#MCCOTInterview {38}

Sylvio Giardina, the Italian and French Avant-garde Fashion designer, who celebrates a very artistic kind of Fashion

Graduate from Accademia di Costume e di Moda, the renowned fashion institute based in Rome and founder of the eponymous maison of contemporary Demi-Couture established in the Italian capital in 2010, Paris-Born with Sicilian roots Sylvio Giardina  is a talented fashion designer and  prolific visual Artist. A very free, creative and poliedrical mind, who is always researching, innovating and experiencing. Because Art has no limits. A brilliant storyteller, who welcomes us in his parallel universe, which stands at the crossroads between Fashion and Art. A zealous experimenter, who loves staging his one-of-a-kind timeless masterpieces and choosing special teatrical video, installation and performative practices. As  /gal-le-rì-a /, the S/S 2023 collection's presentation held on January 2023  in the halls on the main floor of Palazzo Farnese in Rome and more recently, on 13th July, SI/LENZIO, the site specific intervention conceived by Sylvio Giardina and curated by Alessio de'Navasque in the National Roman Museum, in the Diocletian Baths Complex. As experiencing is like breathing for Mr Giardina, we can be sure that he will soon be able to surprise us once more with something totally new and innovative as his edited self artistic project, a serie of unusual self-portraits. 

By Hélène Battaglia

How did you come up with the idea of becoming a fashion designer?

It all came in a natural way since I was born: my studies, the school of Art, my first job...I've really  never wondered  what will I do when I grow? The truth is that everything was going towards that direction and I just followed it and went through all the difficulties people have to cope with...

How working alongside with Fernanda Gattinoni has been a turning point for your incoming career?

Mrs Fernanda Gattinoni taught me the culture of Haute-Couture. She was a remarkable woman of yesteryear with a persistence and a know-how, that I've always considered as contemporary.

What influenced you to take flight and start on your own?

I wanted to start fresh. It is so important to me that one never stops dreaming and never puts limits to one's dreams.

How would you describe your own style?

Free. Liberty is a luxury. Being free from any pattern and experiencing new languages is the way that I conceive my work.

Which is the DNA of the woman wearing Sylvio Giardina?

A woman who is aware of the times she is living in, feels free from the rules laid down by the Fashion industry and proudly express her personality. 

From Haute-couture you have turned to Demi-couture of which you are a proud ambassador of. What is it exactly about?

I started my career working for Haute-couture. I had the great opportunity to experience a unique reality where the handmade work is very important. Italian artisans are the best in the world. In my project 'Sylvio Giardina', artisan tradition and technology blend together in the construction of the collection: there is always a hand-sewn  or hand-embroidered detail. To me, cherishing one's roots is a priority; it is an essential wealth of experiences and knowledge.

You said that 'Art is the inspiration, Fashion is the means'. Could you please tell us more about this statement of yours?

Art is a big passion of mine. As  I'm interested in all the creative fields, contamination is at the basis of my project. 

You are used to creating by experiencing at 360 °. To you, are there limits to creativity?

No! There are not...Limits are created by our minds and by the people, who have no impetus on life and on the world around them.

Artist, Fashion designer, artisan, dress maker? How would you like to be define?

I really don't know. I think it is not important to define ourselves but, at the contrary, what really matters, is the message, we want to comunicate. And maybe in my work, there is all: the artist, the fashion designer, the artisan and the dress maker.

Which kind of relationship do you have with Paris, the city where you were born in?

Paris is part of my life. The latter is the city, where I've spent my first years as a child together with my family and the place where I came back, as a teenager, when my parents moved back to Italy. It is a special place to me where you can breathe creativity and elegance in every corner. What concerns the Fashion industry, in Paris, there is a lot of attention and respect for 'little' brands and maison. 

Which place does Sicily, the roots of your family, in your life and your collections?

I never forgot my roots. The perfumes and the flavors of a land that, at first sight, can give you the impression of being so harsh but when you experience it, is rich and full of life. I sincerely hope it will soon wake up from its long lethargy. Regarding the collections, there is already Dolce e Gabbana...

“Made in Italy” is nowadays pure utopy or it is still possible to believe in it?

We have to believe in it! Never give up!  "Made in Italy" is an undeniable reality. It remains the key to impose oneself on the foreign markets. It is our main asset. I  exclusively produce my collections in Italy. Because, as I already said, Italian artisans are the most talented and skilled in the world. Their work has to be preserved by istitutions and supported by us, creative people who choose to produce in Italy. 

All the pictures are Courtesy of  Mr Sylvio Giardina

Sylvio Giardina

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@sylviogiardina

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