BERTO FOR DESIGN AROUND: INTERVIEW.
Can you recall the exact moment when you decided to become a fashion designer?

There hasn’t been a real moment when I decided to dedicate myself to fashion and crafts. It was a long process, which required several years of maturation, since I come from a completely different field. When I graduated I aimed to be an architect of interiors, mainly interior decoration, and I spent a long time trying to understand how I could reinterpret the decorative design through what the market offered either through a new way of translating elements dear to the tradition of this activity. So I started working with what has always fascinated me: fabrics. And I have used them in many different ways in furnishings as an interior designer. This made possible for me to increase my knowledge of the subject and especially it made possible to build relationships with the major manufacturing houses in the industry, allowing me to experience even more than what is "traditionally allowed". In these experiments I was fine-tuning the idea of ​​using the fabrics for furniture or for fashion in a different way from their original destination and began to design and manually create “samples” of which I had only the precise final idea: I wanted some consistency, some kind of shine, I was looking for a special touch. That’s how I started to sew, learning on my own without attending a proper school. But with such interest, motivation and passion, almost as if it was a part of the domestic architecture that I love so much.


What was your first project?

I have created Design Around two years ago. This is my first and only project. I started working immediately with the wheel-model skirts because I was fascinated by the history of the revolution made by Christian Dior and it was a time that I was particularly inspired by the 50s: so I decided to sewn them for myself.
I love Vogue Fabric 'cause it has a fit and colors that girls like and make them feel noticed, but always at their ease.
Creative process: do you work instinctively or planning each single small step? Where do your ideas come from?

Perhaps it’s not always right, but I do work instinctively This is not always ok because sometimes there is a need for a precise schedule before you come across an idea. But that flicker that comes from the moment makes you find out things you probably would never reach with a systematic design intent. My ideas always come from the world, from what surrounds me: emotional moment that I live or places where I hang out. I am a curious person and this thing makes me a good observer and a thoughtful and creative one in the following steps.


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

I felt honored. I was very happy to work with such a team! I started working with Berto convinced that when there are good projects and when you give a result of quality and craftsmanship, even the largest companies are willing to support and to experiment. And as for this, Berto is always present thanks to a a certain "enlightened" vision on production and craftsmanship.


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

I’ve been working with different fabrics and textures, printed or underjacket fabrics. The most popular are the Tobago Blue, the Grace color Print, Windsor, and Vogue, the most wanted, which has a fit and colors that girls like and make them feel noticed, but always at their ease.


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

I am so proud to be working with a company that welcomes you as a family member. This is one of most meaningful things for me. A team that really cares about Made in Italy, craftsmanship and products quality but also open to experimentation: above all, the way they make their know-how based on experience, research and tradition available to designers is very important. I have started my collaboration with Berto happily and knowing that this could be a showpiece in my project of entrepreneurship: I am convinced that today through Berto I can really give customers a unique product and fashion experience.


“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?

Rather than "less but better" I would say "less is more”, quoting Mies Van der Rohe that was one of my first loves in college. I believe that fashion should go in this direction. Because in a world where everything is available and no one invents anything, every need can be satisfied with a click from your Mac, there is need for a niche product. Something that follows the laws of a market that is constantly changing and in many way is easier, but it does not have to be uniformed. So I am definitely "pro" the philosophy of "less." Both as regarding design, simplicity of lines, and clarity of forms but production as well. Moreover with Design Around I only create unique pieces. I could not think otherwise. I find this kind of approach if perpetuated over time, could really make a difference in our world: less waste and less energy used, less dissipation.


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

There are countless! This is sometimes my weak point: I would like to do everything. But it is also the source of my creativity. I have several projects for this year: first of all a sandals collection that I'm already putting into production and that is part of my land’s expression that comes from this tradition of craft sandals in Capri, Sorrento and Amalfi. I would like to organize an artistic event, since I have always been passionate about photography organizing a photo contest that would end up in the Christmas period, involving professional and amateur photographers shooting one of my collection and organizing an exhibition to expose these works right after. Last but not least, I would like to create a line of simple blouses and small mini skirts collection for young girls, promoting a mother-daughter matching look.



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