I-D ITALIA
by Giorgia Imbrenda — i-D Italia, September 2021
Post-punk, inclusive, eco-social: i-D Italia presents Atelier Florania, an emerging brand whose mission is to offer an alternative space that subverts the rhythms and processes of the fashion industry.
"Florania is more than my brand — it is a container of talents, an artistic collective in continuous evolution. I am the founder and the connective tissue of the Florania community."
Born in Mantova, Flora Rabitti studied Fashion Design at IED Milano, then continued at Central Saint Martins in London and the Institut Français de la Couture in Paris. After two years as a designer at Miu Miu, she moved across major houses and independent brands before founding Florania.
"Our process is experimental. Instead of starting from a drawing or a pattern, we look around and recover what the industry abandons — vintage pieces, textile remnants. We then drape these materials on the body, staying true to our cultural and aesthetic pillars: post-punk aesthetics, Japanese techniques, mythology and legends of magical creatures."
On genderless design:
"In our brand there is no distinction between genders. The pieces we create can be worn by the most diverse body types. During the shoot for our S/S 22 collection, models came to the studio, chose the look that most represented them, and were photographed wearing it. We like to set the rules of our own projects."
On sustainability:
"Sustainability is divided into pillars: environmental, but also social, cultural, economic. Transparency in the quality of materials goes hand in hand with production and fair labour. Ideally a brand should use local suppliers, with local production and processes. And we must invent new techniques to reuse waste. We have developed a jersey reuse technique and are experimenting with new patchwork methods, inspired by existing techniques like Japanese Boro Boro and American quilts."
On her influences:
"Donna Haraway, pioneer of cyborg theory and the Solar Punk philosophy — a subculture directly linked to a post-punk attitude but with an optimistic vision of the future. And also Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Miyazaki, Margiela."
"Our ambition is to remain true to ourselves and create an ethical, creative, honest environment — a continuous evolution of our optimistic post-punk philosophy."
Read the full article on i-D Italia