Andrea Grossi

Temple Magazine

Your collection "Welcome to Deusland" which was presented at the last 35th International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyeres in October is about the future of society and of human beings. Can you explain to us how you have made it?

Andrea Grossi

The first inspiration was a book called Homo deus, it was a bestseller in 2018. The author tried to imagine what our direction to go to the future was, what kind of possible societies we will have. He wrote about the past, the future and how to find some real solution for today. It's something that I try to translate in my collection, try to understand what the problem is, how to be sustainable, how to be innovative and study the past. So, the collection tries to be using these three big themes. For example, I have used leather, which is one of the most polluting material today, one of the biggest problems in our inefficient industries.

I started in Tuscany because it's tied the house of leather, I try to understand what the tradition is, why it is really important to be made in Italy, for the small factories today to handle the crisis and in understanding that how I could innovate and transform it in a more sustainable way to find some real solutions. So, I entered the factory, I collaborated with innovative leather companies like Diplo. They made the Rababah leather. Therefore, the concept of the collection is to fusion.

How within innovative material the upcycling and found the solution to today’s problem.

What’s more, it's like thinking about the future, but to find solution right now in the present. This the duality of the collection, the idea of the garment, the idea of creating the body and the character. It's something that's really fascinating myself. The idea to be able to create our stuff, to create a better version of ourselves. All the fibers are a development of a big research around the leather, I try to develop a way to recycle the leather from the waste, from the little patchwork. I try to find new combinations, like for example to make the tattoos present in my collection. You can see them with the line, the reflective, the blue. This is the contrast, something that it's a reminder of the past and future. It's like a duality.

Temple Magazine

Are these your own drawings that can be seen on the leather, the tattoos?

Andrea Grossi

Yes, the tattoos are vectorial drawing made on Illustrator and the laser can translate it on the leather. Some designs are inspired by traditional Toile de Jouy but I made it in a contemporary way.

Temple Magazine

What does the title of this collection refer to? What was your process to create this collection?

Andrea Grossi

The collection presented at Hyères in October is season 2 of « Welcome to Deusland ». I started working in 3D and I constructed the volume of the garments. Then, I scanned the pattern and I started to work on the graphic, on digital to create the surface. The first part is physical and then digital.

Temple Magazine

You have a new range, collection of accessories with Causse Gantier, can you tell us about this project?

Andrea Grossi

Yes, it is a partnership of the fashion festival of Hyères. We developed five styles of clothes and I want to do something with the DNA of my collection. There is an inspiration from the outfits of bikers, which I wanted to mix with a few more feminine things like Toile de Jouy or light colors. Unfortunately, we worked together during the lockdown, so I was blocked in Italy. The gloves with this partner were hand-made with small pieces, and I was able to follow the entire production with them from afar. It was a great experience.

Temple Magazine

And now, what are your future plans or projects?

Andrea Grossi

Now, I have applied for other platforms because as a young designer it's not easy to develop a new collection. There are questions of budget, space, logistics. And in the meantime, I'm searching for a job in a company because I'm 24 and I have to learn a bit, I need experience to learn their process, the prices.

Temple Magazine

And in parallel in a sense, you are already launching your brand by publishing campaigns.

Andrea Grossi

Yes, I’m starting. I want to communicate myself like a brand but being not real brand. I highlight content, my visions on social networks. But to start an adventure like that of a real brand I'm going to need a budget, to broadcast my image to access showrooms or that sort of thing. All my pieces are unique for the moment, I will surely start by selling to order. In recent days, I have developed my personal online shop.