Neil Barrett (born Neil Barrett Barber in 1965, Devon) is an English fashion designer. He built his business around minimalist menswear.
Video Neil Barrett (fashion designer)
Biography
Neil Barrett's interest in fashion began at an early age: born in Devon, South West England, both his grandfather and great-grandfather were master tailors.
He studied at both Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art in London. Immediately after his graduation, Neil was recruited to work at Florentine-based Gucci, where he was appointed Senior Men's Designer.
After five years of work with Gucci, Neil approached Prada's CEO Patrizio Bertelli proposing the start of a men's line: 8 months later Prada Menswear was born.
In addition to his own label, Neil Barrett has collaborated with Puma on a collection of sports shoes. In 2003, he was named Creative Director for a series of Puma technical collections, including the Italy National Football Team's on-pitch kit and formalwear.
In 2006 Neil Barrett expanded into womenswear.
In 2009, instead of investing in retail stores, Neil Barrett chose to create a production division based in Tuscany, from where all sampling, production and distribution are currently coordinated. In countertrend with most fashion houses, 85% of the collections are, actually, Made in Italy. Moreover, the decision to independently reinvest in the production platforms - without a financial backer - coincided with a continued belief in focusing on Italian fabrics mills, new technologies and artisan producers.
2011 began with the strengthening of distribution: a Neil Barrett boutique opened in Landmark, Hong Kong, shortly followed by two mono-brand openings in Seoul, South Korea. Recently, Neil Barrett opened boutiques in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Macau, continuing the partnership with architect Zaha Hadid for the store-concepts.
Maps Neil Barrett (fashion designer)
Movies and Celebrities
Neil Barrett's suits have been a favourite with the likes of Gary Barlow, Ben Whishaw, and Matthew Morrison, but international trendsetters began turning to Neil Barrett for their wardrobe needs since 2004: Orlando Bloom, Colin Firth, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lenny Kravitz, Ewan McGregor, Chris Martin, and Mark Ruffalo just to name a few. Neil was especially proud when Brad Pitt chose to wear Neil Barrett for his change in image with Mr And Mrs Smith, becoming the first celebrity to wear one of the "hand aged" leather jackets that have since become signature pieces in the Neil Barrett collections.
After the launch of his Womenswear Collections, Neil Barrett has attracted celebrities, such as Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Kirsten Dunst, Angelina Jolie, Kate Hudson, and Robin Wright.
Over the years, Neil has also provided wardrobes for movie productions including Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3, I-Robot, and Ghostrider.
His shirts have been used by musician Justin Timberlake for his The 20/20 Experience World Tour and the music video for Take Back The Night.
References
External links
- Company website
- NYMag entry for Neil Barret
- Style Magazine's entry on Neil Barret collections 2005-2014
- Sherwood's interview to Neil Barret for the Independent
- Neil Barrett at the Fashion Model Directory
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments