In 2002, the French Chambre Syndicale de Haute Couture invited Ralph Rucci to show his haute couture collection in Paris, the first American designer to receive an invitation to do so since Mainbocher in the 30’s. Born the son of a Philadelphia butcher, Rucci is described as a rock star among the chauffer-driven set by Style.com. Not a familiar name to those getting their dose of fashion news from Oscar ceremonies, Rucci recently told an audience at the 92nd Street Y that he doesn’t loan clothes out for awards ceremonies, and is “not talented” enough to make mass marketable clothes. Advertising very little, if at all, his clothes are revered by a quiet and very influential class of women who attend his shows, buy his pieces, and wear them in public.
Asked on stage at the Y by interviewer Iku Ude of aRude Magazine just how much of fashion is advertising as opposed to substance, Ralph hesitated to respond, choosing his words carefully before elaborating diplomatically. “I’m convinced,” he said ruefully, “that some of the greatest work is never seen because some of those great people don’t have the availability to advertise significantly. The incestuous relationship between a magazine and advertisers is not new, but it has become very intense.”
His latest show last week at the tents in Bryant Park received a standing ovation by those in attendance according to Shophound, who wrote:
It’s always good to end on a high note, and you can’t get much higher than the masterful Chado Ralph Rucci collection that hit the runway this afternoon. Rucci has the most skilled atelier in New York, and possibly the world, and he invites an audience that is ready to applaud spontaneously for a particularly impressive feat of workmanship, or just for a startlingly beautiful dress.
The video above features highlights from the September 2008 talk at the Y, when Rucci and Ude discussed a variety of topics, such as the importance of fabric and why his team do not use synthetics, his work with House of Lesage in Paris (which drives up the price of a garment at least five figures, and sometimes six), the direction of his label, and the very small number of factories left in the world that can produce luxurious and extraordinary fabrics, as well as the rapidly dwindling number of skilled craftspeople who can work with these fabrics by hand. Recalling that some of his team members have been working with him for over 20 years, Ralph declared that when they retire, there will be no one to replace them. Explaining further, he noted that three decades ago when he first started in the business, on 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th Street between 7th and 9th Avenue in Manhattan, there were “all sorts of…wonderful immigrants who were taught this talent in their homeland” who are no longer there, having retired or passed away. As an example of the utilities and shortcuts some designers use today in the face of this, he says, “that’s why you see Gucci still having the bits and all of this, it’s a camouflage for the lack of integrity that you can give the garment through handwork.”
