The digital narration of his world. The story of a moment, an idea, a thought that led him to challenge his destiny.
For a brand the product is fundamental, together with that perception of identity given by a fabric, a cut or a button hole, for sharing that sense of belonging to a classic style, the essential mark of elegance.
After this period of limbo, now more than ever we need to find a solid foundation and reignite the desire to rediscover luxury, looking to the past in a modern key to rewrite the handbooks of elegance, made of items destined to become the new musts of a timeless wardrobe.
Even a historic brand like Bagutta (created in 1975 as the diamond tip of Confezioni Italiane Tessili (CIT), the company founded in 1939 at the height of fascism just before the Second World War and now in the hands of Antonio Gavazzeni and his cousin Andrea) needs the language of change and openness to new generations and markets.
A concept closer to the accessible, the almost tangible but that leaves a touch of hand-made unattainability, exalting and enhancing the likes of every customer in the assertion of change.
We transformed this concept into a search, through a marketing contest, that led to the discovery of a designer just 23 years old, who managed to respect the rules of this game and the image of the brand.
Let’s see who Davide Marciano is, in his world made of art and passion for fashion.
Where and when were you born? What did you study be studying fashion? And why fashion?
D.M.: I was born on the 9th of April 1997 in Cava de’ Tirreni. Before studying fashion I went to the classics oriented high school in my town, a good school that helped a lot in my growth as a person and gave me a good forma mentis. Why fashion? Good question. I’ve always been fascinated to see what people wear. You can often understand things about the character of a person, their ways of being, from what they wear. Since I was a kid I’ve had a thing about creating stuff, getting my hands dirty, modelling. I was kind of hesitant before deciding what kind of career to choose. I started out doing architecture, but the idea I had of architect turned out to be very different from the reality. Despite this, I still carry some architecture around in my cultural baggage (Zaha Hadid and Mies van der Rohe especially). I caught my passion for fashion the moment I saw one of Martin Margiela’s shows. I was fascinated by his artisanality, the way he works outside the box, not following the masses, and above all his not being the face of his brand. He’s attracted attention not by showing himself but by making his creations speak for him.
You attract the attention of people listening to you by the sheer conviction of what you think. But you also say that there are occasions when you say what you think, and ones when you say what’s convenient. If you ever do, how do you distinguish between the two? And what do you say for the convenience?
D.M.: I’m not someone who likes being the centre of attention, I’m more reserved. I think maybe a fault of mine is I always say what I think. I find it hard to hold back what I really think. If I like something and I think it’s valid I say it openly, without any kind of virtue signalling. If I’m uncomfortable in a situation I’ll say it openly too. I think we need to hear things said from an objective standpoint, without preconceptions. The human being is feeling, instinct, and endowed with free will.
You say you study a lot, always applying yourself to learning. Do you think that’s just your own case, or is that the attitude of your generation?
D.M.: In my opinion, study and research are fundamental for growth. There is a time for learning and a time to apply what you’ve learned. I see my generation as very combative, and I like it. I like comparison, I like a bit of healthy competition. I hope someday to be part of a workgroup that stimulates my desire to improve myself.
What is it you love about fashion and your work?
D.M.: Since childhood I’ve always been encouraged to do what I want, to express myself without restrictions. Fashion is like freeing the ego, communicating what you have inside, giving part of yourself to others. I love everything I’m doing, I like seeing people enjoying being in one of my creations, I like seeing my ideas realised.
Clothes play an important role, communicating the ideas of their designer. Sometime the story behind a garment sells more than the garment itself. You have to create a continuum between fashion designer and client.
What is the role of fashion today, in your opinion?
D.M.: Fashion is the face of society. We live in a time of great scientific and technological discovery. Society is in a constant state of frenetic development. The excessive artifice of digitalisation will perhaps make us lose touch with reality. The purpose of fashion in this time of such rapid change, should be to manage to uniform the human being to the point there are no differences between man and woman.
About your project for Bagutta, you quote Haruki Murakami “A white shirt someone forgot to take down, was hanging on the washing line and fluttering in the sunset like an abandoned skin”. Do you often base your creations on literature, art and memories?
D.M.: For my creations I often draw on quotes and dreams, and even more often on myths and legends (my classics-oriented education is a great help there). I think that to create clothes and create innovation you have to know some history, some fundaments at least. I find the study of art fascinating, discovering the stories behind the brushstrokes. In fashion, like in many other fields, you have to be aware of your work, move quickly and neglect mothing. I see the creative process as a “stream of consciousness”, formed by all the thoughts of an individual.
What is LOKE for you?
D.M.: I saw the LOKE project as an opportunity. They’re doing a great job giving young designers like us the chance to get on in the world of fashion. As soon as I saw the project for Bagutta I was fascinated by that white shirt concept, and at that point I simply had to be part of it.
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