Italian Curiel, historical LBD specialist, is ready to conquer the world

PARIS — Curiel, a historic fashion house that pioneered the little black dress in Italy in the 1960s and has recently made significant inroads in China, is preparing for its international breakthrough.

The brand plans to present a new capsule collection for wholesale distribution at the Plan 8 showroom in Paris from June 23 to 29, taking advantage of the gathering of retailers and press in the French capital for Couture Week and pre-collections.

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“We want our designs to be versatile and to serve all women,” said Rafael Jimenez, who leads Curiel’s international development. “They are created with the aim of meeting the needs of different scenarios, from the daily commute to work to a formal occasion or cocktail.”

Founded in 1908 by Ortensia Curiel, an elite couturier based in Trieste, Italy, the house has been run by successive generations of female designers, its fame initially fueled among the aristocracy and the fairer sex through a partnership with Milan’s famed opera house La Scala forged in 1945. A little-known footnote in the brand’s vast lore: Karl Lagerfeld, one of fashion’s first mercenaries, designed a capsule collection for Curiel for fall 1970.

According to Jimenez, the initial capsule was specifically designed for international distribution “with a particular focus on Europe and America.”

He said he was targeting “independent stores with a strong connection to their customers” and hopes to revive collaborations with key department stores.

Ortensia Curiel’s daughter, Raffaella, who introduced painting into haute couture, presented her first collection in New York at Bergdorf Goodman in 1964, and at Harrods in London the following year.

“We want to connect with a younger generation of women who will appreciate timeless elegance and craftsmanship,” Jimenez said, touting her “dolce vita” spirit — the sweet life, in English — and values ​​such as vitality, passion and glamour.

Eventually, Curiel plans to build a network of independent flagship stores starting with Milan in 2026, Jiminez said, mentioning Hong Kong, Paris, London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul as other capitals being considered for openings over the next five years or so.

Chinese luxury brand management company RedStone Haute Couture, which also owns Italian high-end brand Giada, formed a joint venture with Curiel Srl in 2015.

Today, Curiel has 29 retail outlets in China, including a network of flagship stores and concessions in key department stores, including SKP in Beijing.

The design team draws inspiration from the archives, and the first capsule for international distribution interprets Curiel’s iconic dresses in sumptuous fabrics, including velvet. “It maintains the simple, sophisticated and elegant style that has characterized Curiel since the 1950s,” Jimenez explains.

Most of the items in the capsule collection are priced between 1,000 and 1,500 euros, well below the designers’ usual prices.

“This is intentional because we would like to reach a wider audience to introduce them to our cultural heritage and hopefully help instill a taste for sewing in new generations,” Jimenez said, hinting that celebrity endorsements, brand events, collaborations and “creative content” would be among his marketing levers.

“We want to be an alternative for women who love sewing, appreciate fashion and want an authentic atelier and a noble offer at an accessible price,” he continued. “We believe that we are living in a transitional period in fashion and we see opportunities for our type of approach.”

Curiel’s product lines include “alta moda”, its most luxurious line; evening dresses and tailored suits; its main ready-to-wear line and LBD-Pro, dedicated to the ballet arts.

In September, the brand plans to present its main collection at its headquarters in Via Montenapoleone in Milan, and then again in Paris.

Curiel’s return to the international stage comes at a time when another famous Italian name, Walter Albini, is preparing for a revival.

“A happy coincidence,” said Jimenez, stressing that Curiel was “one of the main protagonists of Made in Italy throughout the history of fashion.”

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