Label to Love — Cristaseya

If you know about Cristaseya, it’s unlikely you found the brand through an Instagram ad or an e-comm newsletter. Instead, this is a label that is a whispered tip-off from a friend, a lucky encounter. But once it’s discovered, it’s likely one that’s treasured.

Founded in 2013 by Cristina Casini and Keiko Seya (the brand is now run by Casini and her husband, photographer Andrea Spotorno), discretion and tangibility is fundamental – they did not have a website for four years, something unheard of in our online world. Even now, they only ‘open’ their site for limited periods, for fans to buy collections (or ‘Editions’) that launch a few times a year.

Despite this, Cristaseya is a cult favourite of fashion insiders and artists including Martine Syms and (apparently) Phoebe Philo. Julianne Moore and Erykah Badu follow them on Instagram. A recent collaboration with arty collective Bless only added to the position as a label to covet. Speaking to Vogue in 2023, Casini explained: “the rareness and the discretion are an important part of the DNA of Cristaseya. The growth is slower, for sure, but it pays off in the long term.”

The fanbase is kept gripped by the scarcity of the clothing, but also the aesthetic. Cristaseya has a slow approach to style, one that sees silhouettes repeated, and classic shirts and trousers highlighted rather than part of the background. Knitwear – which is made by Casini’s mother’s company – is particularly loved. See a swoonsome red ribbed sweater in the current edition, made partly from cotton and partly from washi, a Japanese paper-derived fabric. A fan described her addiction to the sweaters as “a problem” to Vogue.

The current edition has that mix of elegance and ease that feels like a recipe for summer style to emulate – it is literally cool but also wearable and timeless. The images – shot a variety of models at crooked angles, sometimes in slightly comedic poses against backdrops like a terrazzo hallway – ensures it’s far from po-faced. Instead, the mood is charming, joyous and rooted in the real. Cristaseya might be expensive (a blazer is 1453 euros, that sweater is 460) but it will be your friend for life.

Stockists are kept tight. As well as the by-appointment store in Paris where they are based, Cristaseya are stocked across Japan, but only in independents like Neighbour in Vancouver, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh in New York. Speaking to the New York Times in 2023, Casini said they have refused the calls of big retailers. “When everything looks the same with everything together, it’s not special,” she said. “We don’t want to see the product there. And if I were a Cristaseya client, I wouldn’t want to see the product there.”

Discreet, a bit mysterious, classic but also joyous, Cristaseya feels like clothing that pushes against the churn of fashion. 12 years after it began, it remains an example of how to make that model work. And also the place to satisfy a sweater addiction.