September 2011 marks the launch of the ASPESI official online store. To celebrate, Yatzer presents a retrospective of the brand’s iconic ad campaigns which regardless of the occasion and timing, always conformed to the fundamental principle of its founder Alberto Aspesi: to ''be different''.

Alberto Aspesi has always been a fashion iconoclast. Devoted to the creation of high quality, no-frills garments, the mastermind behind the Italian luxury sportswear brand refuses to conform to the unwritten rules of the fashion world. Elements such as extravagant shows, fashion calendars, tiring PR and celebrity usage has never made any sense for the creator of the ASPESI label. Rather, the emphasis was placed upon offering clothes that were impeccably cut using exceptional materials; an essential quality that made ASPESI, one of Italy’s best secrets.  Since its founding by Alberto Aspesi in 1961, the brand has been defined by its classic, timeless attitude. Each collection is a product of extensive research in fabrics and materials ensuring the finest results in its selective offering. It therefore comes as no surprise that the ASPESI brand is considered to be one of Italy’s fashion label assets with a dedicated following of discerning customers who respond to its superb quality and distinction.

It is often said that the ‘genes’ of the creator pass on to a brand’s DNA. Undeniably true in ASPESI’s case, as Alberto Aspesi’s unique character has been injected into his brand is profoundly apparent in its ad portfolio, managed as of 1991 by Dirk van Dooren, art director at the creative agency TOMATO.  It seems that the founder discovered his vision for the image of his brand in Dirk’s imagination.
 
Unconventional and effortless, ASPESI’s campaigns always comprised a revolution in advertising orthodoxy that was closer to the limits of art rather than any form of marketing. Browsing through the archives of ASPESI’s ad campaigns over the years, one realizes that the kind of advertising that is engaging and interesting is one that does not batter the consumer with the constant obsession with the face and body. Starting from snaps of clothes set against eccentric backgrounds and poetic quotes, to 1988’s Peter Lindbergh snapshots of Linda Evangelista in Palm Springs CA, and Robert Frank’s subtle photographic images, APSESI’s advertising basket is always thought provoking.

Almost fifty years after its founding, ASPESI launched its official online store granting brand loyalists full access to a cult classic.  Developed and run by The Level Group, e-Commerce partners to the fashion world and designed by the new media creative agency Dodicitrenta, the ASPESI online shopping experience constitutes a pleasure for the online shopper. As the brand’s spokesperson put it;
>> We waited to establish a presence on the Internet and access to a truly worldwide distribution only when we were satisfied that we would be able to convey the same experience that our clients can have in our shops without compromises. We feel very happy with the result. We hope our clients will like it as well <<
 
Needless to say, that their ultimate goal has certainly been achieved.