Photography Courtesy of Diabless

“I don’t think that being a modern designer means being in front of the press,” says the usually reticent Chantal Hagège, fashion garbo behind the Diabless fashion line. The irony’s considerable. In Hagège’s case, it’s her would-be “silent partners” who do all the talking. Having worked independently in fashion for some two decades, not without success, Hagège and her highly impressive designs only became Diabless after receiving significant financial backing from the CEOs of Today’s Man and Fairchild Corporation. The resulting equation, Diabless, was a dream come true by any designer’s measure: total creative control with nil responsibility for marketing, visual merchandising, etc. Yet Hagège remains removed from the glitz. “I strongly believe my designs will be interesting for themselves without my promoting them in interviews and putting my face and views with the designs.