MEZZI PROFILE #3: IN THE STUDIO WITH KEVIN COSTELLO, MEZZI'S HEAD DESIGNER
Apr 14, 2015
As MEZZI's head designer, Kevin Costello finds inspiration in Manhattan's stunning architecture and has maintained the same design process since the start of his career: charmingly, he sketches only with 0.5mm and 2mm 6B pencils and prefers basic copy paper.
Kevin is a brand's dream. He brings with him an incredible collection of contacts and an expertise that is hard to rival. With an astute understanding of how to ensure an entire collection conveys brand identity and an ability to create technical drawings so precise and detailed you'd think they belong in a frame, Kevin is a very welcome addition to the MEZZI team.
Weekly, sometimes daily, Skype meetings are a pleasure as we discuss the next MEZZI collection. Together we look through exterior and interior design ideas, leather swatches and potential hardware for each bag. The team is mindful of what our muse will carry in each of the bags, where the technology is best situated for ease and functionality and how the bag will most often be carried. Kevin's passion for the directive is clear as he excitedly shows us an orange swatch of snakeskin-embossed leather, or a swatch of his favorite glossy alligator-embossed leather in a deep black.
Based in New York, Kevin has spent the last 20 years operating as both a head designer and consultant to a vast array of internationally recognized brands including Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Vince Camuto, Shinola and Mackage, just to name a few, and now MEZZI! It was our pleasure to learn a little bit more about the man behind the talent:
MEZZI: What first piqued your interest in handbag and metal work design?
Kevin Costello: I've always been interested in building things. I was a painter early in my school days, but soon realized that working in three dimensions was my true love. Metal became a passion quickly after I started creating sculptures out of copper and bronze. I was lucky enough to be accepted to the prestigious metalsmithing program at SUNY New Paltz under Bob Ebendorf and Jamie Bennett. I never looked back to painting again! Out of school, I quickly learned that the knowledge I acquired as a metalsmith, jewelry, belt and shoe designer could be put towards creating a handbag! I really enjoy creating things that people will use and that can help to make them feel special.
MEZZI: What was your first role out of school?
KC: I was a jeweller for Lisa Jenks, a very popular designer in the 80s. She sold at Barney's and Bergdorf Goodman. It funded me being an artist.
MEZZI: What do you consider to be your favourite part of design?
KC: Making or creating something from nothing is an incredible feeling. It validates all the hard work and long hours you put into a product knowing you made something you are proud of and can really call your own... Especially when people love it!
MEZZI: What was it about the MEZZI vision that drew you to work for the company?
KC: When I was first introduced to MEZZI I really identified with the vision for a collection of beautifully refined bags, which is very much in line with my own design aesthetic. It's very exciting to be part of the team and help the brand grow. Plus, having technology be incorporated into the bags was an angle that I have been thinking about for awhile and when I heard the passion in Keir Reynolds (MEZZI CEO, read a recent blog post from him here), when we first spoke on the phone, I felt that this opportunity was one I wanted to be a part of.
MEZZI: What has been your greatest inspiration for the upcoming MEZZI collection?
KC: I want to bring the use of different materials and textures, plus we're excited to debut custom hardware that will really be part of MEZZI's brand identity and make a statement on the bags!
MEZZI: Having worked with so many notable brands, how has your design process evolved?
KC: My design process has pretty much been the same throughout my career. I sketch with 0.5mm and 2mm 6B pencils and basic copy paper. I get as many ideas down on paper as a I possibly can when they start coming to me. I look at art, architecture, vintage and contemporary handbags and shoe details to get the process started. You never know when the ideas will stop, so you let it take you to as many places as you can go. I usually go places I did not expect and that is what keeps the design process fresh and new for me every time.
MEZZI: With reports that wearables are still too tech focused in design and aesthetic, why do you think it's so important to create a fashionable wearable that seamlessly integrates fashion and technology?
KC: I feel that women deserve a bag that better enables them in their busy lives, but that they aren't looking for a bag that is obviously tech-focused. Women want to look and feel good with the accessory choices they make! MEZZI bags will impress them with design and function at the same time. The fact that MEZZI accommodates and supports their tech devices and incorporates useful smart technology but is designed as a stylish handbag will be something they have never seen before. I feel it will bring a whole new meaning to handbags for the consumer.
MEZZI: What is it about living in New York City that you find inspiring?
KC: Growing up in a small town outside of NYC, I always dreamed of being part of the energy here., after college I ran straight to the City! The abundance and variety of art, theatre and museums is unique to New York and is an endless source of inspiration. There energy here feeds my creativity. Hoping to see your bag on the shoulder of someone is an ever present reality here. It is our market place and our customer lives here.
It's an exciting time at MEZZI HQ and we can't wait to show you what we're working on with Kevin!
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