside world in this humorous way.

He is a rock fan

When on vacation, he would return to his hometown, the town of Nhulunbuy in northern Australia, ride a Harley motorcycle, play guitar in a band called "Pub Rock", and perform mostly songs by the old rock band AC/DC.

New ad

Justin O'Shea's first advertisement after taking over as creative director of Brioni invited the famous rock band Metallica to appear. He said that for the suits that appeared in the advertisement, his design work was meticulous down to every centimeter: "I want to design the most perfect suit in my mind!" ”.

New font

The Gothic font Brioni Logo that appears in the new advertisement was used by the brand in the 1950s and 1980s - — — “Those were Brioni's most glorious years, and it looks great! ”, Justin O’Shea asked his good friend Danny to help him redesign the Logo: “The B letter now looks like it has more strokes and is more decorative.”

About design

“I design looks, not unrelated items.”

About Pitti Uomo

“I don’t want to do those pink and yellow, purple eggplant-like Pitti Uomo peacock male rags.”

Make men who wear Brioni look more like themselves

Having an appearance and figure that does not belong to a professional male model, he has always been a frequent sight in the lenses of street photographers, so Justin O'Shea decided to make Brioni's new image closer to his own style. "I don't worry about others saying that these looks are too much like myself. I have to thank François-Henri Pinault (CEO of Kering Group, Brioni's parent company). He told me that if there is no shadow of you in the new series, then don't do it."

Customers matter

On the new show, 40% of the seats will be reserved for Brioni customers; Justin O'Shea also plans to attract more customers and double the brand's revenue within three to five years.

About accessories

“Now my focus is also on developing accessories, such as glasses, leather goods, shoes, etc. But as a brand based on clothing, this is just a goal set for development and does not need to be imposed on old customers who originally only loved our suits. I'm like this myself. If I buy shoes, I'll look for the coolest shoe brand. You don't have to be loyal to any brand."

Make suits cooler

Brioni, founded in Rome in 1945, has always been known for its exquisite craftsmanship in men's clothing. Its customer list includes many Hollywood actors including Clark Gables, and it was once James Bond's official suit brand in the 007 series of movies. "It seems a bit boring to talk about custom-made suits now, and you know how boring men's clothing can be!" But fashionable men's clothing should be like a pimp, like a mafia, so that people will have an emotional response."

Part of the interviews in this article come from the New York Times (original text: The New Brioni, Shaken and Stirred) and Vogue.com (original text: "It Should Be Pimp! It Should Be Awesome!" —Justin O'Shea Reveals His Strategy for Giving Tailoring, and Brioni, a Boost)