AN ASTHETIK MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
A Q&A WITH: VALENTINA MENASCHE
GABRIEL MEALOR-PRITCHARD CHATS TO VALENTINA MENASCHE, FOUNDER AND DESIGNER OF THE NAMESAKE LABEL, 'MENASCHE', ABOUT HOW SHE CRAFTS CLOTHES AS EXTENSIONS OF ONESELF, AMONGST OTHER THINGS.
IMAGE COURTESY OF MENASCHE
Menasche has always approached clothing as an extension of being rather than just design. How has that philosophy evolved with this new release, with pieces that exist outside a traditional collection framework?
I wanted to create pieces that reach beyond a single type of consumer. Menasche has never been about exclusivity, it’s about connection. Fashion, for me, is a key to consciousness. It’s not just a sustainability statement; it’s a way of helping people connect with their own energy through tactile experience.
Each piece in this release is designed to make you feel. The waxed denim jacket, for example, isn’t simply beautiful, it’s built with three layers of textile technology to endure weather while offering a texture that can even soothe anxiety. The duffle bags were created to be both functional and sensory; they’re meant to travel with you and remind you of presence through touch.
As an artist and designer, I wanted to show that Menasche is far more than clothing, it’s a living ecosystem of emotion, texture, and connection.
Your work often explores dualities: fragility and strength, structure and fluidity. How did that tension shape the development of these latest garments?
It all begins with the textile. For Menasche, fabric dictates emotion, and comfort grounds it in reality. I wanted to express that you can be fragile yet strong, analytical yet fluid, melancholic yet strategic. Those contradictions live in all of us.
In this collection, sheer layers are reinforced by structured seams; sensuality meets function. That negotiation, soft versus sharp, utility with seduction, is where the garment starts to breathe. When opposing forces coexist, the piece feels human, alive.
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Many of the new pieces engage directly with tactility: waxed denim, sheer mesh, faux fur, leather-tex. What role does the sense of touch play in your creative process?
-Touch is everything. It’s the reason we don’t mass produce. Every design begins with texture, with me physically exploring and listening to the fabric. Since childhood, I’ve experimented with tactile materials. I used to play with candle wax, pouring it on my hands, watching how water changed its form. Later, I realised that process could translate into waterproofing textiles.
Every new release starts in what I call my “lab.” It’s where I test, melt, layer, and transform. It’s part scientist, part childlike curiosity. The entire process is an exploration of how material reacts to life.
You’ve described clothing as a form of companionship. When designing these garments, how do you imagine the life they might lead alongside their wearer?
I imagine a well-lived life, not just success or glamour, but the quiet beauty of daily existence. The Delicate Dress that meets your partner’s family with confidence and grace. The Ruched Pants that let you move freely through a night out, hands free, no bag, a 1.5-litre bottle fitting effortlessly in the pocket. The Waxed Denim Jacket keeping you warm and unstoppable on a cold hike or morning commute.The Duffle Bag becomes your travel ally, even doubling as a pillow at the airport. These pieces are made to be there when you cry, when you celebrate, when you evolve. They hold memories; they absorb your energy. Menasche isn’t for a demographic, it’s for humans.
The technical side of Menasche is as emotional as it is functional. How do you navigate the intersection between comfort and aesthetic expression?
I follow instinct. Every idea begins as a feeling, a frequency that I translate into form. When I design, it rarely feels like it’s just me, it’s as if the piece builds itself and I’m simply the hands giving it shape. My technical knowledge exists to serve that energy, to make it wearable and real.
This drop feels both grounded and experimental, almost like fieldwork in emotion and material. Was there a moment during development that surprised or changed your direction completely?
Absolutely. When experimenting with wax, the goal was a classic denim jacket coated with a transparent wax membrane. But when I applied unmelted white wax, the texture looked sculptural, like an sculpture from a museum. It transformed the entire piece.
We decided to produce only ten numbered jackets, each with its own unique wax pattern. None are identical; each carries its own soul. I prefer it that way, imperfection as individuality.
Menasche’s visual identity carries a certain serenity, but also a definitive, quiet rebellion. How do you maintain that balance between intimacy and edge in your creative language?
For me, rebellion doesn’t have to scream. I work from stillness, clean lines, neutral tones, serene silhouettes, and then insert tension through distortion: oversized pockets, ruched mechanisms, unexpected texture play. Intimacy earns the right to provoke.
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If each of these new pieces could speak, what would they say about the person who chooses to wear them?
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Okay, let me break this down:​
- Delicate Dress: “Softness is strength.”
- Waxed Denim Jacket: “You live fully and face the elements head-on.”
- Duffle Bag: “You value time and carry only what matters.”
- Ruched Pants: “You seek ease and elegance in equal measure.”
- Faux-Fur + Denim Jacket: “You are refined, joyful, and unafraid.”
Finally, something lighter. What music, scent, and texture best describe your current state of mind while creating for Menasche?
I often create surrounded by people I love: my team, my friends, energy flowing naturally. But when I’m alone, I enter this hyper-focused silence where sound disappears and I can feel every fibre, every thought. That’s when creation becomes almost spiritual.