SUSTAINABLE SYMPOSIUM
À FORMA
by Giorgia Feroldi
Wondering where to find timeless pieces with a twist? Say no more, we’ve got you covered: meet Antonio Labroca and Daniele Parete from À forma. A beautiful encounter of souls, giving shape to a brand that resonates with the current situation while roaming in the freedom of art.
À forma was born amid the Coronavirus pandemic, in 2020. Did Covid-19 expedite the
brand you had in mind, or did the idea form from the situation and consequences that it
brought?
TThe nature of our project has always been organic, as well as its conception. Since the day we met, we’ve always nurtured mutual admiration as both human beings and artists, along with the desire to collaborate together within a working environment that was just ours. Although, up until last year there’s never been an ideal situation that allowed us to give birth to our artistic collaboration. The first Italian lockdown gave many of us the chance to see everything under a different light, to reevaluate priorities and rediscover passions that were long-forgotten and hidden by daily routine. And so, À forma was born, rediscovering creativity and cooperation. We’d also say esteem in others, in artistic expressions and, why not, even ourselves.
Antonio is from the South of Italy, while Daniele comes from the North. Have your origins influenced your creations, and how have you put together these two areas of Italy?
Great question (Laughs, E.D.)! As we were explaining before, the nature of our project is organic, it unfolds and is nurtured by what we’re made of and who’s around us. What’s the best inspiration if not ourselves? forma is made of us, and everything takes shape from there. It’s who we are, what we like, what we enjoy doing and again, it’s the community we like to communicate and interact with, the objects that catch our attention, the smells and flavours that remind us of our origins and the experiences we’ve lived and we’ll live in the future. Specifically, the experiences linked to the places where we were born, have definitely influenced who we are today and, therefore, our creations. The urban utilitarian vibes in our designs are always seasoned with a lighter and more carefree flavour, which longs for freedom.
‘Je Suis Responsable’ is your latest fashion film, a manifesto to grasp the essence of À forma and raise awareness of what’s happening. How did you come up with the idea and references behind it?
Je Suis Responsable stems from an idea of Enrico Poli – a friend, collaborator and, most importantly, the filmmaker that wrote and directed the short film – and from our desire to use a direct video language to communicate our idea of responsibility: it was our first artistic collaboration. What motivated us was the urgency to translate the global derealisation caused by the pandemic into an art form. Preserving life on this planet is the decisive challenge of our time.The idea for the title, as well as the whole film, was born after the first conversation we had with D sir e, the actress. She told us about a dream she had the night before, and we found it so stimulating that we structured the scenes starting from her story which, although discontinuous, was extremely dense from an emotional point of view. D sir e further inspired us when she said that she could act in French. The last light bulb went on when Enrico made his debut with the scene by ‘Vivre sa vie’ (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962), in which Anna Karina’s character tells a friend of how she feels that ‘we’re responsible for everything we do’. Within the monologue, to which our film pays homage, Anna Karina repeats the formula ‘Je suis responsable’ several times, almost creating a metalinguistic fracture for the viewer. It felt like the perfect opportunity to link the brand’s core value. All the pieces ended up in the right place, magically. The settings, the plot and the aesthetics all contributed to the same message: “It doesn’t matter if this life is a dream that’ll end in the blink of an eye, as long as we’re responsible for our actions”.
Sustainability is playing a major role in fashion at the moment, to the point that it became a mere marketing plan for some through the so-called ‘greenwashing’. How do you cope with the controversy of the fashion market, and what’s your approach to sustainability?
It’d be almost an heresy to say that we don’t have a sustainable approach to life, and therefore also to our business. We don’t blame any action, strategy or goal within the fashion market. Indeed, as we mentioned earlier, we’re observers. So, we listen and interpret what’s forwarded to us. À forma is a project with a broader vision than fashion only. Our creativity, and therefore also our message to others, is expressed through a clothing collection because it’s what we think we do best and are most passionate about, and we’ve developed what’s our contribution to a more sustainable world here too. Our garments are unique, we don’t create duplicates minimising waste; the fabrics we use are of high quality which makes them more durable; we work with models who create a silhouette that can be easily adapted to different bodies and this definitely has a great impact on production, and so on. In addition to the collection itself, the approach to sustainability comes from us as individuals and, in a moment of global rest, from asking ourselves questions about how much we’re really aware and can be even more responsible, starting with ourselves.
In addition to being sustainable, forma will present genderless and a-seasonal apparel. What does fashion mean to you both?
Fashion definitely has a different meaning for everybody, and it has a different meaning for Daniele as well as for Antonio. Anyhow, for forma, fashion is a way of expression. We talk a lot about creativity and the creative process, and À forma creates this possibility through its collections. Fashion has always influenced us, and our own idea of making fashion is the result of this mashup of information. ‘Genderless’ and ‘a-seasonal’ are terms connected to a certain type of fashion market that we think can match our project: we don’t need seasons, everything is and will be combinable with what’s next. In reality, we don’t even like to be defined, especially for what concerns genders, since it gets limiting for us. At the end of the day, what really matters is being open to anything with regards to language, ways of thinking and, most importantly, wearing clothes.
Sustainability can be a part of a broader picture. Do you reflect your brand’s staples within your lifestyle somehow?
Absolutely, yes. The film directed by Enrico Poli is the manifesto of our lifestyle. Enrico managed to represent the considerations we’ve made through ‘Je Suis Responsable’ – this collaboration has definitely been the epiphany for forma. Sustainability is the responsibility towards ourselves and each other. The how can be interpreted by each of us
through smaller or bigger actions. We, as individuals, stick to the little ones, and À forma helps us share and remember them. Our lifestyle reflects the concept of the brand and vice versa. forma stems from our straightforward and natural approach to art, society and curiosity towards the little aspects of daily life. We have a sustainable approach towards life in general, towards relationships and food, work and home, anything that’s a
part of us. We try not to waste anything of what was offered to us, including our talents, our flaws, our mistakes and our artistic taste. The idea is to speak a very open, free and responsible language.
What would you like to see in the future in regards to your vision of fashion, as well with cultural changes?
It’s interesting to see how fashion can give voice and an interpretation to the cultural landscape that surrounds us. Today, we say what we like and would like to observe and interpret in the future: the idea of freedom. There’s no value that makes us more creative and human than freedom, whether it’s physical or mental. The project is in the embryonic stage, in the future we’d love to talk and collaborate with artists in the fields of sculpture, music and photography. As soon as the situation allows it, we’ll immediately give space to À forma through targeted events in Italy and Europe to show and sell the collection more closely, obviously in our own way.
I’d first like to say congratulations and good luck on your first collection, that’ll soon be available online. To conclude, what’re your plans for À forma in the future?
Thank you so much for the congrats! Our goal continues to be that of attracting artistic collaborations that support the lifestyle and philosophy of forma. The project is a collection that has no time or season limits. We don’t follow calendars or seasons: everything’s a part of a bigger picture. This gives us the inspiration needed to develop the message we want to convey. As you’ve already mentioned, our present goal is to be online, to have the opportunity to share our identity and receive feedback from a broader, more diverse audience.
Credits: Photo by Simon / Interview by Giorgia Feroldi