Interview with Andrea Grossi, the designer who creates "Digital Couture"

We had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing one of the creative minds of the moment, the young designer Andrea Grossi as well as founder of the homonymous brand. His background boasts important names and experiences to be envied by anyone, and his brand is a confirmation of this.

Many have defined his style as “Digital Couture”, but it is enough to look at his creations to understand that it is much more. An imaginary on the border between avant-garde and tradition, refinement and classic tailoring, past and future. We just have to give the word to this extraordinary talent and learn more about his creative process.

Hi Andrea, thank you for accepting our invitation. First of all we would like our readers to know you better, therefore, tell us about yourself. How did the idea of your brand come about?

My brand is nothing more than my vision of the world and the society in which we live. The vision of a 25 year old boy who believes in a better world, through my work I try to express the values I carry on in my daily life: innovation, sustainability and emotion. I believe that the vision of a young person today can make great progress for society, starting from sustainability up to the rights of minorities. My work tells about my life, my experiences and my passions, consequently who Andrea Grossi is and what Andrea Grossi fights for in everyday life.

Your latest Welcome to Deusland Season 1 and Season 2 collections appear to be two chapters of the same saga. What did you draw inspiration from and what is the message revolving around it?

In fact, they are two chapters of the same story that takes inspiration from the trilogy of books by Yuval Noah Arari, a historian who analyzes the past, future and present of our society. His thoughts and analyzes have profoundly changed my way of seeing reality and society, they pushed me to question myself on different themes, between past and future, thus the first two collections were born. I am currently working on the last chapter of this saga, which is Season 3.

Looking at your creations, it is impossible not to notice the attention to detail and high tailoring. What are the techniques and materials you prefer?

Currently, I love working with fabrics with a high environmental impact and trying, through the know-how of Made in Italy and technological innovation, to make them as sustainable as possible without losing the DNA that characterizes them. I love working with leather, denim and jersey, for the moment I have full focus on these fabrics.

Always talking about your creative process, many have called it “Digital Couture”. What do you think about it, do you reflect yourself in this definition?

I am not a lover of definitions, because they often lead to stagnation of creativity, but yes, in this case I believe that digital couture reflects my way of working very well, that is, mixing the 3D model with which I create the shapes, with the design digital fabric. Through my background as a graphic designer I have the opportunity to combine the two and create my own particular style that combines past and future by creating garments for the present.

Your background boasts important names in fashion (eg Diesel) and not only, but also in music (eg Achille Lauro). What have you learned from each experience?

These experiences are the real reason that leads me to love this job. People, unions and connections make work turn into passion and love. I believe that working with so many strong personalities allows you to learn, study and remain humble knowing that the world is full of so many artists and professionals from whom you can learn and grow. My work allows me to always be hungry for new experiences and new people with whom I can enrich myself and gain new experiences.

And still talking about big names, American rapper Lil Nas X recently wore your creation at the BET Awards. How did you feel when you learned about it and how does this growing popularity make you feel?

I think that Lil Nas X was the perfect person to convey the message and the values that are inside that outfit. Knowing that I have a common artistic vision with an artist of that level gives a lot of satisfaction and makes me realize that I am on the right path. I think to date seeing Lil Nas X with that garment at the Bet Awards has been one of the best moments of my career. Popularity actually gives me a great desire to continue to create and offer my vision of the world to as many people as possible who reflect and share it. This idea of creating a community is one of the main reasons why I want to carry on the Andrea Grossi project.

Let’s move for a moment to another important topic concerning today’s fashion. What change would you make? And on which issue would you shift your attention the most?

There are many hot topics on which you can get interested, currently I believe that fashion should continue to work on 2 themes and values which are sustainability and social equality. Fashion has the power to dictate trends and trends and this is why I believe that moving consumers’ opinion on the way they dress and the way they live their lives is a priority. Finding sustainable solutions, however, cannot only concern how garments are produced but must be a general rethinking of the industry on how clothes are designed, produced, advertised and sold. I believe that in the next few years brands will be born that will be able to bring creative solutions to these issues.

How have you exploited, creatively speaking, this last year of the pandemic? Can we expect a Season 3?
Season 3 will be Andrea Grossi’s vision of the daily wardrobe, that is how I think and imagine the garments that we all wear every day, from t-shirts to 5-pocket jeans. All obviously according to the values I told you about earlier.

Is there a brand you would like to collaborate with in the future?
Obviously the brand I wear the most and by which I am most fascinated …. Nike. Their way of transmitting values and passion for sport is something I am very attracted to and that has led me to study the brand from the beginning of its days to today.

Last question … what would today’s Andrea Grossi say to Andrea Grossi of yesterday, a former student?
I believe what each of us would say to him in the past, to always believe in what makes you feel good, and consequently to enjoy every moment of the journey.

MORE INFO

andreagrossi.com

@andreagrossi

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Posted By

Irene Larussa

Irene è diplomata in fashion styling presso l'Istituto Marangoni. Di origini calabresi, vive attualmente a Milano. E' alla costante ricerca di stimoli nuovi da cui trarre ispirazione per alimentare le sue più grandi passioni: styling, grafica e scrittura. Il suo sogno è infatti lavorare nella redazione di un fashion magazine.