Bruno Ierullo is an eclectic and renowned Italian-Canadian fashion designer who splits his time between Toronto, New York and Milan. His B.I. label, designed and made from his Toronto studio, produces both men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, bags, shoes and jewellery.
Who is afraid of big, bad colour?
“I love colour,” Ierullo says. “I like to clash colours, use colours in a way they haven’t been used before.” He only uses top-of-the-line fabrics in his women’s and menswear – Italian wool, French silks and Irish linens – and there are only 100 of each piece made, in sizes ranging from 2 to 14.
Toronto-born Bruno Ierullo made his debut on the international fashion scene with his vibrant colours and detail-oriented accented clothing line atop a 60-foot stage on Oct. 22nd, 2009, during Toronto Fashion Week. Entertainment during the hour-long show included dancers, explosions and drag performers.
Since “eccentric” and “fashion designer” have become almost laughably synonymous, it was hard not to assume Jesse Mann’s documentary on Toronto designer Bruno Ierullo would be another predictably excessive and tiresome portrayal of an over-the-top character.
Material Success is a documentary featuring Bruno Ierullo, a first-time fashion designer in the midst of preparing his debut runway show. On the heels of a personal tragedy, Bruno decides to risk his savings, change careers, and chase his dreams to design the most colourful, eccentric and happiest clothing line the world has ever seen.
Documenting the events of the month leading up to the runway show, this heartwarming film explores Ierullo’s ideologies and the motivations that inspired both his designs and his new life. As the show day approaches mayhem and hilarity breaks out as egos clash and the friendship between Susan Benavides, the collection’s production manager, and Ierullo is tested to its limits.
You see every detail that is put into the making of the garments, organising the venues and rehearsal space, the casting of models, organising models, the hard task of picking or rejecting said models, coaching the models, the late hours, the last minute items, the disagreements and most importantly the final moment when everything comes together and see why Bruno does what he does.
Bruno Ierullo is one of those characters that, usually, a storyteller only dreams of. He’s eccentric (that’s perhaps an understatement), charismatic, talkative (that’s definitely an understatement), and sure of himself.
We caught up with him for the latest in our Q&A series to talk fashion, life and of course London.
1. When did fashion/a sense of personal style first become important to you?
Since I was very young I’ve been very aware of clothing and excited about fashion and the thought of making my own clothes.
Let’s put on a show! That’s what Mickey Rooney used to say in those iconic musicals he made with Judy Garland in the 30s.
That same kind of enthusiasm drives Toronto-based fashion designer Bruno Ierullo as he prepares for his first runway presentation.
Thing is, that energy and some good production values are about all Material Success has to offer. It’s a blow-by-blow account of how Ierullo and his trusty seamstress, Susana Benavides, mounted his mammoth 300-piece extravaganza in 2010.
Genre: Documentary
Director: Jesse Mann
Stars: Bruno Ierullo, Susana Benavides
Rating: 4/5
Bruno Ierullo is no typical fashion designer — and he’s the first to let you know it. Material Success follows the loud and eccentric Bruno as he prepares his 300-plus garment collection for his first-ever fashion show. He’s got one month to pull it all together — the clothing, the models, the music, etc. — and for Bruno, who invested his life savings into his collection, it’s make it or break it. Much like its leading man, the film is fast-paced and frenetic. Brilliantly edited by first- time feature director and editor Jesse Mann, this film will keep audiences in suspense.
FASHION DESIGN is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories. Some work alone or as part of a team. They attempt to satisfy consumer desire for aesthetically designed clothing; and, because of the time required to bring a garment onto the market, must at times anticipate changing consumer tastes.
This documentary features Bruno Ierullo, a first-time fashion designer from Canada, in the midst of preparing for his debut runway show. On the heels of a personal tragedy, he decides to risk his savings, change careers and pursue his dream to design the most colourful, eccentric and happiest clothing line the world has seen.
wesome production for Bruno Ierullo’s fashion show at the International Centre in Toronto. B.I.’s Renegade 2013 Collection featured approximately 350 looks over the span of about 2 hours…straight. The 400 ft elevated runway had rock concert lighting and sound that definitely made for a fantastic show. I used about 36GB of memory for this one show which, to put in to perspective, was more GB than the 8 shows in one day at the World MasterCard FashionWeek. I shoot conservatively as well. Anyway, loved the show, even though my arse and legs cramped up pretty good from sitting on my Pelican case for the second hour.
Director Jesse Mann spins and stitches together this fast paced fly-on-the-wall look at the world of independent fashion as he follows Toronto based designer Bruno Ierullo as he attempts to put together his first ever fashion show in 2009. Mann lucks into capturing a real firebrand for a subject, and fashion junkies will have a lot of fun with this interesting “inside baseball” style look of a very particular man working outside the status quo with a very limited amount of time, money, and resources.
Il segreto del suo successo è la grande capacità di saper unire un grande spirito artistico e creativo ad una altrettanto grande capacità imprenditoriale. Bruno Ierullo è inoltre un grande organizzatore di eventi che hanno come punto in comune il fatto di essere maestosi. Eventi in cui presenta le sue personali linee di moda, pensate e progettate nel proprio studio e showroom: il B.I Fashion House a Toronto, fondato dallo stesso stilista, in cui realizza i suoi capi rigorosamente a mano. Questi, che sono pezzi unici, possono essere comprati dal pubblico. Sono abiti estremamente rari, la maggior parte dei quali arriva direttamente dalle passerelle dello stilista.Un’occasione unica per gli appassionati di alta moda che così possono entrare in possesso di capi eccezionali.
