Chado Ralph Rucci

Ralph Rucci graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1979 and founded his company in 1981. In 2002, he became the first American since Mainbocher to be invited to participate in the Paris haute couture. Like his predecessors, Balenciaga and Madame Grés, Rucci is dedicated to an ideal of beauty that has virtually disappeared from the world of contemporary fashion. His formal explorations in the couture also influence his ready-to-wear work; in fact, Rucci makes little distinction between his couture and ready-to-wear collections, often developing techniques in the former that he later adapts and applies to his more affordable collection. Rucci's clothes are made of luxurious materials, often sculpted and fitted with pieced construction and curving seams. The name of his company, Chado Ralph Rucci, refers to the Japanese tea ceremony, whose qualities, such as tranquility and grace, inspire his work.