IN GOLD WE TRUST

In Rome during Alta Roma, a creativity week (more than a fashion week as the President Silvia Venturini Fendi said) I had the pleasure to discover Au197sm a pioneer. The entrepreneur Stefano Maccagnani and the Designer Paola Emilia Monachesi ( a former assistant of Gianni Versace) created this brand and, an avant-garde couture that merges sartorial savoir-faire with nano-technologies. The day before the show who took place in Cinecittà, we had the press conference and lunch at the Hotel Aleph, near via Veneto and the American Embassy.

The collection enphasises the fusion of precious metals and the use of ultrasonic welding . Through a process protected by an international patent, they bond 24 carat-gold and other precious metals to fabric. "Technology, research and tradition are the key points. The result is a tech couture. After Rome we will presented it in Paris". Stefano Macagnani, CEO of Au197sm explained  his goals at the press conference :" I am looking  for a human scale innovation and I am happy to bring this avant-garde technology  to the ultimate symbol of classicism". The production workshop is located in the Eternal City and the dresses looks a little bit like peplum of  Roman and Greek Goddess made of chiffon, cotton and organza. The palette of colours range from white, black, mint, licorice and pale rose. They also gave us a Tshirt. We are loosing powder of platinum, but after the first wash, the metal will stick together. We will keep you posted  on this matter. Mr Maccagnani promised us to tell also where the Au197sm will be sell in the future.

Fabrics range from hype technological to traditional materials given a contemporary twist. Refind tecnological details are made by fusing together nylon and Plexiglas fibers.Paper-like gold fabrics entirely made of unwoven gold create a minimalist look. We also loved the shoes. Creamy sneakers made of leather embellished with transparent sequins, nylon and Plexiglas threads and decorated with precious metals and gold.

SHOPPING IN ROME IN AN ARTISANAL HUB

Thanks to my PR friend Benedetta, I discovered Manifactory -Craftsmanship Coworking. It is more than a concept store, it is different things together : a new gallery of contemporary art, craftsmanship and design, fashion and ideas.  It was conceived by Cristiana Del Bello and Paolo Molaioni, with the aim of promoting and developing small and medium-sized craft companies and emerging designers, Italian and International. They change designers more or less every month, for example now we have bathing suits and tote bags for the beach.

The gallery is located in the ancient Jewish district: in  Via dei Funari 21A, one of the oldest areas of Rome where sometimes I go, especially to visit a fantastic home living store nearby called Limentani but this is another  story. 

MANIFACTORY is extremely interesting because generally clients asked me for brands they don't find in their countries. Here is exactly what they are looking for eventhough not everything there is up to date. Some orange coats did not convinced me but, on the other hands, some jewels were gorgeous.

To highlight its activity Manifactory organizes events every month in collaboration with the artisans and designers, attracting an Italian and International audience.

This great concept store presents mostly emerging designers. Not only shirts and bags but also jewels and bathing suits, hand-painted tshirts and why not  ? Ceramics.

At the moment, on the wall, you can admire the works of Olga Volha Piashko, whose three-dimensional portraits have already been presented in many galleries in Italy and abroad. Another artist to mention is Massimo Ripa, a goldsmith craftsman who creates paintings. I was happy to visit it and, in a moment where Italy needs to promote its artisans, a place like Manifactory  deserves to be known.

HERNO THE MAGIC WORLD OF RAIN COATS FROM FLORENCE TO ROME

If you want to find a rain coat, a duvet, a jacket that are masterminds your place is Herno. The boutique in Rome is in via Borgognona 4 f and 4 g, one of my favourite street for shopping. Herno has a big birthday, 70 years of history. The owner Claudio Marenzi made a speech in Florence before the sitted dinner with press an buyers. It was preceded by a fantastic installation in the Leopolda Station. "In 1948 my father transformed the rainy climate of the lake and the humidity of the river into an opportunity when he started producing raincoats. Production organised itself so that in 1980's and 90's it was almost easiier to decide to work for third parties, for french maisons. Since 2005 my strategy has relied of the awareness of being able to develop our brand in an  evolutionary, practical and tailoring way we handle each stage of the process".

A perfect combination of praticality, tradition  and innovation. The factory is in Lesa near Novara, on the Maggiore Lake. It is the quintessence of doing it the Italian way, intuition that uncovers an opportunity in the waters of a lake, river and rain. It is the revelation of how a raincoat has travelled down through decades.

Renewed, deconstructed, strenghtened, modified in technological, ecological, luxurious and urban variations enhanced in its fabrics and advanced in performance. In Florence, in the Leopolda station, the Water Echoes was an interactive installation designed by Studio Azzurro (we were sitted next to them at the dinner) that summarises and evokes the element best suited to the brand: obviously water.  It was an artistic immersion of images and sounds. Of course the installation called L.I.B.R.A.R.Y was like a spectacular box containing old and new models of jackets and raincoats but also objects, memories, old pictures, videos, furnishing and photos.  A brand that I admire and want to make my clients discover more and more.