Two masters of imagination and creativity like Romeo Gigli and Jacopo Foggini, chaired by Maurizio Melis from Radio24, discussed the topic From Design to Imagination. The tailored construction technique learnt in New York in the 1980s was the foundation of the new proportions of the female figure in many Gigli collections, an architect who has moved to fashion and clothing.
An explorer who travels art and design, this is how Jacopo Foggini likes to define himself, going beyond the constraints imposed by the rules of the various subjects. He combines refined sensitivity with the revolutionary use of a material like methacrylate in art.
During the evening, Melis led these two artists to a discussion that touched on some of the topics tackled during the series of Audi Mind Movers conferences: sustainability, sharing economy, hyperconnection, creative processes.
Below, in a short exchange full of meaning, the opinion of the two guests of Audi City Lab.
Sustainability Romeo Gigli “Fashion materials can be sustainable, but this path is scarcely followed because of its high costs, poor acceptance from the general public, impossibility to keep materials under control (with natural dyes, I have seen red clothes turn yellow, a nice shade of yellow, however no longer the original color). I love natural materials: I have used them since the 1980s and still do. I mean textiles in coconut or pineapple fiber”.
Jacopo Foggini “A fascinating aspect of the material I use (methacrylate) is that it was something different previously: a helmet, toys, something that is shredded and then mixed with pure material or distilled in many ways”.
Sharing economy RG “When I design, I need to gather other people’s emotions and process them. This is sharing for me”.
JF “I began in the industry, since my family dealt with the processing of plastics, and I got to my small craft shop, my firm where I share my knowledge, my emotions with the people who work with me”.
Connectivity RG “Devices like mobile phones and cameras are detrimental as far as I am concerned. It is so true, that I constantly lose them. The five senses still matter very much for me.”
JF “I think Instagram is an excellent technical exercise for anyone, since it gives the opportunity to communicate through images, without any need for words.
Creative process RG “During my creative process, how much is it method and how much inspiration? I think that without method you cannot regulate creativity. I know that through method I can reach a specific outcome with my creativity. The point I like the most is the moment when I must capture the idea”.
JF “In my creative process, mistakes point the way and suggest ideas. Or exchanging ideas and spending time with the people who assign me a project. These moments give me the opportunity to create objects whose peculiarity is to be oneoffs that are created through a process which is partially industrial and partially manual”.
Text by Danilo Signorello – photo by Efrem Raimondi
