236
After years of shaping collections for some of the most prestigious fashion houses in Paris and Milan, including Giambattista Valli, Pucci and Max Mara, Salvo Rizza reached a point where he longed to tell a story that was entirely his own, one unfiltered by another designer’s vision. This wasn’t sparked by a single moment, but rather by a growing sense of creative restlessness and a desire for independence. He envisioned a brand where femininity could be questioned and reimagined, yet celebrated in all its complexity. Out of this idea, Des Phemmes was born. The Daily caught up with Rizza in Paris where we explored the decisions that led him to launch his own label, the experiences that shaped him, and the bold directions in which he hopes to take the brand next.
The name Des Phemmes evokes femininity but with a touch of irreverence. What does it signify to you personally?
The name Des Phemmes comes from a play on the French expression de femmes “of women,” but I wanted to detach it from any direct linguistic or cultural reference. The “Des” evokes the French article, suggesting a collective, something plural and inclusive. “Phemmes,” instead, is an intentional distortion of “femmes.” I altered the spelling so it wouldn’t belong to any specific language. I wanted it to sound universal, almost abstract, yet still rooted in the idea of women as the emotional and creative core of the brand. Des Phemmes is, ultimately, about giving back a dimension of love, power, and authorship to women while celebrating their presence as both muse and maker.
Your background is quite diverse: born in Germany, raised in Sicily, educated in Milan, and trained in Paris. How did those places shape your aesthetic?
Each place I’ve lived has contributed to building what I call a sense of tension, that dialogue between opposites that constantly defines my work. Germany gave me discipline and structure; Sicily, emotion and instinct; Milan, a sense of precision; and Paris, the freedom to turn that rigor into something poetic. These worlds are extremely different, yet it’s in their friction that my vision exists.
Des Phemmes has been described as balancing effortless elegance with avant-garde experimentation. How do you achieve that “perfectly balanced imbalance” you talk about?
That “balanced imbalance” comes from the constant dialogue between opposites, the tension that lives at the heart of Des Phemmes. I’m fascinated by dualities: masculine and feminine, minimalism and maximalism, structure and fluidity. For me, the most interesting space is always the one in between where contrasts coexist and create something unexpected. It’s not about reconciling opposites, but allowing them to collide and challenge each other. That’s where harmony becomes truly contemporary.
A central theme in your work is the deconstruction of femininity. How do you reinterpret that concept through your collections?
Deconstructing femininity doesn’t mean denying it; it means freeing it from stereotypes. I like to explore how femininity can be powerful, ironic, and vulnerable at once. Each collection tries to reinterpret that idea through contrasts: delicate fabrics built on architectural structures, embellishments used almost as armor, transparency that reveals strength rather than fragility. It’s about showing that femininity is not a single aesthetic, but a spectrum of attitudes that are fluid, intelligent, and self-aware.
How do you approach color? Your palettes are both playful and sophisticated, almost architectural in composition.
Color plays a fundamental role in my process. It’s never an afterthought, but the starting point of a narrative. I’m interested in how colors interact and how they vibrate when placed next to one another. Each palette defines the rhythm and identity of a collection. My use of color probably comes from both my cultural background and my professional formation. Growing up in the South, I was surrounded by light and contrast, and I later refined that sensibility through a more structured, almost architectural approach. That mix creates a visual tension that feels both emotional and precise.
Beyond fashion, what other art forms (cinema, design, music) feed your creativity?
Cinema has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, especially the work of Fellini, Visconti, and Pasolini. I’m fascinated by the way they used beauty and excess to explore emotion and identity. There’s something deeply visual and human in their storytelling that resonates with my own approach to fashion. Music is another constant reference. I move between classical and electronic, from Björk, FKA twigs, and Arca, to contemporary artists like Rosalía. I’m currently obsessed with her new track LUX. The mix she created is incredible, as it feels both sacred and experimental. Sound, for me, works like color; it builds atmosphere, tension, and emotion.
Your SS26 collection, “Check-in Check-out,” was inspired by Sophie Calle. What drew you to her world, and how do her ideas translate into fashion?
The SS26 collection, Check-in Check-out, was inspired by Hotel, a work by Sophie Calle in which she took a job as a chambermaid in a Venetian hotel and secretly photographed the rooms before cleaning them. I was fascinated by that exploration of intimacy and how spaces can tell human stories through absence, traces, and disorder. It made me reflect on the emotional relationship we have with clothing: how garments, like rooms, carry fragments of who we are and where we’ve been. The collection translates that idea through contrasts of opacity and transparency, structured silhouettes that reveal vulnerability, and materials that feel both protective and exposed.
You’ve mentioned the influence of the 1990s, surrealism, and rationalist architecture. How do you weave such diverse references into your work?
