SS26 Menswear - FUNCTION AND FINESSE with Umberto Villahermosa

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FUNCTION AND FINESSE
*with Umberto Villahermosa

written CHIDOZIE OBASI

For Italian talent Umberto Villahermosa, a lifestyle pundit whose affection with outdoor sports and art goes back in time, the past year has marked a transition in his path. “I started a clothing brand and I’m learning how to manage my time around working as a model, while building a solid base,” he says, cosily, as we begin to settle into our conversation.

Umberto wears a blazer and shirt by DOLCE&GABBANA, pants by QUARTO ATTO, and shoes by CANALI

Umberto wears a blazer and shirt by DOLCE&GABBANA

“It’s been a big challenge, but I’m willing to take it, and it brought a new fire of longing within me.” Since childhood, he’s always been a very creatively-driven kid, and aged fifteen he began building his own surfboards. “It’s only really when I moved over to Milano to study Economics that I understood I was drawn more towards creative disciplines like painting, photography and design,” he confesses. “I’ve always lived with the mentality of making something myself rather than buying it,” he adds. Umberto kicked off his modeling career because of his grandmother, who worked for the Italian house Fendi when she was younger. “She told me that I could work well as a model,” he says, “and took me, just like a scouter, to who’s still my current mother agency.”

Umberto wears a blazer and shirt by DOLCE&GABBANA

He wasn’t considering that becoming reality at first, but as he began to work he realised that it was interesting and unique, and that he much preferred honing such practice than working as a finance professional or in a corporate office as his life was originally meant to be. “The uprise of socials during those years also gave me a further opportunity to express myself and release a vision of who I was under my own lens, and that was such a lovely medley of accumulated experiences and sources of inspiration that once again drove me more towards the realm of creativity,” he says. “At the time, I was also motivated by the love I gained on social media, which could also be a slippery slope for obvious mental health reasons,” he reflects. As for the rest? Well, there’s more to the story, which you’ll probably read here first. You’re welcome.

Umberto wears a coat by ACT N1, a shirt by CANAKU, pants by THE NOUR, shoes by JIMMY CHOO, and an archive tie

Chidozie Obasi
Could you unpack your biggest career feats?

Umberto Villahermosa
During the past twelve years of my career, I’d say some of my proudest jobs are my first lookbook shoots for brands such as Versace, Dolce&Gabbana but also shows during fashion week, for example my first ever shows such as MSGM or Philipp Plein. I'm talking about those beginning jobs because I still remember the enthusiasm levels to this day.

How about the complex moments you’ve had?

I would refer as complex moments the fact that modelling, such as a lot of other creative jobs, is not a super stable career, there’s lots of ups and downs and those downturns can be understandably harsh if you don’t have a solid mindset that comes with understanding the idea that you cannot have control over every single facet of your path.

As a model and talent with such a broad experience and portfolio, how did you manage to stay afloat amid the system’s downturns?

I highly believe in professionality and humanity as fundamental values, no matter what the work environment is. You can have your face on all the magazine covers and on the biggest brand campaigns, but if you show up at work late and you treat others badly because you think you are superior, I would personally not hire you to represent my brand. I think I have always respected that and it definitely helped to keep me afloat.

Umberto wears a total look by LORO PIANA

Moving onto your brand, could you expand on it and specify how you are hoping to scale it further?

During my climbing years, I noticed I couldn’t find a comfortable pair of pants to practice such activity outdoors and that would protect my knees and shins from scratches that you would get from hitting granite rock. Therefore, I started climbing with karate pants that were very comfortable in terms of flexibility, but that wouldn’t protect enough from scratches. I decided to make my own climbing because I like to experiment with patterns and create destructured designs that are now the most sold, and that’s how Sasso People was born. I also give the opportunity to customers to have a custom sizing for maximum comfort, and I’m committed to having the closest possible to zero waste repurposing the fabric scraps into accessories and climbing bags. I transformed my living room into my studio, and I currently make everything by hand. It’s doable but I’m at maximum capacity. The big challenge will be to expand with production outsourcing, but in a way that I can maintain the same level of craftsmanship and low environmental impact because these, together with building a healthy and inclusive community, are the main values of the brand.

What’s next for you?

I will surely continue working as a model, keep developing the brand and find solutions to get to a broader public and grow the community. On a more personal level, I promised myself to work on my mental health and take care of myself a little more.

Umberto wears a blazer by CARUSO

Umberto wears a blazer by CARUSO and pants by THE LATEST

Umberto wears an overshirt by PAUL SMITH, a shirt and pants by LABO.ART, and shoes by CHURCH’S

Umberto wears a tank top by MICHAEL KORS, pants by DOLCE&GABBANA, and jewellery by LAG WORLD

Umberto wears a blazer by HED MAYNER, pants by THE LATEST, a hat by DOLCE&GABBANA, and jewellery by LAG WORLD and EUPHORIA NEW

Umberto wears a shirt by GRIFONI and pants by PHYSIQUE DU ROLE and MEIMEIJ

photography COSIMO BUCCOLIERI via STUDIO REPOSSI
fashion market director +and stylist CHIDOZIE OBASI
head of production JESSICA LOVATO
fashion coordinators ALBERTO MICHISANTI + EDWARD PUSCA
make up CHIARA GUIZZETTI via THE GREEN APPLE ITALIA
hair FUJIWARA TAKAHASHI via MKS MILANO
model UMBERTO VILLAHERMOSA via INDEPENDENT MGMT
photography assistant ANTONIO CROTTI
fashion assistants SIMONA VERNAZZA + ANGELINA PERSIANI + SOFIA FARINA + CHARISSE ORDINARIA + LUIZA ANGELOVA + CHIARA DE BONIS

credits
all Images (c) LE MILE
and Cosimo Buccolieri