Your journey has been rather atypical, not everyone chooses to follow their own path rather than an established one. What drove you to distance yourself from the fashion world and your family’s legacy, in order to express your own vision of continuous creative exploration?
I come from the world of fashion and a family that has established a very distinct and powerful identity in this industry. I grew up within this world, but at the same time, neither I or my family have ever been particularly fashionable crown , if you know what I mean. We’ve never been attached to the vain side of fashion. My family is more connected to the world of art, and for me, expression , the concept always passed down to me by my father, is about a much broader idea of creativity; It’s a way of being, not just a practice or, even less so, a commercial endeavour. Creativity, vision, or a personal identity is a way of life; it’s not something you apply specifically to a sector for commercial purposes or any other goal. That said, fashion has always taught me a lot. Even though I’m not a typical character inside this industry, I’ve loved it because it’s a sector that has allowed me to broaden my knowledge, develop my own thinking, and thus shape my identity on many different levels. I’ve always said that fashion is the only sector, like cinema, where the creative director needs a detailed understanding of all fields, from economics to anthropology, from the architecture of the body to materials, from craftsmanship to marketing, merchandising, display, music, and lighting. To have a strong identity in their work, the creative director needs extensive knowledge across the board. I’m talking about knowledge, but first and foremost, I want to talk about curiosity, because knowledge doesn’t come without curiosity and interest. So yes, I’m very atypical, but that’s because I’ve been fortunate to grow up in an environment where creativity is seen as a personal identity, not a logical or rational study.
With Atelier De’ Nerli, you’ve created a cultural salon that promotes the exchange of ideas and critical judgement among people from diverse fields. Yet today, the system still seems somewhat closed off, dominated by hierarchies and elitism. What drove you to create this space? Do you think the system remains closed, where something still needs to be “unlocked” to encourage fresh critical thinking and innovative insights?
Far less than before, I’d say. We are opening up more to collaboration and communication. In the past, industries were much more reluctant to let you into their world, to help you understand it, to be a part of it, and to communicate that externally. I’m referring to the world of craftsmanship, but this applies to almost all sectors. There is now much greater openness to collaborate across different positions. I remember back in the day, my father was one of the pioneers of such collaborations. He was a precursor. I distinctly recall one time he came to the table and said, “Guys, we’re doing a collaboration with H&M,” and I thought, “Are we mad? These are completely different clients and ways of operating.” There used to be much more rigidity. The channels of communication and freedom were few, and when things were done, they had to be carried out in a very direct, precise manner. Today, communication is much more prevalent. What a company communicates and what it wants to be is a much broader and faster concept. Every day, we have to communicate something new, which has led to a much more frantic pace. So yes, today there’s a certain franticness in communication, and as a result, many more paths are accepted and explored. There’s greater openness to considering different forms of collaboration. This exchange, at the same time, brings about what should be the true principle of connection between sectors. I come from a Renaissance city, one that seeks to express this very concept: the necessity to express a message and to break common conventions, applying it as a guide for all forms of art. What inspired me was the idea of creating a salon, a gathering place, as restaurants are traditionally gathering spots, and using it to showcase the real Florence and all the realities tied to it that might otherwise remain hidden.
