Esteban Cortazar for Net-a-Porter from Adam Mufti on Vimeo.

Colombian-born, Miami-raised designer Esteban Cortázar makes this video ‘The Confessions of Esteban Cortazar’ directed by Adam Mufti for the designer’s debut collection on Net-a-Porter.

The child of jazz signer Dominique Vaughan and artist Valentino Cortázar, Esteban first showed sketches to designer Todd Oldham at the age of 13.

In December 2007, Cortázar was appointed Head Designer at Emanuel Ungaro where he worked until he was fired in 2009, after refusing to work with Lindsay Lohan. Lohan was appointed Artistic Director, and Cortázar was replaced by Estrella Archs, who also left Ungaro after one year due to irreconcilable differences related to the creative direction of the brand.

In the brief film, Cortázar discusses his ideal woman — his muse — and a debut collection at Net-A-Porter. Comparing a fashion collection to film and performance, he says the model is like an actress and the designer a director. In this case model Pauline is “fantastic, like a dream”.

The Soul of Esteban Cortázar ‘Girl’

Comparing his new Net-a-Porter collection to a rebirth, the designer says the cutouts and insinuations of skin in the collection goes back to my love for the female body in general. To paraphrase: “I really wanted to tap into the soul of the girl and find the girl of Esteban Cortázar.”

“I look at myself as someone who is quite fearless, how young I was when I started, how driven I was… . It’s just about believing in myself, knowing who I am, knowing what I want, finding that place. Having the right people around me, everything else is secondary to me at the end.”

These comments are interesting as a reminder that designer fashion is often about woman as muse, an objective representation of the designer’s vision. The very talented and likeable Esteban Cortázar isn’t designing for the woman, but rather finding the woman who visually manifests his vision.

On one hand, the female body — Pauline’s body — purifies the designer’s vision as he or she sees it. The model — or consumer — is the expression of the designer’s vision. In truth though, she remains a mere messenger in the creative process.

Watching this excellent video portrait of Esteban Cortázar, I wonder how Celine’s designer Phoebe Philo or Alexander McQueen’s designer Sarah Burton would address the same topic. ~ Anne

Fashion designer Esteban Cortázar