The designer Natalia Antolin last summer he celebrated 30 years in the world of fashion and celebrated it with a party attended by the most influential celebrities in the field. And although among his milestones he underlines having created a textile concept at just 18 years of age, his emotion comes when he remembers having survived three almost lethal socioeconomic earthquakes, the Tequila effect, the 2001 crisis and the pandemic. “Three times I reinvented myself at work, in 1994, in 2002 and two years ago, when we came out of the pandemic. With the Corralito I lost almost everything. It was like starting from scratch, but with the experience of having had a brand. And the pandemic made me rethink the business. Argentina has always forced you to have two plans, the short and the medium term. Long-term projects in our country are unfeasible, ”he says.
Natalia Antolín is far from the cliché of eccentric and ostentatious designers. At first glance, her ways are closer to those of a yoga instructor than to those of a woman who for three decades has equalized the decibels of Argentine fashion. Thus, the interview with NOTICIAS takes place in a zen atmosphere, in which she, with the same tranquility that she remembers her beginnings in the garage of her house, she recounts what she felt when she dressed Lionel Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo.
News: Turning 30 years with a firm in Argentina has double merit, artistic and business, which rarely go hand in hand.
Natalia Antolin: From a very young age I liked fashion and at the same time I always had very personal ideas. I started making clothes for myself because I couldn’t find what I liked in any brand. But I didn’t take it seriously until after I was a mother, at 18, when I needed to support my son. That was my main motivation to avoid falling in the first setbacks, the need to support my family.
News: Where did your passion for fashion come from?
Antolin: An uncle of mine had a print shop in Polvorines and when he visited, he really enjoyed being in that world of fabrics, colors and pigments. From a very young age I knew that I wanted that for my life. Later, from the age of 18 to 24, I went by myself, with my son to upa, doing everything. He cut, sewed, buttoned, folded, bagged, and delivered.
News: Who was your inspiration when creating your designs?
Antolín: I understood fashion as a way of communicating. The ideas always started from my appearance and then I was thinking about them to other bodies, other personalities. The women who inspired me were always self-sufficient. I remember following Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Charlie’s Angels. Susana Giménez, whom I dressed years later, was also an icon for me. Empowered women, as it could be called today.
News: What do you think were the keys to your growth?
Antolin: I have to clarify that I am not a designer, I am self-taught. I didn’t do the Clothing Design degree, but I recommend doing it, the thing is that it didn’t exist before. And I don’t know the key, I can admit that I have always worked hard, trying to improve every day. I started by putting together small collections that had criteria and that were combinable. I admit that they always liked them. I had acceptance from my first dress. He had clients in San Isidro, Belgrano, Morón. The Conurbano I know everything.
News: Is dressing a celebrity more demanding?
Antolin: The process with celebrities is the same as with any client. Venturing to see how a dress is doing, that she feels cared for and so on. In fashion there are no mysteries. The formula is simple. Like and people want what they like.
News: In professional life, many times you reach different goals. What was your first “arrived”?
Antolín: In 2007 when I opened my first store in Palermo. There I felt that all the effort had been worth it and that I was well oriented. Seeing all my clothes together, without being next to other brands, made me very happy.
News: I thought he was going to tell me, for example, when he dressed Susana Giménez.
Antolin: They were high points in my life. Also when I dressed Natalia Oreiro. From now on I could tell you Antonela Roccuzzo. When I discovered her, I met a person in common, I told her my desire to dress her, she told me that she knew me, that she liked my clothes and I ended up wearing her for Luis Suárez’s wedding in Punta del Este. Antonela is a fabulous, humble woman, incredible in her beauty. Seeing her in my dress was touching the sky with her hands. Women like that are like a blessing. I went several times to assist her in Barcelona and Paris, but she still didn’t need anything from me, everything suited her perfectly.
News: Any other designer would try to conquer the most important squares of fashion. He never thought of leaving the country?
Antolin: No. Argentina is my place, it is where I achieved what I am and I am not going to change even if they promise to triple my sales in another country. Argentina allowed me to develop and I feel that sooner or later it will become important in the world economy again. Of course we always live with uncertainty. This is an election year and everyone stops you so you don’t risk everything for everything.
News: Does the fact that your brand has 90 percent of its staff be female, does it speak to this empowerment of current women?
Antolín: The 90s were very macho years, even in the world of fashion. And since I started very young, the truth was that it was not going to be easy for me to handle men, so I always dealt with women. In addition, in the workshops and stores there are always women trying on clothes, so it was much more organic that there were no men. I feel comfortable dealing with women, even though the macho imaginary says that we are competitive and envious.
News: What does your self-sustaining collection mean?
Antolin: It is called self-sustaining and circular. It is accepting a garment that a client bought in previous seasons as part of payment and giving that garment a longer journey until it reaches the point where its last use is donated. Garments in this way are recycled and circulated. Many of my dresses are only worn once or twice, so they have a longer useful life.
News: Are your technological collections based on this business premise?
Antolin: I have always been interested in including technology in my collections. 3D printing is a very useful tool, which also helps to avoid generating waste of materials that are difficult to recycle. For each garment there is 20% waste and with 3D printing only what is left on the garment is used.
News: The pandemic changed the world. And his category was one of the most punished.
Antolin: The pandemic was very hard. One of the worst moments of my life, both at work and personally. The business was driven in like a stake, with very uncertain prospects. Luckily I had the support of my family and my entire team and that was essential for us to get through it. The creation of the virtual store allowed us to continue selling, but they were months of great anguish. Every day I woke up thinking about what to do so that the brand did not die.
News: After 30 years in the profession, what gives you joy?
Antolín: My joy is the same as when I started. Knowing that the person who buys me the dress buys it to end up dancing. It makes me happy to see the photos from the parties, when they tell me their stories, whoever they are, a celebrity or a client that only I know. That is my joy, knowing that my clients enjoy. I am interested in the life that my dresses have, from the moment they come in to buy them until after they take them away.
News: How do you deal with the ego of celebrities?
Antolín: I don’t manage anyone’s ego nor am I interested in doing so. I focus on what is mine, which is to leave them beautiful for the event they have. When they arrive at the store or contact me, they are one more client. And when I look for them, because I want to wear them, I contact them, I do everything that has to be done in terms of business but with the conviction of the garment as the strong bond.
News: Many influencers and models must contact her to ask for exchanges or to see them. Is it so?
Antolín: Looking for models or referents makes them not look for me. Maybe they don’t want to put their ego at stake, so they don’t propose anything to me. And those that arrive are analyzed with my team, but I don’t have any left over for more. Today I have my seasonal collections and capsules, which are inspired by China Suárez and Verónica Lozano. Nothing else. I don’t want to hog everything and I’m not interested in going beyond what I can handle.
News: Have you ever been interested in dressing men?
Antolin: I am currently working on a unisex collection. It is not men’s fashion but it is unisex. More and more men wear my clothes and I love that that happens. I often dressed my husband in suits made to measure for him and as fashion is becoming more unified every time, the most rational thing was to launch a unisex line. Today’s fashion gives you freedom to play with the ambiguity of bodies.
by By Mariano Casas Di Nardo.
