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 Gai Mattiolo, 28 year-old Italian fashion designer and self-made businessman, relaxes in his vast design headquarters in the Portuense quarter of Rome. Although the 2,500 square meter space houses his large 45 person staff and a production area, it somehow retains the feeling of an elegant and intimate atelier. Mattiolo's innate sense of style and functionality also governs his fashions and has made his success almost inevitable. "Women like my designs because I emphasize their beauty, their femininity and their personality. I am not a minimalist and women do not have to starve to wear my fashions," he says matter-of-factly, as if this was a common thing for a designer to say. However unconventional this philosophy, eleven factories scattered throughout Northern Italy churning out Mattiolo's designs are a testimony to its validity.
Although he never attended a design school, his first collection premiered at the Spring 1987 Modit pret-a-porter shows in Milan. Outside of Italy, the Mattiolo label can now be found in Beirut, Taipei, and Osaka. In September, he will open a showroom in New York City. So far, he has received the support of such diverse international personalities as Raisa Gorbachev and actress Bo Derek. Based in Rome, Mattiolo is particularly proud of his endorsement from Mrs. Barbara Palombelli-Rutelli, wife of the mayor of Rome.
Between the Alta Moda and two Pret-a-Porter collections, and the footwear, handbag and fabrics collections, Mattiolo¹s company grossed $30 million last year. It would be only natural for a young designer to be somewhat giddy in the face of such tangible achievement but Gai Mattiolo¹s determination, focus and dedication are clear. "Even if you have success, keep your feet on the ground, believe absolutely in what you are
doing." Gai Mattiolo's passion for fashion was evident even as a child and continued to develop throughout his life, becoming his very raison
d'etre.
In 1987, having completed studies at the scientific academy, Gai Mattiolo was already prepared to show his first ready-to-wear garments at the Modit in Milano! It was a practical, concrete and determined collection, already marked by the suits in exclusive fabrics and the ironic cuts which would later become his calling card.
Commercial success did not elude the young designer and a new line was soon born, Gai Mattiolo Couture, a high-fashion Prêt-à-Porter line founded on excellent distribution, tailoring and creativity.
In 1994, Mattiolo presented a collection for the first time in Rome. In was the point of no return -- in short eight years the designer rose in status from a lowly high-school graduate with a striking aesthetic sense to a high-profile designer christened "one of the most prominent young stylists in Italy" by the trade press.
Already a presence on the market with boutiques in many international cities (Rome, Beirut, Sanremo, Taipei, Zurich, Paris, etc.), the splash caused by the Rome show attracted the attention of many a prominent personage from show business and the international jet set.
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