Costume National
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The Label
After studying fashion and urban project design in Milan, Ennio Capasa left for Japan in 1982 to work for Yohji Yamamoto. Four years later, he returned to Milan to start his own label, Costume National—a name inspired by a book of uniforms—and launched his first ready-to-wear and shoe collection for women in 1987. Not wanting to deprive his own sex, Capasa started Costume National Homme in 1993 and has since diversified into fragrance, accessories, and the higher-end Costume National Black Label.
The Look
Lauded for heralding in the “new Italian design” movement (i.e. hypermodern innovations on classics), Capasa has always been known for his architectural precision in draping men’s and women’s necks, hips, and shoulders with impeccably tailored suiting, trench coats, and casualwear in body-hugging leathers, silk knits, and denim.
The Designer
A graduate of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Capasa dabbles in all types of creation. Beyond the runway, he designs costumes for stage and film and creates the concept for CNC’s stores as well as various art exhibitions, including a 2002 show at Milan’s Pavillion of Contemporary Art, which featured works from Louise Bourgeois and Cindy Sherman.
