Seeking Bohemia

Resisting self-consciousness, free form silhouettes set the tone for visceral feelings. Seeking fluidity and a nonchalant buoyancy of spirit on my excursion to Paris for Fashion Week, I slip into the perfect ingredient, giada_forte’s luscious slip dress. Sublime colors originating in nature and malleable shapes become true to you, the essence of the wearer. A nonconformist core is illuminated and at ease in the context of Phillip King’s eccentric formal contemporary sculpture at Galerie Lelong skip to, through the open air classicism, Second Empire statuesque of the Jardin des Grands Explorateurs: Marco Polo. Giada Forte, the creative force behind the line reveals to me her dedication towards a new modern bohemia.

Pari Dust: I recently learned that giada_forte is the partnership of yourself and your brother Paolo. Tell me a little about working with your sibling, the ups & downs of working alongside family.

Giada Forte: I think we are super lucky; we live and work in great harmony, I think, most probably because we are so different. I am super emotional and he is very rational, we are a perfect match. The most beautiful thing is that we trust each other totally, and therefore we are able to work very independently in our different roles. Leaving and working in balance does not mean we don’t have discussions, and luckily we do share opinions! Being siblings, those discussions are very open, straightforward and sincere, which makes our relationship stronger and stronger.

Can you talk to me about your role in the brand, what do you take under your belt and succeed at doing that differs from Paolo’s experience and responsibilities?

Being the emotional part of the company, I take care of the creative part, my brother Paolo takes care of all the strategic and business part; people say I am the heart and the soul of the brand, and Paolo is the mind and its spinal core.

I would love to learn your process when you begin working on a new collection. Can you share with us where you look to for inspiration, is it materials, colours, a certain place in the world, an artist? Is there a theme behind each collection, a story, and how do you bring it to life?

Everything always starts from a journey, a sensation, an experience. Sensations are then translated into a profound research for textiles, colors and finishings. I am a person that is very sensitive to touch and textures. Sensations and materials becomes, little by little, living silhouettes, creating the history of the collection. I believe in the importance of special, precious details that make a piece unique and personal; I love dedicating great attention to color shades and the effects of wearing them. Our collections always portray an emotive voyage, I like the idea that a collection can make you dream for a while and that, when you buy a piece, it becomes part of you.

If you could collaborate with any artist or creative on a limited edition piece or collection who would it be?

I would love to collaborate with many of them, I strongly believe in the beauty of sharing visions and savoir fair. I love Dries Van Noten since I was a very curious little child. I appreciate his research and truthfulness towards ethnical tradition textiles. Maybe one day…!

Describe your own personal style

“Personal style” is a term that doesn’t really appeal to me, it already reveals a fashion attitude which does not represents forte_forte or my personality. I like pieces to be atemporal, creating an emotional relationship with you once you wear them. I like choosing pieces that do not force shapes and body but that free your spirit, pieces that do not show, but reveal…

What designers do you admire and find to be iconic and inspiring?

All the ones that has always been authentic and truthful to themselves: Dries Van Noten, Comme de Garcons, Yoshi Yamamoto are some examples…