Francisco Costa
Francisco Costa
Head of creative design for Calvin Klein Collection's women's line.
NationalityBrazilian
ProfessionFashion Designer
Date of Birth10 May 1964
CountryBrazil
fashion parent textiles
My parents had a factory, so I was linked to the textile and fashion industry.
fashion new-york school
I came to New York when I was 21, 22. I couldn't speak English. I knew I wanted to go to fashion school.
fashion average littles
I hope the average woman feels she needs practicality but with a little bit of fantasy. Otherwise, it's just not fashion.
fashion artist clothes
I'm not an artist. I'm a fashion designer of clothes.
mother fashion passion
My love of fashion stemmed from my mother's passion for it.
fashion designer wanted
I wanted to be involved with fashion, though I didn't know what being a designer meant.
classes factory figure moved produce rio technician took
Right after high school, I moved to Rio and took classes to become a technician for a manufacturing factory where you had to figure out how to produce 3,000 pairs of jeans. But in Rio, I was by myself, which was very liberating, being so young. I got to do my own thing.
certain designer itself less maybe organic relevant school
I wonder if I would have been less organic of a designer without my background. Maybe I would be more academic about designing, more methodical. I want things to be a certain way, and I'm very precise, but school itself wasn't that relevant for me.
ask brazil later obviously people smart work
When people ask me what it is about Brazil and my work, it's not something that I can say literally. It's unidentifiable. It's like when you do research and things inspire you. If you're smart enough, then obviously you don't take it literally. The inspiration will come out later somehow.
anywhere chance cook escape garden life living love peaceful philosophy positive stay whenever
I love to garden and cook whenever I get the chance and escape anywhere that's peaceful and quiet. My philosophy on living well is to always stay positive in life.
architecture art design inspired landscapes
I'm inspired by many things, from landscapes to textiles. Art and architecture always influence my design process.
detach gives interested interview love sends somebody work
I'm so not interested in gossip. It just gives me the creeps. I love the work; I love what I do. If somebody sends me an interview that has any connotation of something that's not interesting or genuine, I'm not interested. I really detach myself from it.
art influences information later literal meet shows
When I say art influences me, which it does, it's not at all in a literal form. You go and see exhibitions or collections or meet an artist. It's all a compilation. Every moment, at all times, all this information. Then all this information disappears, and it shows up later in the process.
flea searching separate
You think 24-7 when you're a creative person. And I find pleasure in everything - if I'm in a flea market, I'm there on my downtime, but I'm also there searching for the collection. I don't separate the two.