Stefano Pilati is in Sicily. But he can’t say what he’s working on. He wears the art of discretion as well as any clothes.
Last time we spoke, the designer mentioned how he was planning a trip to the Scottish Highlands. He had packed all his best tweeds, cashmeres and flannels, before being told to leave them behind: he’d need outdoor gear, the type of water-repellent garb synonymous with registered trademarks. I thought how performance waterproofs were so far off his radar – to the point of not acknowledging their existence – was brilliant.
And it is in his choices that he wows us: the man has taste. Besides an instinctive predilection for lovely fabrics, which is how he began as an assistant at Cerruti in Milan, he has the sartorial flair of the aristocratic. He’ll also wear the likes of sweatshirts, Margiela Tabi heels, Comme des Garçons, and any number of fugacious, fleeting this-ol’-things seemingly dragged from thin air and thrown on, his hand still evident in their styling and how ingeniously things sit. Traditionally furnished and exotically paired is a combination that will never be surpassed.
Pilati has been making fashion work for him for over 40 years now, and like all style icons – though there are truly few – his elegance comes from the mind. It’s how he astonishes while remaining himself. Always.
In the summer of 2024, @stefanopilati took to Instagram to analyse his collections at Yves Saint Laurent, where he was artistic director from 2004-2012. Illuminating the work with a sacred depth, as a consequence the half-baked thoughts of some of his critics were further embarrassed. If some decided the clothes were too sophisticated, wait for the rationale! The look is total.
The menswear was hugely aspirational to me, and it was clear the YSL man was himself. I had a black trench coat with a black and white check lining that a colleague told me looked like ‘money’ – even when I’d hastily fastened it over a hoodie to attend a job that was making me sick. That coat had a measured sangfroid that allowed me not only to move, but crucially move on. On being given a lookbook at the Sloane Street boutique years earlier, I thought how sumptuous everything appeared – not knowing then of Pilati’s textile expertise, but already understanding that when the fabric has beauty and is then made superbly into a garment or accessory, the effect is ravishing in tenfold. My favourite item I own is a jacket from Autumn/Winter 2011 in monochrome houndstooth that has a high shawl collar in black velvet, with jetted pockets and cuffs to match. The velvet reaches inside, where you’ll find an embroidered Cassandre monogram and a pocket exactly the right size for a packet of cigarettes, so smartly conceived as to not disrupt its silhouette. He knows the jacket is special: this is the second time I’ve told him. I’m sure lots of people have something they’re equally as fond of.
After Cerruti, Pilati worked for Armani in the 1990s, then Prada, before becoming designer at Miu Miu where he reported directly to Mrs Prada. Post-Saint Laurent, in 2013, he moved from the fashion capital of Paris to Berlin, a city with its own pulse, and began designing (with distance) for Zegna. Consistently asked when he would create his own label, Pilati launched Random Identities in 2017, a griffe that was not eponymous and instead championed fluid gender expression, inspired by the people and life around him.
And this is it: Pilati remains open, breathing the air du temps. He is set to become Editor-at-Large for the Chinese edition of Fantastic Man, though when we speak during summer he has not yet dialled in.
Finding Pilati the creative in pursuit of beauty, the photographs you see here are cinematic moments of aesthetic perversion. Becoming different characters, he is at his most chameleonic.
While the answers to our questions, inspired by the legendary Proust Questionnaire, are intimately Stefano. The parlour game, immortalised by the French writer as a personality test, reveals his nature and character.
What are you wearing right now?
A T-shirt from the band of a friend of mine called Wild Daughter; a pair of white 501 Levi’s; a snake belt; and tobacco-coloured Minnetonka fringed moccasins.
What looks best on you?
Mostly everything.
Where are you?
Sicily.
Where would you rather be?
Perhaps NYC.
What do you most like about the age we live in?
Technology and the freedom to be outspoken.
What do you dislike about the age we live in?
Hypocrisy; false dogmas; wars; power games; the lack of philosophy; what fashion has become.
What quality do you like in a man?
Humility.
What quality do you like in a woman?
Self-knowledge.
What trait do you deplore?
Ego-mindedness.
What do you admire?
Sex appeal and intelligence, because they are sexy!
When did you last surprise someone?
I don’t know.
What poem are you most fond of? Why?
The Lion for Real by Allen Ginsberg. The lion's presence is both literal and metaphorical, representing the man's own inner turmoil and search for meaning. The poem explores themes of isolation, self-discovery, and the power of the subconscious through the speaker's interactions with the lion. The man's attempts to share his experience are met with indifference or hostility, reflecting feelings of alienation.
What's your favourite meal?
Pizza.
Who's your favourite pop star?
Prince.
What's your most-liked piece of classical music? How does it make you feel?
Mozart, Requiem in D Minor. It makes me feel celestial.
What artist captivates you?
Cy Twombly.
Which is your most used emoji?
The rolling eyes emoji.
What makes you laugh?
When people fall.
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken?
Falling in love and building my brand.
What’s your most vivid childhood memory?
Too many! Most are traumas.
What's the best car to arrive in?
Rolls-Royce.
What's the best manner to depart?
It depends, but I always say goodbye and thank you to the host.
What's your favourite tattoo?
The one I did when I was 9 years old on my left wrist.
What is your favourite colour and flower?
Carnation red and poppy.
What are your favourite names?
Cara and Orso.
What's your most treasured possession?
Life itself.
What flourish most encapsulates your style?
Hand-tailored boxers with my initials embroidered.
What phrase do you most overuse?
I hate people.
What's your greatest achievement so far?
Being myself.
What do you regret?
Not having lived in NYC.
What’s your hidden talent?
Art, acting, singing.
What is your motto?
What goes around comes around.
What's next?
Tomorrow will tell.
STEFANO PILATI
TEXT DEAN MAYO DAVIES
PHOTOGRAPHY CARMINE ROMANO
FASHION BRANDO PRIZZON
REPLICA MAN #15, AUTUMN 2025
COVER STORY