Anything associated with Italian label Costume National can be described as cool and understated. First, there's the company's headquarters, situated around the corner from the Naviglia, the remainder of Milan's defunct canal system, now home to fashion design and photography studios, chic cafes and underground boutiques. The industrial building doesn't look like much from the outside. However, once inside, it's a completely different vibe with large open spaces, clean white walls and minimalist black furniture.
Then there's its clothes; the beauty of which is in the details.
'I love details. People can watch the show and think it's nice but when they actually look at the garment they discover the real beauty of it,' says the brand's founder and designer, Ennio Capasa, who is in Hong Kong tomorrow before heading to Beijing to launch 21, a book celebrating the brand's 21st anniversary, at Lane Crawford.
'There's enormous work in the fabric, details and construction, so it's something [special] for the person wearing it,' Capasa says.
Capasa's name is relatively unknown to those outside the fashion industry, even though his clothes are worn by celebrities including Madonna, Lenny Kravitz and Kate Moss.
However, there is no question that Capasa is influential, with his style being echoed on the catwalks of Milan and Paris and, more importantly, on the streets, which he has long cited as his main inspiration.