What was your first project?

One pair of trousers. We call this project ”geppebba”, a mix of our names Geppetto & Ebba. A design with an all time classic potential. The design comprises the aspect of form follows function and is our strong vision for the segment of low crotch trousers. We were totally infected and madly developing 3 years, tested 9 prototypes until we could finally make the step into a first small production in Piove di Sacco. With this project, which we are still updating, we showed up at the ISPO Brand New Award in 2007, won a fashion film award in 2010 and worked out a whole range of different models all reflecting the seamline of geppebba (like traditional alpine shorts and snowboardpants based on this design). Today we have in fact new projects and products but we are still working on it. Geppebba became our identity and brand name – it will be possibly forever a field of finding perfection and variations for us.

Creative process: do you work instinctively or planning each single small step? Where do your ideas come from?

Our idea-book is full, more than we can realise. Of course it´s a mix of instinct and planning, influences and personal desires. Ideas can just come from everywhere and our interests are multiple widespread³. What we love and enjoy for example are collaborations with artists. Sometimes we just make 20pc screen printed t-shirts or a 5pc trousers edition based on our already designed garments. A new product has always it`s own complexity but runs through similar steps. In any case we are creating a product when we have this special & strong ”must have” or this ”must be done” fire-feeling. From this point, we are getting closer to the details. Particularly the fabric is sometimes surprising how it looks after one year. So the most time-killing process is the testing peroid like self wearing the garment and trim the production to exactly get what we want. So you understand that during the process you need ideas for solutions too and it`s complicated when you have the costumers and yourself who love one specific type of fabric but can`t have it anymore.

What did you think when you have been contacted by Berto first?

Actually we came in contact with Berto fabrics from the very beginning at our production contact in Italy. We remember Piero in 2008 when he said: ”Hey guys, look at this 12oz bio denim quality!” - we instantly used it to make a pair of trousers of it... and later we met & talked to cool people from Berto at the Munich Fabric Start Tradeshow and ordered everytime again & again.

Which Berto’s fabrics have you been working with for your project/collection?

Domingo, premier color, old brocken 55, Lilium, Dandy blu 2, globe sky 8, maxim, ranger blu 75.

What's the most meaningful part about this project in your opinion? What have you been able to achieve thanks to this program?

Sun's Out, Guns Out! Now we like to jump into berto`s blue pool of denim and sew some hot rockets! We feel very thankful for being part of Berto4YoungTalents project, it honours us. As you may can read between the lines, we are very passionated and emotionally connected to our products. You know, now it feels so much better to offically contact our quality & innovativ partner for materials 24/7 ;) We can just hope that some buyers or distributors want to follow!

“Less but better” could be read as an endorsement for purity in design but in fashion design too. It can also be adopted as an environmental message about reduction and sustainability. What do you think about this?

What is purity in design? Maybe the contemporary interpretation of style today. Respectivly products, quantity can`t make you more happy than quality. We are, to a certain extent, all customers and know how often we have the experience that stylishly designed products are only on the market for just the time of purchase. We work and live for a direct relation to a few customers that we have. Sustainability is our understanding of luxury, with a small group of Geppebba fans. Our output is so small and of course the best would be to do nothing. Old products had so much quality and could be repaired but marketing fooled us to think the new is always the better. Economy must be ecological. Living ethics is a prerequisite for everybody and sustainability has been a matter for the media for more than 40 years – for us it is questionable why we should surf the green marketing wave, when we make trousers on our pedal sewing machine.You are not a green company without a licence - „sustainabilty“ today is already perverted. Our private environmental message is that we live without a car and therefore run every day 10-20km, which has increased our fitness level to ultra-distances, and that`s not a joke!

Is there anything you'd like to do that you haven't done yet?

Yes ! We would love to try the ”super sustainable” pair of trousers. Like we said, we are already sewing some garments on an old pedal machine from 1952 ...so the idea is to seed the plants, cultivate and harvest them 100% ecological and learn and experience the whole process from the yarn to the woven fabric, like they did 500 years ago. Only human powered machines and our hands should be used. For the whole process, absolutely no electricity and no petrol, nothing harmfull, even all the supply etc.. the maximum. We would love to explore the whole value added chain and make this pair of trousers, too. That would be the big thing!