Description
Nicola Formichetti is an Italian stylist, editor, and fashion designer. Born to an Italian father and a Japanese mother, he grew up in Rome and Tokyo. He moved to London, and told his parents he was going to architecture school as an excuse. While there, he spent several years immersed in the club scene, eventually beginning work at a boutique called “The Pineal Eye.”
He eventually became the creative director and buyer for the boutique, known for its range of fashions. while working at The Pineal Eye, Formichetti was spotted by Dazed & Confused fashion editor Katy England, who then hired him on for a monthly page called “Eye Spy.” Eventually, Formichetti became the magazine’s fashion director in 200, and then its creative director in 2008. His work at Dazed & Confused has led him to work at other well known publications, such as Arena Homme, V, Another magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar USA.
Formichetti was also an editor at Vogue Hommes Japan from its inception until 2012, when the magazine was folded and became GQ Style. Apart from doing editorial work, Formichetti has collaborated with many photographers and brands on work as well, such as Hedi Slimane, Terry Richardson, Steven Klein, and Nike, Stussy, Topman, among more. Formichetti was also a prominent member of Lady Gaga’s design team. Haus of Gaga. He has been her stylist or fashion director from 2009-2012, dressing her for her tours and various shoots and events. In 2010, after months of speculation, Formichetti was named the creative director Parisian label, Thierry Mugler in 2010, a post he left in 2013.
Afterwards, he became the artistic director at Diesel. Formichetti also runs his own line with his brother, named Nicopanda, with stores around the world selling items based on the cartoon character, which is a representation of Formichetti himself. Since 2013, Formichetti is also the fashion director of fast-fashion retailer, Uniqlo.
Nicola is well known for his use of the internet to make fashion accessible for everyone, transcending social echelons. For this reason, he created a Japanese fashion magazine called Free, which is free-of-charge and circulated in print and online, with its first issue Spring/Summer 2015.
