When Calvin Klein stepped down in 2003, Italo Zucchelli assumed the role of Design Director of the brand’s menswear collections, following four seasons working directly with Klein. The S/S 2004 collection, shown in 2003, was Italo’s first. Italo is a graduate of the Polimoda School of Fashion Design in Florence (1988), although he also previously attended courses for two years at the Architecture University, also in Florence. Prior to being recruited by Calvin Klein, he spent two years as menswear designer for Jil Sander; then a spell as designer at Romeo Gigli. Born 6 April 1965, he grew up near the Italian coastal town of La Spezia. Italo recalls that his first glimpse into the world of Calvin Klein was provided in 1982, with a men’s underwear advertisement that starred Olympic pole-vault athlete Tom Hintnaus. Italo’s designs encapsulate the spirit of Calvin Klein’s sexy, American philosophy; an aesthetic inspired by the human form and the idea of designing clothes that relate directly to the body in a sophisticated and effortless manner. The simplicity and purity of the brand’s design roots is a discipline in itself, one which Italo deploys with a certain European panache, and inherent sense of sophisticated cool that has not only met with critical acclaim, but is an honest continuation of the Calvin Klein brand philosophy. Italo lives and works in New York City.
