Style duo sparks menswear frisson
"Fernando used to come to my studio and all the time he was asking me, 'When are you going to do a men's range?'", claimed Finetti, who waited with an artist's respect for gut feeling until the time was right to collaborate with his friend on a "serious label" for the male casual market.
That time has come, and the result is Frisoni Finetti, which launched to widespread acclaim at the recent Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and, according to its creators, will give the "distressed denim" brigade a run for its money.
"Men are really wanting to dress up. They have got to a stage when they do not just want to wear thongs and jeans any more," Finetti said.
Cool styling and a basic palette including navy, grey, black and white form the key to the high-end collection, which comprises around 40 pieces including tees priced between $140 and $160, shirts from $180 to $250, pants from $280 to $300, jackets including a "biker" for $400 and casual suit jacket for $380 and shorts at $200. The look is described as ultra stylish, clean and wearable, with standout tailoring and detailing that clearly touched a nerve with buyers; major department stores David Jones and Myers are allegedly vying for a deal, there's a slew of overseas accounts in the offing and numerous independent stores have made approaches following fashion week.
Frisoni - best known as the creator of the Sydney Morning Herald's street style column in its 'S' supplement - studied the market extensively prior to launching the brand.
"We conducted surveys on the streets asking men what they wanted and it became very clear that there was a massive gap in the market for this type of clothing which I would describe as 'gentleman with a twist'," he said.
Frisoni Finetti had no formal advertising strategy in place, but had lined up musician Diesel's son Jesse Lizotte as a young celebrity ambassador, while actor Sam Neill had committed to promoting the range to a more mature market.
In any case with a market thirsty for a return to relaxed male elegance, it was hoped the label would "speak for itself", Frisoni said.
"It's a very classic collection with just a little bit of a twist in the fabrication and detailing. It's subtle yet noticeable, but not scary."