[February 27 2017] : Magazine
fashion designer duo, milan
ROSITA GIA and CECILIA FEDERICO
interview by VALERIA DELLA VALLE
photography by ALESSANDRA D’URSO
style by MAURO DEMESTRIA
make-up by SARA BUSAN
VALERIA DELLA VALLE — When did you decide to create Archivio?
ROSITA GIA — Years ago. After graduating, I went to New York. There, I realized how fascinated people are by Italians and the “Made in Italy” brand. We started to speak about the possibility of creating a label that would pay tribute to our Italian roots; this is also the reason our production process is quite slow — the clothes are entirely hand-sewn by seamstresses from Southern Italy, women who’ve grown up with a needle and thread in their fingers. Later on, we took a trip to Israel, and we fell in love with the uniforms Israeli women were wearing and started to reinvent them. That was the moment Archivio stopped being an idea and became more concrete.
VALERIA DELLA VALLE — Archivio in Italian means “archive.” Why did you choose this name?
CECILIA FEDERICO — What we do is look back at iconic classics and reinvent them. In that respect, this name seemed perfect. It’s also a beautiful, clear, strong Italian word.
VALERIA DELLA VALLE — You’re strongly inspired by the ’90s. What draws you to that decade?
CECILIA FEDERICO — It’s the time we would have wanted to live in. Those were the years of new kinds of models and attitudes.
They were strong, shameless, pro- vocative. Women were real women — they had a super-sexy femininity and, more importantly, they knew how to play with it.
We’re both very conscious about our- selves, about our femininity. This is the kind of attitude we’d like Archivio to inspire.
VALERIA DELLA VALLE — How have your very distinct backgrounds shaped who you are and how you work?
ROSITA GIA — I was born under the sun of Southern Italy, surrounded by nature that was kind of romantic, I’d say. I’m a dreamer.
Cecilia grew up watching MTV, influenced by that kind of American trash culture. The game is to mix all this up.
VALERIA DELLA VALLE — Archivio seems to be the result of a paradox, such as your search for femininity through male forms. The woman you present is sexy but masculine. How has...
