Photo by Guido Barbagelata
A pioneer in avant-garde design and handmade clothing for both women and men, Geoffrey B. Small has shown more collections during Paris Fashion Week than any other American designer. He started his first small business using an old Singer sewing machine in his parent’s attic to make clothes for his friends. Within a few years, Small had become Boston’s leading bespoke tailor, designing and making clothes for politicians and celebrities alike.
Photo by Guido Barbagelata
After taking his work to Paris in a suitcase, he showcased his second collection at the Paris sur Mode salon, alongside the likes of Maurizio Altieri and Roberto Cavalli. Cofounder of Yves Saint Laurent and then Chambre Syndicale president Pierre Bergé hailed Small in the pages of Women’s Wear Daily as one of the few American designers with ‘true talent.’ Small is only the third American designer to be officially recognized and listed on the calendar of the Chambre Syndicale, France’s governing body of haute couture fashion. His controversial first runway collection garnered major press coverage in such industry staples as Collezioni Trends magazine, as well as orders from Barneys New York, Charles Gallay in Los Angeles, Maria Luisa in Paris and Albert Eickhoff in Germany.
With Martin Margiela and Xuly Bët, Small is accredited with pioneering the use of recycled design in fashion. At the time considered radical, Small introduced his first recycled menswear collection in Paris in 1996, selling from Paris to Japan in over 40 cities. Counting Winona Ryder, Halle Berry, Tori Spelling and Mariah Carey as clients for his womenswear collection, Small has produced and distributed over 30,000 handmade recycled pieces from his company in Boston.
Photo by Pierre Gayte
In the midst of a climate of change in the industry, with many major independent designers forming alliances with large corporate global brands, Small made the move to Italy in 1999 and entered into a licensing agreement to produce, finance and distribute his designs. After a few years and reorganized as an independent firm again, he is now making special clothes by hand in his apartment in Italy, in a strictly limited-edition series for a select group of leading stores around the world. With a maximum of 500 pieces per season, Small has survived the ongoing world political and economic crises and continues to produce and develop a pure research collection. He explains, ‘Fashion is an art and must be used to raise design quality, not lower it, speak the truth about the world, not lie about it, and do its best to make life better for everyone, not just an elite few.’
His continuously controversial collections address timely social and political messages, such as global feudalism and women in power in the twenty-first century. Small was the first designer at the Paris couture level to introduce designs that specifically addressed global warming and climate change. Presenting his ‘Do Something’ collection in 2008, Small prompted individuals to take personal action to resolve the world’s challenging problems. Forecasting the impending world economic crisis, he began to push the concept of ‘hyper-quality’, the production of bespoke hand-tailored pieces using the world’s best Italian luxury fabrics and a vast array of hand detailing. Alongside his social, political and environmental messages, Small creates one of the most sustainable, personal and environmentally sound luxury wardrobe concepts in the world.
Photo by Pierre Gayte
The Geoffrey B. Small line is sold to an exclusive range of high-end boutiques around the world, including the UK, the USA, Japan, Germany and Italy. He limits his distribution to 15 dealers for his handmade pieces per season. He has enjoyed extensive media coverage on MTV and in the magazines American Vogue, Numéro Homme and Women’s Wear Daily.
Website: www.geoffreybsmall.net
