L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 L'Italo-Americano L ast May, a super talented Italian designer created l o o k s f o r J e n - n i f e r L o p e z o n the occasion of The Global Citizen VAX Live Concert in Inglewood, California. He s k e t c h e d a C a v a l l i minidress for her perfor- mance. J. Lo was so divine in that custom-made cut-out lemon yellow minidress with black piping and bejeweled l e o p a r d h e a d s . H e r f o r t y dancers also wore Cavalli on s t a g e , w h e r e t h e c o l o r s g r a p e , l i m e , f u c h s i a a n d indigo created a rainbow effect. Fashion designer Fausto Puglisi appears to have had a magic touch from the very start. What distinguishes his d e s i g n i s i t s v i t a l i t y , i t s sense that life goes on. L a s t O c t o b e r , h e w a s appointed as the new cre- ative director of Roberto Cavalli Maison. He suc- ceeds Paul Surridge. L i k e a m o d e r n t o d a y alchemist, designer to the stars Fausto Puglisi is re- distilling, re-shaping, and re-inventing the vocabulary of the luxury house Roberto Cavalli that for five decades has been contributing to the history of fashion through flamboyant, sensual clothes. T h e I t a l i a n c l o t h i n g designer, 44, has dressed top celebrities ranging from W h i t n e y H o u s t o n t o Madonna, from Beyoncé to K y l i e M i n o g u e , f r o m Rihanna to Jennifer Lopez. Today, he speaks about his new mission at Cavalli's and reveals his zestful vision. Mr. Puglisi, how are y o u g o i n g t o r e f r e s h Roberto Cavalli's identi- ty and heritage? Just by being myself. But a t t h e s a m e t i m e , I w i l l r e s p e c t y e t t w i s t o u t o f shape the unique codes of a f a s h i o n h o u s e t h a t m a d e women and men around the world dream. What are the key con- cepts to focus on in this new chapter of Cavalli? The core concepts that represent my creative direc- tion are inclusion, richness, Italianness, sexiness, all are r e s u l t i n g i n t o a v i v i d , vibrant, and fearless aes- thetic. I develop my mes- sages of inclusion and beau- ty. I amplify the dialogue between cultures, diversity, and multiplied aesthetic. Dialogue and multicultural- ism are the real richness that can save us. You said you want to " a m a z e " M r . R o b e r t o C a v a l l i h i m s e l f , t h e Florentine designer who f o u n d e d t h e h o u s e i n t h e e a r l y 1 9 7 0 s , " b e c a u s e h e d e s e r v e s it," you said. So will you magnify Cavalli's identi- ty in its stylistic audacity and anti-minimalism? The DNA of Cavalli that has made history can only be valued and celebrated. We want to interpret that DNA and speak the future's language by breaking the habits and offering new con- tent and aesthetic codes. I w i l l d o i t " m y w a y , " l i k e F r a n k S i n a t r a , a n o t h e r Sicilian! R i g h t , b e c a u s e y o u were born in Messina, Sicily, an island at the crossroads of history. Is t h e r e a l i n k b e t w e e n y o u r d e s i g n s a n d t h e aesthetic, artistic cul- ture of Sicily? Sicily has been a cultural melting pot since Antiquity. Think about the Greeks, the R o m a n s , t h e A r a b s , t h e Byzantines, the Normans, the Spaniards, and more. So many different cultures had an extraordinary impact on o u r i d e n t i t y , f r o m A r a b architecture to Baroque art. All that contrast is in my DNA and forges my aesthet- ic vision. D o e s t h e c i t y o f Messina represent for y o u w h a t F l o r e n c e meant for Mr. Cavalli? To create, he needed to b r e a t h e t h e a r t o f Florence, which his fam- i l y h i s t o r y w a s a l s o imbued with, being the g r a n d s o n o f a M a c c h i a i o l o p a i n t e r w h o s e w o r k i s i n t h e Uffizi Gallery. My hometown Messina is inside me, but I need the world to create. Messina's history is tragic. On the anthropo- logical level, it affirms the suffering of humani- t y . T h e 1 9 0 8 M e s s i n a e a r t h q u a k e w a s t h e most destructive ever to h i t E u r o p e . T h e l o c a l population — 150,000 — w a s r e d u c e d t o h u n - dreds; survivors had to emigrate to other Italian c i t i e s a n d A m e r i c a . Going back in time, also the Black Death arrived i n E u r o p e i n O c t o b e r 1347 through Messina w h e n G e n o e s e s h i p s f r o m t h e B l a c k S e a docked at the Messina p o r t . F r o m t h e r e , t h e bubonic plague spread throughout Europe. And M e s s i n a w a s a l s o t h e l a s t E u r o p e a n c i t y t o recover from the succes- sive waves of the pesti- lence that plagued the pre-industrial world. All that pain clashes with the idea of glamor writ- ten in the Cavalli DNA. Y o u n e e d t o k e e p u p with the sense of glam- our, but which is "your" r e n e w e d c o n c e p t o f glamor? I believe that only diffi- cult places can generate a modern, bold vocabulary that breaks the patterns of boredom. Only those places are capable of speaking like Rock'n'Roll or Hip Hop to the new generation. I believe g l a m o r c o m e s o n l y f r o m great contrasts and suffer- ing. Everything that comes f r o m h a r d s i t u a t i o n s c a n generate beauty and glamor itself. G e n e r a l l y , w h a t i s your relationship with painting or sculpture? Fausto Puglisi (Photo: Filippo Fior) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE MARIELLA RADAELLI Be fearless, be strong and be Cavalli Continued to page 12

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