At the beginning of my artistic career, I created, produced and marketed only for operators in the sector, exhibiting what I created at the two editions of the MACEF in Milan, which is now called HOMI, and at the Genoa Boat Show, one of the first nautical exhibitions in the world.I’ve always had great luck and the encounters in life that have allowed me to make my dreams come true have always been the casual ones, the ones you don’t expect, that happen at any moment, maybe in places where you shouldn’t even be there! For example, the meeting with my trusted administrator allowed me to continue not knowing how much a lira was worth, and still today I do not know the value of the euro.
This condition has allowed me to live in a state of oblivion in which I can disregard banks and taxes, which I recognize every day as a luxury for the few.I’m aware of the risk I run if the administrator were to disappear at any moment with all my money, but the funny thing is that, not even knowing how much I have, I couldn’t even despair, or rather, I wouldn’t know how far to do it! I attended all the fairs in person, to listen to my customers: I remembered every single comment, every request, every face and every one of their stories down to the smallest detail; I also remembered their breaths, precious sap for my mind and my creative spirit. Nothing about them escaped me, apart from a small detail: their names, surnames and the roles they held in their respective companies!
Yes, I know, it might sound strange, but I’m consistent with myself: I don’t remember what year it is, what month, what day it is and what time it is, but I am firmly convinced that one can live well even without knowing it.
I was amused to note that when I presented my collections in blue, the ritual question was always: “Why didn’t you make them in sand color?” and when I presented them in sand color, well, I’ll leave the conclusions to you…!
These requests conditioned the commercial, which carefully tried to guide my choices for the next performance.
Despite my scrupulous attention to the requests collected and to the internal suggestions of the company, it very often happened that at the last minute I reversed my course, modifying everything at the last minute.
I wondered, “Will this be blue or sand?”
“No, maybe some green or burgundy”, the unanimous commercial advised the staff, “Christmas is approaching…”
On that occasion I decided on the tobacco color combined with natural parchment with hand painted. I don’t know what it was, but I felt something, something that made me think that this was the right choice. After my decision, the company staff began to raise serious doubts about the choice of color, since no customer had ever requested it.
At the inauguration of the stand, as expected, fear, doubts, guilt feelings seized me and rarely left me moments in which I could breathe a sigh of relief. The first visitors seemed surprised, as I was too: this time no one asked for information, and this only increased my insecurity. I began to think I had done something wrong and that it would have been better to listen to the advice of my collaborators, especially on the choice of color.
Suddenly, however, all those worries and anxieties that seemed to devour me inside vanished in an instant: I saw the smile of a woman, a beautiful woman, so beautiful that it was impossible not to notice. She entered the booth and she exclaimed: “How wonderful! I’d swear I’ve never seen anything more beautiful at MACEF” and at that moment I was speechless. She was the buyer of Ferragamo. I remained silent and she added: “The colors and their harmony that I see in your stand are in perfect communion with our brand.”I felt my heart flutter with joy.
We scheduled a meeting at the end of the fair and then we said goodbye.I was so proud and so fulfilled by my work, and deep inside I finally felt that I did the right thing.
After a week, he showed up at my workshop: James Ferragamo, with his sought-after group of stylists.As complete strangers, we connected immediately, breathing the same energies and speaking the same language. Someone drew on the work table, others on their knees modified materials, who gave shape to their thoughts getting lost in the rooms… It was a beautiful game, which allowed us to daydream while creating something one of a kind.
But you know, all good things come to an end, and even that day did.
Thanks to that magical synergy born in the laboratory, we created the two bag prototypes that James was to exhibit in Portofino.
What excites me more than anything is not only that I have impressed one of the world’s top fashion brands or subsequently collaborated with them, but what gives me butterflies is that all this was born from the most precious and spontaneous thing that human beings possess, that is from a smile!