Citizen Deconstructed is every man’s answer to hard wearing every day wear. We have profiled many brands in the past who cater for the boys of this town, but real burly men are a different story. We are talking about the ones who don’t want to wear skin-tight jeans, effeminate prints and dandy accessories. Believe it or not, there are some that don’t. Local designer Robert Rigutto is taking is upon himself to cater for these men, one collection at a time. Now in his second season with his brand Citizen Deconstructed, we had a chat with him to hear about how it all happened.

What did you study and where?
I studied at the Design Studio course at East Sydney TAFE.

How was this beneficial in the launching of your brand?
Well any tertiary education in the specific field you want to get into would be beneficial in launching your brand. However it’s really the experiences you have once you leave college that provide the major learning and make or break experiences. College is about learning the basics and foundation, on the job is where you learn the ropes.

What industry experience have you had previous to starting your own label?
I went straight from college into a design position at Cheery Lane in Melbourne. I then moved to NYC in 1989 and worked as a design director for major fashion household names – Barney’s NY, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, P.Diddy and Kenneth Cole. In each role I was working with the designer directly –  Calvin, Donna, Diddy and so on. The experience at this level was obviously a great help, but it’s about timing, talent and the situation at the end of the day.

When and why did you decide to do your own thing?
To be frank, it’s pretty slim pickings in Australia with someone of my background in menswear, there’s work in the U.S, Europe, Japan, but not here. The industry is small and dare I say it, Australian fashion is not looked at as seriously as NY, London, Milan and Paris. This is where it all starts and where the leaders show. That’s just the honest truth. I know a lot of people may disagree but this is my opinion based on my experience.

What is the biggest inspiration for your designs, and why?
Military and workwear utilitarian, where menswear originated and it’s what I relate to; it’s masculine, timeless and cool.

What other kind of interesting design techniques find their way into your work?
I usually have some interesting signature details I like to add into my collections. The sort of things I have been doing for years, like shoulder flaps, topstitched details, panel lines and seaming details… tone on tone has always been a signature for me also.

How would you describe your personal aesthetic?
Well it all depends, for clothing I like clean, modern, military, masculine, street and sporty… but for interiors it’s totally different.

Does this influence your designing?
Absolutely, I normally like to wear what I design.

Any exciting plans for the future?
I’m taking it all as it comes.