At Des Phemmes, I like to create dialogues between worlds that don’t naturally belong together. The 1990s taught me the power of clarity and tension, that idea of simplicity charged with emotion. Surrealism adds a layer of dreamlike freedom, while rationalist architecture anchors everything in proportion and precision. These influences come together in the brand’s eithos, where it can be emotional yet structured, instinctive yet exact. I’ve always been an enormous fan of Helmut Lang too. His approach to design showed me how conceptual rigor can live inside something deeply human, and how real life and abstraction can coexist within the same garment.
Who is the Des Phemmes woman? Are there particular muses who embody the spirit of your designs?
I’ve never imagined the Des Phemmes woman as a single figure; she’s every woman. The beauty of the brand lies in that universality, in speaking to women of all ages, backgrounds, and identities. What interests me is not a type, but an attitude and the way a woman carries herself, her awareness, and her contradictions. I don’t have a specific muse because every woman becomes one in her own way. From my view, being a woman is not a definition, it’s a movement, which is constantly evolving, complex, and deeply inspiring.
Fabric seems to play a crucial role in your collections. How do you approach material research?
Fabric is always the starting point for me, as it’s where the story begins. I spend a lot of time researching materials, testing how they react to light, to movement, and to the body. I like fabrics that have duality: rigid yet fluid, glossy yet raw. That contrast becomes part of the brand’s language. The material often dictates the silhouette. It guides the construction rather than being a consequence of it.
Your collections are often described as couture-inspired yet accessible. How do you balance artistry with wearability?
What I try to do, at the core, is to make objects real. I love the idea that clothes are meant to be lived in, not preserved like museum pieces. There’s something deeply human in the relationship we build with garments, especially when it comes to craftsmanship and embroidery. The perfect example of this balance is our iconic white T-shirt with the splash embroidery. A white T-shirt is the most democratic item in any wardrobe in its simplicity and universality. By adding an intricate, couture level embroidery on top of it, I’m merging two worlds: the everyday and the extraordinary. That tension between accessibility and artistry is exactly what defines Des Phemmes.
Des Phemmes is now carried by major international retailers, from Bergdorf Goodman to LuisaViaRoma. How has that expansion influenced your design approach?
When you create a brand, it’s always a process of discovery, step by step, often in the dark. You evolve as you go. As Des Phemmes has reached a broader and more diverse audience, I’ve learned to think in terms of balance. I look to design collections that can speak to different women, different rhythms, and different occasions. What I’m building now feels almost like a wardrobe, a complete universe where each piece has its own identity but still connects to a larger narrative.
You recently collaborated with Moda Operandi on a capsule collection. How do you see collaborations fitting into the Des Phemmes universe?
Collaborations are about dialogue, an exchange of visions that allows the brand to evolve without losing its identity. Moda Operandi has been a partner since the very beginning, and our collaboration has naturally grown over time. It’s a platform that allows me to work on more focused capsules, exploring specific ideas beyond the main collection. It’s a way to experiment freely while staying true to what Des Phemmes represents.
With new investment and global recognition, what are your next ambitions for the brand?
My ambition is to keep growing while preserving the integrity of the brand. With our global recognition and investment backing, we’re now preparing the next phase for Des Phemmes. For instance, we want to develop a retail footprint, starting with pop-ups and select monobrand experiences. At the same time, we’re working to differentiate the product offer by expanding beyond our current categories. This dual path allows the brand to evolve organically all while staying true to its core.
The fashion industry is always evolving so rapidly. What keeps you grounded as a designer?
What keeps me grounded is the fact that my life, at its core, hasn’t really changed. I’m surrounded by the same people and I keep the same routines. That normality protects me. Fashion is a way of expressing myself, but it’s also simply my work and my daily bread. I feed off what I do, and that keeps me focused and centered, especially in an industry where everything moves so quickly. I think staying grounded means remembering why you started and holding onto the genuine love for creation, not the noise surrounding it.
What advice would you give young designers who want to establish an authentic brand identity?
The best advice I can give is to hold on because it takes a lot of strength and perseverance to survive. There are so many moments when you feel like everything is falling apart, but you have to keep going. Somehow, when things seem about to collapse, they often turn around. And most importantly, stay true to yourself. Do what you believe in, even when it feels difficult or uncertain. Authenticity isn’t a strategy; it’s the only real foundation you can build on.
If you could define Des Phemmes in one word, what would it be?
Tension. Because Des Phemmes lives in that space between opposites: structure and emotion, masculine and feminine, minimalism and maximalism. It’s where contrast becomes harmony, and imperfection turns into beauty.
All Images: Courtesy of Des Phemmes