Alessandro Enriquez inspirations come straight from the heart of Italy. Born in Palermo, in that Sicily that is the beating heart of our collective consciousness, he travelled the world to study fashion. Immediately perceived as a very promising fashion designer, he worked for seven years with Costume National, before he launched his line of bags and apparel, featuring “collections all’italiana”, carrying the name of his first book, “10×10 An Italian Theory, volume about fashion, food and lifestyle, which has put him in touch with a number of magazines he still collaborates with. A book that, as he likes to point out, he can’t help but consider “his lucky charm».
You professional path is rather eclectic: from design to digital. Tell us about your creative DNA and how you harness it in different milieus?
My “mixed” background has taken me along different creative paths, which I equally enjoy and find very stimulating. I invent and elaborate, with an eye to communication, owing to my desire to create by communicating and vice versa. With a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and a passion for ancient literature and fashion, I have always mixed different elements. Following my studies I devoted myself to fashion as a designer with Costume National for seven years, and I consider Ennio Capasa to be one of my best “mentors”, both professionally and in life. During my last two years with Costume National, I devoted myself to writing a book that was published in Italian in 2012: “10×10 An Italian Theory”, a volume about fashion, food and lifestyle, rich in illustrations. The positive feedback the book (my lucky charm) got, led me to build professional relationships with several magazines, which I still collaborate with. At the same time an apparel line carrying the same name as the book was launched. It has already gave me many satisfactions, above all the “collezioni all’italiana”, like the one with pasta, turning me into a sort of global ambassador of Italianness, thus allowing me to build my creative DNA. Beside the apparel collection, I developed, in 2016, a fully made in Italy bags collection carrying my name.
Your definition of influencer/blogger/ambassador?
A person who gives advice, communicates, acts as a role model, heralds a style. A modern-day version of a micro digital paper, which we all have. As is the case with all papers, the outcome depends on the readers’ interest in it.
How do you envision the evolution of social networks and of your business?
Social media are certainly bound to keep growing, taking on new facets. Today the influencers have become celebrities, through a democratic form of communication. Maybe tomorrow, thanks to the social media, new professional figures will emerge. I believe that this will support many people.
What’s, in your opinion, the social media of the future?
Instagram is no doubt the most popular, at the moment. I think that it will be enhanced and that, little by little, there will be many up-dates. The next step? I don’t know. Let’s rely on the IT wizards, hoping to quickly learn and use all the future apps and tools.
How many of your tips are honest and not sponsored?
My posts are all honest and heartfelt. Some are amusing, others are sharper and caustic, but they all mirror my stance.
How do you envision the evolution of fashion with digital phenomena like “see now buy now”?
It is certainly thrilling for fashion-victims, but I think that the choice by some French maisons to sell little capsules exclusively in-store, just after showing them on the catwalk – can be a positive strategy to bolster the market. I think it is good to recreate that customer/shop relationship that is being lost to online shopping.
Does the influencer profession have and expiry date?
This profession does not expire. Each is the architect of his/her own expiry date. Each one of us knows very well that the social media are like cars and need plenty of fuel.
Your passion for cartoons and for the pop side of fashion?
I think of myself as an incurable Peter Pan, and I have always been keen on illustrations. I adore cartoons, and sometimes I ask them to “play” with my collections, giving them Italian citizenship. Titty cooks pasta, Bugs drinks Neapolitan coffee, Felix dreams of Italy. They are part of our history, the history of cinema, and I think they are very valuable. Having partners like Universal or Warner Bross is a great recognition of my work. I can never get tired of them.
Your 5 favourite spots in Italy or in the world?
I am Sicilian, I love cooking and I have a fascination for places where I can taste traditional dishes. There is a little restaurant, in the heart of Ortigia (Siracusa), called La Foglia: typical Sicilian dishes with a twist, kitsch-vintage furniture and very friendly owners. In New York, Apulian restaurant Mercato reminds me of Italy every time I go there. In Barcelona – my favourite city, where I lived for many years – I always go to the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art). After that I rush to Caelum for a coffee and a cake made in the Spanish convents, in the central gothic area. The “marchée aux pouces” in Paris and Portobello in London are my passion. Banner and 10corsocomo in Milan are my favourite department stores, featuring a very cool selection and very professional staff.
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