Alessandro Dell'Acqua is feeling very grateful at the "second chance" given to him by the fashion industry. Recently appointed to the helm of Rochas, he is surprised and delighted to find himself there - and is enthusiastic about the challenge.
"At 50 years old, this is unexpected for me. There are so many young designers out there, so it's an honour to have been given this chance. The first show will be in February, which is soon!" Dell'Acqua laughed before an in-store event in Selfridges - where his No.21 collection is selling "incredibly well," a spokesperson for the store said. "I'll still be based in Milan, although I'll go to Paris whenever I need to. Rochas is produced in Italy, in Florence, so it's good for me to be based there, and No.21 will continue of course; it's my baby."
But his Parisian second life isn't Dell'Acqua's only new beginning. After parting ways with his eponymous brand in 2009, Dell'Acqua founded No.21 - named after his birthdate and lucky number - with a new design direction, for a new, modern customer's needs.
"When I launched No.21, the price was one of the most important things to me," he said. "I wanted the brand to be affordable for real women. The aesthetic and the DNA was similar to Alessandro Dell'Acqua, but I launched that brand in 1996 - this was a different time. I love the style of Alexa Chung, Kate Moss, Franca Sozzani, Cate Blanchett - fashionista but not fashion victim, that is the woman who I dress. The quality is still important to me, but I'm not making cocktail dresses, eveningwear anymore. It's a more relaxed, more casual way of dressing. It's a new era for my career and I think my customer has grown with me."
And while Dell'Acqua admits that losing his name was "complicated and difficult" at first, he has settled into his new brand more comfortably that he would ever have imagined possible.
"I'm happy," he smiled. "I'm very, very busy, but very glad. We've had incredible support and I still enjoy what I do."
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