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Costume National and the Emperor of Cool
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Ennio Capasa
Salvatore Sampino
02/01/2007
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Passion has manifested itself through some of the most eclectic avenues in
modern culture. It is in the case of Ennio Capasa, the designer behind the
ever-emerging fashion powerhouse of Costume National, that an authentic
passion for motorcycles has influenced a major direction in his career, both in
fashion and in the international motorcycling community. These two worlds, which
ostensibly have had limited elements in common, now have boundaries which
have been muted, as do all endeavors that Capasa embarks upon. His fashions for
both men and women, have blurred the boundary lines between what is formal and
informal, what is masculine and what is feminine, what is permissible and what
is not, and between what is legend and what is fashion.
 Motorycling takes to the runway. (Click image to enlarge)
Hints of this began
to surface in early 2005, after a catwalk show in the Carreau du Temple in
Paris, where exotic teas from all over the world were served in oversize cups.
Capasa was genuinely apologetic for the chill and, after the show, one realized
that it did not make a difference anyway. He described his collection as “a
translation of a folk spirit, free from any reference to geography or
history, into something elegant and contemporary.” In a stunning amalgam of
short, lean bomber jackets, silk velvet, suede, silver and blue fox, python,
mink and marabou feathers, Capasa infused the spirit of rock icon Marianne
Faithful to create entirely new symbols brimming with sensuality and chic. At
the same time, a diffusion line was announced—C'N'C Costume National—which
targeted the younger, urban demographic. Unlike some of his trendier
predecessors, Capasa did not take the C'N'C line and glorify the bad boys and
girls of the streets; instead, and interestingly for us, he chose to glorify the
urban biker.
Later that same year, for the 2006 spring/summer collection, the
C'N'C Ducati street wear collection was announced during Pitti Uomo
in Florence, Italy. Taking inspiration from those famous Borgo Panigale
motor-cycles, Capasa admitted, “I have always looked to the world of bikers for
influence in my creations.” He spoke not only from a professional point of view,
but of his own passion for motorcycles, as well. “I wanted to re-invent
the concept of the urban biker and make it approach the aesthetic elements
of Italian tradition,” Capasa explains.
This formed the basis of an
agreement between his company, E.C. S.p.A., and Ducati Corse, which allowed
Capasa to design a series of leather bomber jackets, jeans tinted with the
vintage Ducati Meccanica logo, limited edition t-shirts, bags, belts,
accessories and high performance sneakers in 60 different colors. “I immediately
thought of Ducati,” Capasa says, “with their extremely high performance bikes
that combine sophisticated design with totally unique engines.” Inspired, Capasa
approached his collection in the same vein. “Each Ducati is characterized by a
strong personality and by an extreme attention to detail,” he stated. “This also
helps to transform a bike into an object of desire.” Amidst sporty trench coats,
trousers chopped off at the ankle and jeans riding low on the hips, there were
washed, beaten and worn Ducati biker jackets with coordinating Ducati buttons in
black, white and red. The collection’s strong, distinct lines were immediately
likened to ’60s and ’70s icons, such as Janis Joplin, Anita Pallenberg and
Mick Jagger.
 Capasa is not simply a
designer for art’s sake; his creations have practical applications. (Click image to enlarge)
As the C'N'C collection began to take off in Europe, so did
the relationship between Capasa and Ducati. David Gross, Ducati’s Creative
Director, was genuinely excited by the prospect of working with C'N'C and, in
particular, with Capasa. “At this moment in the world of fashion,” said Gross,
“we are referring to one of the most original Italian designers, someone who is
capable of capturing the soul and the special essence of our bikes, innovative
Italian design and accurate manufacturing, and identifying the myth of speed,
performance and modernity.” The two found their relationship to be both
constructive and synergistic. By February 2006, an official partnership was
announced between Ducati Corse and C'N'C Costume National at the presentation of
the 2006/2007 autumn/winter collection at the Arco della Pace in Milan. Loris
Capirossi, who had just returned from a winter testing session in Malaysia with
his MotoGP teammate Sete Giberneau, attended the shows following the
announcement that C'N'C had become an official sponsor of the Ducati Moto GP
team for the 2006 season. Subsequently, the C'N'C logo was present on the team’s
clothing in all rounds of the MotoGP World Championship.
What few people knew
during all of this, was that Capasa’s passion had been leading him to spend a
great deal of time at the Ducati factory in Bologna, researching, designing and
developing his dream motorcycle—the C'N'C Ducati Black Dogo Monster (RRMC
Gallery, November/December 2006).
Capasa admits that the project became
somewhat of an obsession for him, but one that he viewed as a challenge and a
privilege. With assistance from design specialist Simone Falcetta, and
inspiration from the S4Rs, Capasa created a totally unique and powerful machine
in the spirit of the Argentine Mastif. “I have always loved motorcycles and
especially Ducatis,” said Capasa. “For this reason, I began working on the
Monster Dogo project right from the beginning of the C'N'C launch.”
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