Skip to main content

The fashion world is a rollercoaster at the best of times. But imagine getting on that wild ride at the tender age of 13. That's Esteban Cortazar's story. The Colombian-born designer was only a kid when I met him in 2001. He was 17 at the time and the youngest designer to ever show at New York Fashion Week. Cortazar had been mentored by American designer Todd Oldham, whom he met while living in South Beach. The 13-year-old Cortazar so impressed Oldham that he invited him to attend his show in New York, where the aspiring young designer was discovered by Bloomingdale's fashion director Kal Ruttenstein. It wasn't long before Cortazar launched his own line and became the darling of the American fashion media. By the age of 23, he had moved to Paris and taken the creative reigns at Ungaro. Two years later, he was dismissed for refusing to work with Lindsay Lohan, who was enigmatically appointed artistic director of the house – a management move that resulted in much-publicized failure for the label that season.

In 2012, the resilient talent teamed up with hot e-tailer Net-a-Porter to sell his forward collections online while looking to expand his business. With a strong new collection now launching at Holt Renfrew, Cortazar paid a visit to Toronto recently, where I talked with him about his South Beach start, his sunny perspective and why snobbery may be fashion's greatest hurdle.

You were so young when you started out. What's your perspective now on your early beginnings?

Sometimes I look back at those images and videos and I can't believe that I was doing all of that! There was no pressure at the time. I was being me and I was able to express myself however I wanted to. I have parents who allowed me to be whoever I wanted to be from early on. And that was very special. I still have that kind of internal freedom.

Tell me about how you first connected with Todd Oldham.

I was living in South Beach, Miami, where Todd had just opened his store. Gianni Versace was building his house, and I was living on top of the News Café on Ocean Drive and 8th Street and all the supermodels were coming at the time. Herb Ritts, Demarchelier, Lindbergh – they were all shooting the girls right in front of me. This was my playground. I'd come home from school at 3 p.m. and go across the beach to see my father and there would be trailers with Cindy and Claudia and Naomi and they would all be shooting the Calvin Klein ads there. Then Madonna started coming. And this is what I had all around me. So that was really the influence that got me wanting to be a part of it. Todd invited me to his spring 1997 show in New York and that was the first time I ever went to a real fashion show. My father took me to New York and I went to see the fittings at Todd's studio with all the girls. Years later, when I did my own show in New York, Cindy Crawford came and [modelled] because I'd met her backstage at Todd's and she'd remembered.

And then you found yourself at the creative helm of Ungaro. You'd never even been to Europe before.

It was like I was living this dream and I had to just do it without worrying whether or not I had the experience or knowledge or know-how. I had to just embrace the fact that I got this opportunity. And this is what I did. It was the most incredible experience so far in my life because it brought me to Paris. It showed me the level that I need to be at.

When you look around at so many other great talents that have succumbed to the pressures – because not everybody survives this crazy game – what does that do to you? How did you keep yourself grounded?

I've made every experience positive in the end. If it wasn't for my Ungaro departure, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity with Net-a-Porter and with [its founder] Natalie Massenet, who took me under her wing and made me think that I needed to relaunch my label and just do my own thing. All these things are little stepping stones and happen for a reason. And now I'm actually showing in Paris on the official Chambre Syndicale calendar. It's a dream come true.

Do you look at where you are now and think, 'I've arrived'?

I never feel like I've arrived at all. But I feel like I am fortunate to have an opportunity to express myself. I hope that I'm also able to inspire young people that want to do what I'm doing. And because I have the experience of that rollercoaster that I've lived, I don't take it for granted. I have to enjoy it – every minute of it.

I've always loved the way you see the world and the way you see what fashion is really all about.

One of the biggest issues I've had with the industry is the snobbiness of it, and for me, it's always been about how to have a nice, loving energy and be kind to others and enjoy what we do, because in the end, fashion is supposed to be something that is joyous and fun and not taken so seriously.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe