Introduction
Carlo Capasa is an Italian fashion executive born in Lecce on 21 January 1958. After moving to Milan, he worked in fashion distribution at FTM, handling labels including Basile, Callaghan, Complice, Walter Albini and Issey Miyake. He later worked with Zamasport, serving as chief executive of a joint venture from 1984 to 1988 and participating in the launch of Romeo Gigli, then helped establish a structure for distributing Gucci womenswear in the 1990s.
In 1986 he co-founded Costume National with his younger brother Ennio. Carlo handled the commercial and organisational side of the company while Ennio held creative authorship. Across three decades he oversaw manufacturing relationships, licensing, international distribution and retail expansion as the house added menswear, footwear, fragrance and C'N'C Costume National. He remained chief executive through the Sequedge minority investment and left the company with Ennio on 15 March 2016.
Capasa joined the board of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana in 2010 and was elected president in 2015. His tenure has concentrated on the international position of Milan, sustainability standards, digital development, support for emerging labels and coordination across the Italian fashion industry. In July 2026 the association unanimously re-elected him chairman and chief executive for the 2026–28 term.
Design ethos
Carlo Capasa's contribution to fashion is managerial and institutional, with no supported garment-design authorship at Costume National. His work has centred on building the commercial conditions around creative practice: manufacturing partnerships, distribution, licensing, retail growth and the financial structure required to take an independent Italian label into international markets.
At Costume National he maintained a clear division of responsibility with Ennio Capasa. Carlo handled the company, negotiations and expansion while Ennio directed the collections and visual identity. That separation allowed the house to scale across stores and product categories without assigning business decisions to the designer's authorship.
His later work at Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana applies the same organisational focus at industry scale. Sustainability standards, digital infrastructure, emerging-brand support and the international visibility of Milan Fashion Week have been recurring priorities. The emphasis is on coordinating companies and institutions around shared operating standards while preserving distinct creative identities.
Disclaimer
Career history
2016
Ennio and Carlo Capasa left Costume National on 15 March 2016, ending thirty years of founder control. Ennio resigned as creative director and Carlo left his executive role as both brothers sold their remaining shares.
2003
Costume National opened the Aoyama Complex in Tokyo around September 2003 as a major anchor for its Asian retail expansion. The site developed into a cultural and spatial expression of the house as well as a commercial flagship.
1995
From 1995 through 1998 Costume National opened flagships across Milan, Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong, Rome, Los Angeles and Paris. Ennio Capasa treated store interiors as part of the house image, while Carlo Capasa directed the international expansion.
1986
Ennio and Carlo Capasa founded Costume National in Milan in 1986, with Ennio directing design and Carlo leading the business. The first womenswear collection established the label's dark, pared-back tailoring within the Italian ready-to-wear landscape.
You’re in
When the archive opens, you’ll be among the first to know.
That’s all.
