What was your first project?
Hallequino is my first “solo” project. It originated from my desire to give my two cents in the Raw and Workwear world, as I tried to mix Italian manufacturing elements with the pure functionality these items represent. Besides the manufacturing techniques, another interesting aspect to reinvent is the introduction of a minimal stylistic line that echoes back to the Heritage archetypes of this niche, translated into a unique and distinguishable visual trait.
Creative process: do you work instinctively or planning each single small step? Where do your ideas come from?
Inspiration is everywhere around me. A picture, a song, a vintage piece found at the market. In this profession, there’s always a way to get involved and create something new.
What did you think when you were contacted by Berto first?
The chemistry with Berto was immediate, at all levels. The company combines unrivaled experience in the sector with friendliness and attention to the client’s needs, which is almost impossible to find nowadays in the textile world.
Which Berto’s fabrics have you been working with for your project/collection?
It all started from the proposals of Manifattura 1887, a selvedge denim with an authentic flavor. Later on, I honed my research according to the weight that I needed to give the garments a unique volume and an innovative fit. The fabric Catch of 11oz was my final choice. Afterwards, I found that the Ranger fabric, without selvedge, was the perfect fabric to give structure to lined garments such as the Kimono and the Vest.
What's the most meaningful part about this project in your opinion? What have you been able to achieve thanks to this program?
The attention given by Berto to young, innovative projects is, quite simply, a noble gesture. By making their experience available and supporting start-ups from this sector, bringing down the barriers of minimum production, they’re making a big effort that enables the birth of collections of great inspiration that would have otherwise been maimed by the limits dictated by the industrial reality.
“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?
The research to minimize the impact of contemporary society on the environment is an aspect that, nowadays, no industrial reality can afford to overlook. In due time, and we’re already considerably late, the right limitations will be made by the law, and the ones that took care to inform themselves and adopt a sustainable structure will be rewarded, and rightfully so. “Don’t buy trash” is our slogan, and I don’t think it needs explaining. Once again, in this respect, I found in Berto a partner on the same wavelenght.
Is there anything you'd like to do that you haven't done yet?
The best is yet to come... Every day we focus on the present and, step by step, we lay the foundations of our project. Stay tuned.
https://www.hellequino.com/
