Between nature and artifice, femininity dresses in different forms. Over time, in stories, in brands. There are those who imagine it just gorgeous, those who make it up, those who mask it and those who prefer it, a lover of simplicity, those who still imagine it colorful. In our Talk about today, together with the two designers Francesca Passeri, founder of the Mhudi turbans brand, and Francesca Battisti, founder of Chio Jewelry Design, we start right from her. From femininity and its forms. Its facets.
Two professionals who observe the times, listen to needs, create unique products capable of freeing homologation and dressing women with personality.
Femininity manifests itself in different forms. Yours is kind, romantic, loves art but travels through the years, in colors ... it is cosmopolitan! Who is your ideal woman and how did you find her?
Francesca Passeri: “My woman is made up of many women, women who belong to the world. It is cosmopolitan. The first woman who inspired me I physically met her on a trip to London, in a vintage market: a simple beauty with a fabric turban on her head; but she is also inspired by the protagonist of a literary journey that travels, saving his children. So my woman can be found everywhere, in a market, in a book, in a hat: she is one like us, who moves through the streets, goes through physical stores but also explores online, loves movement but at the same time time her home, which protects."
Francesca Battisti: “She has many, many different facets with a general characteristic: a natural beauty, far from artifices and fake constructions. It is modern, dynamic but linked to the traditions and the deep meaning of life. In the speed of the contemporary world, she can afford the luxury of preferring and choosing the essence and substance of things. She is a woman who conceives and understands fashion as a message, uses it to send her messages, thus not suffering from it to approve herself."
Your creations embellish the body but also give positivity to our interior. What message do you want to send through your projects?
Francesca Passeri: “It's true. We must not forget that our creations embellish but at the same time they are functional, they leave a message. Intrinsic to each product, there is a lifestyle, a way of thinking, a model of thought. The product, the hat in my case, is a project: it is conceived, designed, built. It is a real service. Fast fashion does not give this time to product, in creation and in the story. For example, reflecting on the possibility of making a turban with a veil in front, in today's context, it could also be chosen by the western world: diversity must be looked at with respect and not with hostility, everyone has something to offer through his journey and its culture."
Francesca Battisti: “My idea was to free the jewel from the classic stereotype of an expensive object, necessarily linked to the preciousness of the materials. I imagine a free femininity, a woman opposed to ostentation, which releases her personality and makes her even richer through the jewel and its intrinsic message."
Made in Italy: what weight and meaning do you give to this term that has always been linked to your creations?
Francesca Battisti: “Made in Italy is the quality, craftsmanship and genius of our products that have made history in the world. From North to South Italy is rich in excellence, craft and entrepreneurial activities: we breathe high quality like no other in the world and the Made in Italy product is the consequence of our art, our culture, our history. It is the beauty of our countries that makes us unique."
Francesca Passeri: “Authenticity, traceability, awareness, roots. For me this is made in Italy, it is circular economy, making a conscious choice. For example, I have chosen to use end-of-series materials to build and make my troubled, sustainable since 2010. Made in Italy is recognized worldwide with one of the most relevant certificates of origin, it is a mental library that invites to find creative connections with our territorial resources."
In a world so fast, so hungry for novelty, constancy and perseverance are sometimes seen as almost negative characteristics, overcome. Popularity, immediate gratification have disguised themselves as values, stealing the scene from true values. What is satisfaction?
Francesca Battisti: “It is enjoying for a job, for a goal achieved with sacrifice. To feel the satisfaction it is necessary to stop, enjoy that moment without being distracted by the speed of the context. So I learned to enjoy my satisfactions, from the smallest to the largest, fully experiencing the beauty of that moment and goal achieved."
Francesca Passeri: “I often wonder if I am satisfied or not: I made my woman travel with constancy and perseverance, trying to get to reap the benefits of the efforts made. Willpower and constancy are foundations, essential and necessary values to achieve satisfaction."
Fast fashion has exasperated the rhythms and numbers of fashion and trends. Sometimes we found ourselves wearing everything and the opposite of everything: having and maintaining an identity over time is not at all simple, how do you manage in this? To remain faithful to your idea of woman and femininity?
Francesca Battisti: “I do not follow dictates but I observe trends trying to translate them with originality. To keep the identity of the brand and my woman intact, I don't aim to look like others but to distinguish myself."
Francesca Passeri: “How can the consumer be expected to understand and choose my product if I don't tell it? The reasons for his birth should be shared, published: the difference makes the individual, the soul. I believe that the secret is to identify, recognize and persevere clearly in the transmission of one's identity. Be yourself."
Will we treasure what we have experienced in this period or will we forget everything in a few months? Do you think there will be a new normal? How do you imagine it?
Francesca Passeri: “Like the skin-changing snake, we are already changing. Man has always had to face change, in the network of young people it will be more complicated: the trauma could lead to a removal of all this, they who want at all costs to go back to leading their previous lives. They will truly be another generation, they will have to go back in time to seek and find true values. From a professional point of view, as an architect, I dream that there is an increase in urban projects marked by the redevelopment of greenery, in recent months we have seen how Nature is reinvigorated by taking possession of its spaces; as a stylist I hope that my woman will pick up the suitcase in her hand and return to travel soon, she has treasured this long time, this stillness, to think. In general, I think that we are changing as individuals, the problem comes when individuals come together in systems that do not change: it is the question of the whole that must change. Everything was the same as everything, the change was in the air, it was necessary and will also manifest itself in the possibility of choosing and taking that unique piece that will take care of you as we said before."
Francesca Battisti: “Nothing will ever be the same again but the desire to go further will lead us to face our fears. We should distinguish the useful from the useless, the good from the bad, the best from the worst: we had come to mix everything, the memory of this moment will show us the best way to go. I believe there will be a ransom coming over time to create a different but better normality."
I greet you with an invitation: do you want to send a message to our readers?
Francesca Passeri: “I am also a teacher therefore I want to send a message to the youngest, to the craftsmen of the future. Treasure diversity, develop diversified skills, give a unique imprint to your products, exploit complexity to achieve freedom of style."
Francesca Battisti: “After dark, light, rebirth, positivity. We believe more in ourselves, I believe it, I am positive and we try to focus more on the really important things."
Let's reconcile ourselves, stand out, choose with courage. We also launch a message through what we wear. Our message. Thanks to Francesca Passeri and Francesca Battisti for being with us in this special interview.