Ottolinger was created for women by the minds of two very young creatives, Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient. It offers a spectrum of rich contrasting combinations, featuring skin-revealing pinstripe suits, men's ties and leopard-print belts, fur coats, miniskirts, and capri pants in technical fabric. The story of the brand starts from Swiss streetwear and winds its way to the Fédération Française de la Haute Couture et de la Mode in Paris, from the catwalks of New York to collaborations with Puma that have propelled motorcycle aesthetics into the mainstream. Gadient and Bösch base their work on deconstruction, a concept that in their studio elevates conventionally street pieces with post-apocalyptic details and innovative styling. Heels mix studs and foam rubber, dresses interweave cotton and metallic inserts in a sort of avant-garde armour to bring rebellious and provocative women to the catwalk, capturing the attention of many as soon as they enter a room. We meet Cosima Gadient at Slam Jam in Milan, and her calm demeanour, her smile, and her shoes (she’s wearing the latest sneaker model presented by Ottolinger at fashion week, not in store yet) captivate everyone's gaze. While posing in front of the photographer next to Ottolinger's first installation, however, she apologises for her shyness.

Gadient can't wait for Ottolinger's collaboration with Puma to be available in boutiques. She tells us that making sneakers is like working on a film, as it takes several years from the initial production steps to the actual release of the project. «It's like going to the premiere, you see yourself from three years before,» explains the designer. Together with Puma, Gadient and Bösch revisited an iconic model, the Mostro, turning them into boots that intertwine boxing aesthetics with motorcycle culture. Just as it did in 1999, when the original design first debuted on the market, Ottolinger's Mostro has captured the hearts of both brands' audiences with each iteration. «With this collaboration, we've grown a bit, hired more people, and expanded. It's not easy as an independent brand,» says Gadient, grateful for the expansion opportunities that have arisen from the partnership with Puma.

Despite the continuous successes achieved by the brand, from recognition by the Parisian high fashion federation to that of European institutions (according to the designer, Ottolinger resonates with young students, who often contact her and Bösch to prove that «they can make it» too), the company's headquarters are still based in Berlin. «It's always nice to change, but it would be really difficult to move the entire team,» she explains, adding that among the reasons that convinced her and Bösch to establish Ottolinger in the German capital are certainly its nightlife, which they love, and its economic accessibility: «We are very attached to our bubble, in Berlin you can still have your privacy. Fashion is a system and in a way Berlin is a bit like us. We can participate in the system but also do our own thing, we don't feel under pressure.»

The Ottolinger woman is seemingly glacial, a femme fatale of the new millennium who effortlessly blends sensuality and utility. A vision of daring and captivating femininity emerges, marked by a stark contrast between office wear and bondage, on which all the brand's creatives collaborate in complete harmony, starting with the cooperation of Gadient and Bösch. «I think Christa is one of the most talented designers I've ever met, it’s the opposite of a competition between us,» says the designer as she talks about the brand's philosophy. «We try to be holistic, everything we do is made alongside the people who work with us: if we worked alone on the brand, I'm not sure it would still be around.» On this note, Gadient draws a parallel between the ideals shared by the people working at Ottolinger and the brand's organic-chic imagery. Even when dealing with avant-garde silhouettes and palettes focused on metallic colours and innovative details, the collections offer a continuous reference to the natural world through diverse and textural textures, a tactile stimulus. «It's like a chain reaction, our approach is very feminine,» Gadient adds. «Apart from the design research, it's really about a layer that covers and protects you, that makes you feel empowered. It's very physical in this sense.»

Even the new FW24 sneakers that Gadient is wearing, just like the Mostro, have received strong opinions as soon as they appeared online, especially because they bring back into vogue the much-controversial pairing of heels and sneakers. «We'll never lose the sneaker girl in us, but we have to grow,» admits Gadient, nodding to the brand's new goals. «Where we grew up, in Switzerland, there was no fashion, there was streetwear, but now we're interested in other things too because our lifestyle has changed. There are many interesting things we'd like to explore, like suiting.» Reflecting on the reasons that have led Ottolinger to success, the designer speaks of timing because, she says, «Ottolinger was born at a time when it was still easy to make it on social media, now things have changed,» she adds. «I think fashion has collapsed a bit in the last couple of years, we were part of a last wave where it was still possible to get visibility on Instagram,» certain, however, that among Ottolinger's upcoming releases there are surprises of which she’s very proud.

It is in Gadient's sincerity that we find the last factor influencing Ottolinger's rise to the top of the fashion industry. No matter where, whether in Berlin, New York, or Paris, whether on Instagram and thanks to the algorithm, if Ottolinger has managed to build such a large global community, if the brand's latest collaborations have sparked a viral sensation on social media, credit for success can no longer be attributed to hype culture alone. Intercepting the signals of the zeitgeist and the style of the time and translating them into collections rich in inventiveness is a quality that cannot be manufactured by some algorithmic force. Like their designs, focused on organic aesthetics and ultra-feminine corporeality, the talent of Gadient and Bösch comes naturally.

CREDITS:

Photographer: Vincent Migliore
Interview: Adelaide Guerisoli