Schiaparelli: The House Daniel Roseberry rebuilt
When Daniel Roseberry’s appointment as creative director of French Haute Couture house Schiaparelli came in 2019, it seemed unexpected — and dare I say odd. An American born in Texas who, at the time, spoke no French nor had any formal training in haute couture was handed the mammoth task of leading this illustrious design house.
He is notably one of the youngest designers to do so, which seemed like an extremely risky move on the part of owner Diego Della Valle, who acquired the house in 2007 and revived it in 2014 after it went bankrupt in 1954. Nonetheless, since taking the reins, his genius became apparent, and he has catapulted the brand to a status that it has not seen in years. One could even argue this to be since Elsa Schiaparelli herself led the house.
Daniel’s earlier career in fashion was forged and honed at Thom Browne for over a decade after he left the Fashion Institute of Technology. Two months after his appointment at Schiaparelli he showcased his first haute couture collection where he leaned on the expertise and skill set of the in-house team to birth his vision. Daniel shared the many early mornings and late nights he would spend sketching with headphones in a cold apartment in New York City. This became the focal point of his show, placing himself in the middle of the runway, sketching while wearing headphones as models traversed the runway in creations that were birthed during that period.
Fast forward to 2024 and the anticipation and hype of a Schiaparelli show has intensified like a vampire thirsting after human blood. One might pose the question of how a young man from Texas born to a Christian family (his father was a minister) who went on mission trips around the world was handed the baton to usher in the new era or rebirth of an iconic brand? In an interview with Vogue, Daniel’s father shared an incident where both he and his wife recognised the unique qualities their son possessed. In their own words, “We gave him to God,”to which David responds, “And everything changed after that.”
One might say this became the catalyst for the path he finds himself on today. Perhaps divine intervention would be a more accurate description. Regardless, his genius is evident, as well as his childlike approach of wonder and joy in creating his incredibly well designed, artistic and structured collections.