As Taller Marmo designers Yago Goicoechea and Riccardo Audisio prepare to show their SS16 collection at Fashion Forward Dubai today, we look back at our interview in MOJEH Issue 31 with the award winners, fledgling fashion ambassadors for the region and breakout design stars.
By Natalie Trevis
Taller Marmo is the self-styled intellectual brand of timeless pieces created by designer duo Yago Goicoechea and Riccardo Audisio. Classmates at Istituto Marangoni in Milan, the pair took early leave from fashion academia to translate their vision into Taller Marmo in Dubai in 2013, and answer the eternal question, “Can an intellectual brand look sexy?”.
“Can those two things combine,” asks Yago, “because when you think about a brand like Maison Margiela, you feel something very masculine. Everything started with that question.” In their quest for the answer, the truly international label – Yago is Argentinian, Riccardo Italian, production takes place in Milan and the label is firmly rooted in Dubai – has found a signature in a pared back, frequently monochromatic aesthetic and eye-catching seasonal campaigns (pairing model mother and daughter in the AW15 look book to show that the collection is capable of transcending generations).
Affirmation came quickly. The brand was recently announced as the womenswear winners of the 2015/16 International Woolmark Prize for India, Pakistan and the Middle East. The first time a Dubai womenswear label has won the prestigious accolade. “It was a nice thing to get,” Yago tells us modestly of the Gertrude Bell-inspired collection. “First of all, because of the recognition – Woolmark has a historic association. It has that magic because Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld are past winners.” Between introducing pre-collections, presenting SS16 in Paris and working on the final international round of Woolmark, the pair are running on a heady mix of creativity and adrenalin. Do they ever stop to think about the secret of longevity in this notoriously fickle industry? Riccardo whispers into Yago’s ear and he laughs, “To not be a cool brand. Because when you go up very fast, you can go down very fast, too. I think that’s important – to not be a cool brand.”
