What’s getting Gian Romano amped up these days? No, it’s not just the turntables at Fluxxe. For Gian, who dreams in cloth, it’s the possibility of showing this collection, called Surface Desolation, to an audience in the coming month.
“In this collection I’m focusing more on lines and form, drawing inspiration from ventilation and air circulation, hence the dichotomous references and materials. I'm mixing sportswear elements and tailoring techniques: basketball jersey with silk, cotton twill with perforated nylon,” he explains with great detail. “The look is urban and industrial. It is very androgynous. Almost all of the pieces are unisex.”
Gian may be a young Padwan in fashion, but his phenomenal skills betray his age. He has also been around long enough to give his two cents’ worth: “What I hate about fashion today, especially in this country, is how people cannot seem to differentiate between being inspired by something and just plain ripping it off. Everything looks so derivative. I know it’s hard to come up with an original idea since almost everything now is ‘inspired’ or derived from previous ideas. But it’s how you make it your own that matters.”
The colonial mentality also bothers him: “How people compare local designer prices to foreign discount and retail chain prices is absolutely appalling. They’re paying for the idea, not only for labor and the amount of cloth that was used.”
If there is one thing that excites him it is the momentum that hits fashion: “What I like about it now is that it’s fast-paced and evolution only takes less than six months.” Although he is quick to add: “I don’t design for ‘now.’”
Surface Desolation is available at www.gianromano.com.