The day before Narciso Rodriguez was 50 years old.
Today he is back at work with a shoot coming up.
During a break he looks for a quiet room for this Zoom interview.
The shelves are full of props: flower vases, typewriters, sponges.
“If we had taken photos here once.” The New York fashion designer grew up as the son of Cuban immigrants in New Jersey, is married and has twins.
He is particularly known for his fragrances.
He's just reissuing a classic: The roots of “Narciso Rodriguez For Her Musc Noir” go back to his youth, as he says.
Jennifer Wiebking
Editor in the "Life" section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
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What do you eat for breakfast?
I need my coffee
I prepare everything for this the evening before, and the machine does the rest in the morning.
Before I go out the door, I grab another apple.
Where do you buy your clothes?
I tailor a lot myself. And at Nike.
What's the oldest item of clothing in your closet?
I can't throw anything away and I have stored a lot.
The oldest pieces I still wear are probably coats and pants by Yohji Yamamoto from the late eighties.
When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter?
That was at Christmas, and I wrote my aunt a letter to thank her for the gifts she sent my children.
I like to write letters anyway.
We all need to write more letters!
Which book impressed you the most in your life?
"Rosa" by the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas.
I've read most of his books.
This is very narrow, but told all the more beautifully.
When I read it, I had the impression that I could watch the Cuban Revolution happening, it is so vividly written down.
How do you find out about world events?
Terrible: everything digital.
Mostly newspapers, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico.
I have subscribed to the crucial accounts via Instagram and thus make sure that I get the really important news.
What's your favorite small talk topic?
My children.
They turned four in May.
What was the last movie you cried at?
A few days ago at “God's Own Country” from 2017. A wonderful love story between two men.
A kind of "Brokeback Mountain".
Are You Superstitious?
Yes!
What can you laugh about?
You have to laugh at everything these days.
I like to laugh at stand-up comedy and luckily I have a few candidates here in New York.
It's great at dinner, in conversations, in emails.
Your favorite first names?
I really like Thomas, John and Callum.
Are you taking a lunch break?
Occasionally.
It's a lot easier to keep working.
But every now and then it's nice to pause the creative process and do a lap around the block.
In which country would you most like to live?
I really like Germany very much.
Hamburg corresponds to my personality.
But for life: maybe Spain or Italy, definitely Europe.
What is never missing in your fridge?
Milk for the kids.
Do you feel freer with or without a car?
In New York without.
Without a car it is simply more practical in the big city.
What is your greatest talent?
Cook.
I make a very good Cuban roast beef.
It's an old family recipe, I used to watch it being prepared.
Recipes just have to be passed on.
But I also like to come up with new things, just take a few things out of the fridge and make something out of them.
What do you do when it is unreasonable?
Snack in the evening.
I watch what I eat all day long, and after a certain time all the rules are forgotten.
Which historical person would you like to meet?
My dream would be to meet Cristóbal Balenciaga.
As with many designers of my generation, he is also my hero.
I read a lot about him, went to his hometown Getaria in Spain and looked at the museum that is dedicated to him there.
Do you wear jewelry? And a watch?
I am wearing a bracelet that a very good friend put on me a good 25 years ago.
She had given me one before, but I lost it.
She closed the second bracelet with the words: "You will never lose this one." Unfortunately, she has since passed away.
With this bracelet I keep her close to me, it really means a lot to me.
I also wear a watch, a present from my husband, a Rolex, beautiful.
I never take that off either.
Do you have a favorite fragrance?
I love musk and wear it myself. Musk has been part of my life since I was a teenager and has been the inspiration for all of my fragrances.
What was your best holiday experience?
Sailing with friends on the Mediterranean.
That was about five years ago.
Seeing different places, mooring in harbors, enjoying wonderful food, the water, the sun, the summer: I will never forget this feeling.
What was the last concert you were at?
With the lockdown and with children ... But three years ago I was at the concert of my dear friend Bebel Gilberto here in New York.
Fortunately, what are you missing?
The list is currently long: no longer having to wear this mouth and nose protection, knowing that the world has been saved from the corona pandemic.
And I miss my father.
He passed away not long ago and I miss him.
What do you have for dinner?
Red wine or mineral water or both.