Personality. It takes a lot of personality. To create, produce, communicate and let go of your creations. Make them exclusive. From the idea to the prototype, to the finished product up to the same brand: in a game of balances, the narration of the product meets free personalization.
Personality, combined with competence and talent, is certainly not lacking in the protagonists of our Talk About: Emilia Poli, founder and designer of the Villa Trentuno handbag brand, and Lisa Tigano, founder and designer of the clothing brand Ellementi. With them we immersed ourselves in a special conversation, in a dialogue open to reflections and thoughts...
Each of your creations was born with the aim of telling a story but at the same time gives space to the narration and interpretation of who will wear it. Create but then let your creation free: how do you live this path?
Emilia Poli: “Villa Trentuno was already born as a tailor made: personalization has a large space in our brand and product. The bags can be configured and then created on the needs and tastes of the customer who sometimes follows our advice, wants to be guided, while others don't. When the bag is purchased, I do not experience it as an abandonment, but as a development, an iter, a combination, a growth. In short, a bit like a son."
Lisa Tigano: “I like the term son and that's right. Entrust your creation to someone hoping that it will treat it as you have treated it. We like to define elements as uniquely yours. There is no customization as in the accessories but in this case the garment, the idea of each garment is different from the other: through the seams, the bows tied in one way rather than another, the buttoning that allows you to wear the dress as you want. The beauty is seeing the transformation, how it changes."
The brand involves you in many different activities. Which stage do you love most and which do you love least about your job?
Lisa Tigano: “Certainly the part I love most is the one that goes from research to the realization of the product, therefore the real activity of the fashion designer. I have those two or three weeks in which I close myself in my studio, in my "menteria" as I call it, where I plan and create. The most difficult phase is the one that includes social networks and commercial activities, which are difficult to control and manage if not with certain skills."
Emila Poli: "The funniest part is definitely the transition from the idea on paper to an idea in 3D but also the deflection where you understand if what you had in mind works or does not work, changes are made, you can compare yourself with the part of the lab where you really creates and where often incredible things come out, even more beautiful than you imagined or very different. On the other hand, the part of the sale is more difficult, especially in this period: as an emerging brand we are a greater risk, we do not have the solidity of the turnover and visibility."
Skills, flexibility, being able to solve many ever-changing problems in a short time... today we find ourselves playing increasingly complex and poorly defined roles. The characteristic, the extra gear for those who want to launch their own brand today?
Emilia Poli: “If you have the will to carry out your project you must launch yourself. It will then be the life of the project itself to make you understand if it really is what you need; it touches so many aspects of your life, it is so visceral that you give up before it becomes harmful. The startup is like a kind of avalanche: as a child it becomes bigger and bigger in terms of responsibilities and aspects to manage. Small brands have small budgets, being able to take part in many different activities and therefore being multifaceted is fundamental."
Lisa Tigano: “Perseverance, otherwise leave at the first discomfort. When you start you have to go on, you know you have to go on, both on positive and negative days. After putting all of yourself into your project, you feel like demonstrating something to those who helped you make it happen."
Do you have one of your creations that you love more than the others? Your favorite…
Emilia Poli: “Certainly my first Aura, the iconic semi-circle bag of Villa Trentuno; first prototype far from perfect but which I always carry with me when I have an important appointment. In short, it is my lucky charm!
Lisa Tigano: “I put all myself and my past in the collections so I definitely have more than one, I would say at least one in the collection. Like the Jumpsuit Fioccatamente, with a single garment you are ready for many different occasions."
Do you have a little inevitable ritual in your days?
Emilia Poli: “The breakfast that is never at home but at the bar and... in a hurry!"
Lisa Tigano: “Meditation, even just ten minutes."
A message for our readers?
Emilia Poli: “Do not forget all the good intentions and the beautiful words spent on the made in Italy after this long period. It is necessary to team up and even small things can prove it. Those who truly produce it should be protected so that they can make it competitive and not mislead the consumer."
Lisa Tigano: “Let's really help this made in Italy, pay more attention when you buy, pay more attention to the choice, look at the quality."
On the words of the founders of the two brands Villa Trentuno and Ellementi, on the words of those who really make and consequently support Made in Italy, this Talk About ends up dedicated to fashion as a personality. Personality and courage to create and pursue your own project, personality in choosing as well as wearing a product, personality to tell and discover the beautiful world behind a name. Behind a brand. Thanks to Emilia Poli and Lisa Tigano.