Sustainability at Pitti: Stories

Sustainability at Pitti:
Stories

Editorial

Edition 100

13.07.2021

Stories’ Stefano Giordano Is Calling for Fashion’s Rebirth

Sustainability at Pitti is a series of interviews that celebrate fashion’s climate-conscious innovators. By providing a platform for the designers that put sustainability at the core of their brand, we hope to inspire and lead a wave of change within our industry, helping us all to push for a better future together.

“I decided to create a menswear collection after a graphic impulse,” says Stories founder Stefano Giordano, explaining the context behind the geometrical patterns that have become synonymous with his brand since its inception in 2015. “I grew up in a family that built machines for agriculture, so I've always been an observer of the mechanical parts, gears, pulleys, wheels. It was natural to pick up these geometrical shapes and transform them into patterns to be printed or weaved.”

It’s not just the use of graphics that links Giordano’s brand with his childhood connection to agriculture — consideration for the environment is intrinsic to his work. What’s more, by conducting his entire supply chain in Italian, he ensures that everything within his power is accounted for and nothing is lost in translation. In order to learn more about what this looks like in practice, we linked up with Giordano shortly before his latest collection reveal at Pitti — our conversation you can read below.

Can you talk us through the pieces you will be showing at Pitti this year? What’s the story behind them?

Stories had a different genesis compared to other collections. I did not look for ideas because I had to create a line, I planned entire collections because I had very precise ideas in mind: dynamic basics. [That is what I’m showing] at Pitti — essential items: the bomber jacket, the trousers, a shirt. It’s a casual line [reminiscent of] uniforms. Shapes that do not deform; autonomous items that are able to match each other but also find their own combinations because they have strong personalities [yet simultaneously] well behaved and discreet.
The bomber is mimetically knitted but framed by a black elastic cuff, collar, and a belt with a thin Bordeaux edge. The colors: ARMY (the typical military greens), OCEAN (the blues of the sea), and DESERT (shades that go from sand to burnt). [And there is a] techno note: steel gunmetal hinges are on the front and pockets in order to fix with elegance and grit.

Tell us about your decision to reject labels and seasons.

Each item should be recognized for its physiognomy and for its build. I do not like the screaming logos of the last years. I prefer silent solutions, almost anonymous with special normality. Of course, I have my own logo: an octagon that is extended in two arms to form a shape with twelve sides that [is reminiscent of] the plans of the Renaissance Cathedrals, a gift to the Italian architecture transformed into a patch.
The overlapping of the items multiplies the seasonality and helps when traveling to different countries with different climates. In other words, [my pieces are] versatile [and therefore not attached to specific seasons].

You say the pandemic gives us the opportunity to “turn the world around.” What does that new world look like to you?

Due to the pandemic, we now dress in a comfy way that does not mean slovenly or shabby. There will be the development of something special but affordable, as is already the case with perfumes. Forecasts are not easy in fashion, [but I think that] sustainable fashion will be the real trend.

Where do you source your materials? How do you decide to work with a particular supplier? What are important considerations for you?

At the base, there is always an ethical choice, such as ensuring that the labor used has not been exploited but rather [the workers are] treated fairly in terms of their rights and well-being. It means making sure that the entire supply chain — from the creation of individual garments to the choice of raw materials, the production of a collection, and its entry onto the market — is traceable and conducted in Italian, for the sake of [everyone. This way,] we lack nothing, and resources are not wasted nor talents lost along the way. We are trying to create a team of Italian artisan companies that know how to interpret and make our garments.

You say your pieces are bio-compostable and biodegradable. Can you tell us more about that?

Bicompostable and biodegradable items are a must for our planet and our economy. The use of technological fabrics that [blend] natural merino wool together with biodegradable polymers [that are] able to decompose without a trace after being performant.

Do you ensure the merino wool you use is obtained in an ethical manner? How?

I confirm [that I use] certified high-quality and ethical ZQ merino wool from New Zealand — a noble yarn from animals that are respected and able to produce raw material, unaffected by stress.

What are the biggest obstacles you face as a designer in regards to creating responsible collections?

Marketing and consumerist fever as well as consumerism have cheated and humiliated fashion. Now is the time for free and pure creativity that’s able to fascinate the public because it's original and unique. A smaller production can often mean a better production. It's a new birth, a re-start based on the quality that was sometimes forgotten in the past.

How do you couple an awareness of the fashion industry's climate impact with designing and creating new products?

Fashion needs an alternative. It has arrived at the point of exasperation; of creativity guillotined by the absurd speed of production times; humiliated by the frenzied search for new markets and new consumers. It needs to restart — to be reborn, we absolutely need proof of trust.

I was speaking with an important retail group and I asked them 2 questions:

1. "Do you have customers who are sensitive to the issue of sustainability?"
2. "If the answer is yes, do you have a verticalized product or brand on these issues?"

I’ll leave the answers to your imagination. But I tell you, we made a deal. Big fashion groups, despite filling their mouths with good intentions, are not yet ready for change.

How do you feel about the industry’s current sustainability efforts? What change would you like to see?

I would like to see the Made in Italy products wider spread and produced with high-quality materials. Traceability will be extremely important for economical transparency. This is why we applied a blockchain policy — a content and quality certification that cannot be denied.

Do you have any top tips or words of advice for brands and designers looking to be more responsible in their work?

On the Greek temples, they wrote: "know thyself." We should not forget to practice this invitation and to extend it to the rest of the world, especially at this moment in which society is becoming inclusive. It will be easier to understand that beauty will save the world.