contemporary culture

The Modern Migration

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From big cities to small villages


Modern migration from big cities to small villages is the key to sustainability and happiness.

Transformed by the pandemic wake-up call, we decided to spend our August holidays back at our roots. A tiny village in the Basilicata region of South Italy, immersed in nature and silence. The only sounds were cows mooing, dogs barking, or the wind.

Travelling in the middle of the night through the woods, we came across a family of porcupines crossing the road, their spines standing on end. What a marvel! We promptly stopped the car to savour the unique show that nature offered us. We let them cross, illuminated by the headlights. It’s a scene forever etched in our memory.

How different life is in small countryside villages! Healthier, for sure. You reclaim the value of time, space. You don’t feel trapped as you do in a city apartment. No matter how big it is, it’s still cement. So you come to realise that in exchange for fewer services, you might just be enjoying real life.

Reading the news, it seems that the migration from big cities to the countryside has already begun, a tangible effect of the pandemic. Indeed, the idea of a slow and sustainable lifestyle fits naturally into this context, accompanied by a different way of dressing–which we will explore further–and decorating our places. Undoubtedly, it is a way of living our life in tune with nature.

It has been proven that economic growth and environmental impact are directly linked. What we used to call climate change is now a climate emergency. Therefore, in order to reduce our impact on nature, we have no choice but to change our lifestyle.

To this end, modern migration to the countryside presents an opportunity. Our needs have changed, big cities are no longer the answer. What we need is more nature.

Therefore, we envision a future where people repopulate small villages, breathing new life into them. Intensive mass growth gives way to smaller communities, all interconnected so as to support one another.

Finally, progress and the web can be used not to dominate or exploit but to genuinely and deeply connect.

With this mindset, we can become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

That’s the lifestyle for modern humans.

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Fashion & Music

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Exploring influences, inspiration, and intersection


Fashion is not only what we wear. Fashion involves the environment around us. Fashion is the music we listen to as well. In fact, there is a clear parallel between fashion and music. Both have developed precisely the same pattern.

What kind of music do we listen to today? What is popular?
DJs are sampling tracks from the 70s, 80s or 90s, remixing them, and then the singer of the moment adds the voice. So, here it is, the modern creative effort. Usually, this music is popular for a few months. Perhaps a year from now, no one will remember a single track.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Take, for instance, “Walk this way” by Run DMC. Well, as we said, exceptions do exist.

What kind of fashion do we see now?


DJs are the new fashion designers. They take designs from the past and add logos all over, following the above remix pattern.
In this world, design skills are no longer a necessity.

Some time ago, a TV show celebrated Fabrizio De André, the great poet-musician, and they interviewed his wife, Dori Ghezzi.
During the interview, singers who recently won the Sanremo Festival appeared in a clip, dressed up to promote fashion brands more than their music, but acclaimed as geniuses. Afterwards, they asked her: “What do you think?” So, she replied: “In my husband’s time, there was a lot of space, we have experimented a lot, and we did a lot. Now, perhaps, these guys don’t have much left. They are scrambling.”

Ads disguised as entertainment–that’s how marketing gurus refer to it, indeed.

The sampling of things already seen, stealing others’ ideas and presenting them for absolute novelties–this is the sign of our times. And in both fields, fashion and music, it’s marketing, not art.

But in the end, we do not have to accept it or conform. We have the freedom to differ, to think differently.

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Bikini Bottoms Controversy & Questioning The Rules

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Navigating sport regulations, clothing standards, and gender norms


The Norwegian beach handball female team got fined for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms in the European tournament match against Spain in Bulgaria. Yes, women must stick to standards which are quite sexist. Rules like these expose the deep-rooted inequalities that still shape the way women are expected to present themselves in sports and beyond.

In order to protest against the regulations of the sport, the female team wore thigh-length elastic shorts. Which, although not impeding any movement, were considered “improper clothing.” But what, then, is considered ‘proper’ clothing for women athletes?

The rules on ‘proper’ clothing for women athletes


Here is what the International Handball Federation regulations state. Straight to the point:

Tops: “…The women’s tops (a midriff design) must be close fitting…”

Bottoms: “Female athletes must wear bikini bottoms with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg. The side width must be of a maximum of 10 centimetres.”

When it comes to gender stereotypes and sexism, there is no difference from one field to another.

In sports, they measure every centimeter of uniforms. Likewise, in fashion, designers are asked to make clothes that reveal more or stick to the body, under the assumption that this is what women want. And indeed, it’s what sells more. So, it must be true. In fact, after 25 years in fashion, we can confirm that there is a specific demand for this type of clothing.

People say, ‘that is what women want.’ And indeed, many accept it—after all, if they didn’t, they’d protest. 

But finally, someone did! The Norwegian women’s hand volley team, we thank you and stand with you!

The time has come to start questioning anything.
Everything related to society standards–involving sexism, gender stereotypes and equality–demands immediate attention. Challenging these norms is the first step toward building a more inclusive and conscious world.

Stop bla bla bla. It is time to take action.

Go, ladies. Brave!

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The Fashion Game

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Luxury brands acquisitions: who bought who?


All the news we are reading from the fashion universe these days is about acquisitions, revealing, in essence, what the fashion game is about. Who bought who? The competition is open!

To this end, it seems like the perfect time to make great deals and play the fashion game. This luxury group acquired that brand, intending to launch other new labels. And so on, with numerous other acquisitions and developments in the same vein. Nothing more than acquisitions, finance, and money.

How does the fashion game works?


The fashion game, explained in a few words, goes like this: take the “designer” of the moment, the one who is popular because of his social media buzz rather than his designing skills. Then throw out the bait to a young audience on social media, of course. There’s no better way to reach the mass market quickly. So, the brand becomes popular and successful!

In other words, the game of exponential growth is not over yet. Brands act as if the lesson taught by the pandemic has left no trace at all.

Somehow those companies are still telling us that fashion belongs to finance more than creativity.

As a so-called designer now, you don’t need to have your own ideas, given that you can buy or steal them. Of course, the latter is a more frequent case.

And how weird it is to see emerging brands seeking acquisition by luxury groups. But once they are acquired, it’s as if the original coolness vanishes, leaving behind very little of what made them unique.

What emerges is that no fashion group or designer has the courage to propose new ideas. Perhaps, they do not even have the intention to do so. No one is taking the risk of disrupting the industry. The pattern remains the old one, and marketing seems to be their ally in maintaining the status quo.

But aren’t you tired of DJs designing brands?

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Racism Is Not An Option

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Challenging bias for a more inclusive future


In case we need to say it clearly, racism is not an option!
Every now and then, we feel the urge to step off the carved path of the trails. Please, allow us to do that. There are moments in which just talking about fashion is not enough. We do not live in a bubble, so it’s impossible not to look at what happens around us and not be affected.

Moreover, we have always been very open to discussions in our physical boutique, and the same is true in our online community.

Paola Egonu is a great Italian athlete chosen to carry the Olympic flag in Tokyo. She also became a testimonial for Armani.
But, forgetting the fact that she is a real champion, one of the strongest volley players in the world, a group of people have found reasons to complain. Why did they consider it compelling to bring their views to the table? First, she is black. And, second, she had no problem talking about being in love with a woman.
Neither of the points is relevant to her sports abilities or has any connection to sport values. Neither is any of our business.
We should be proud of the champion she is. And that’s final.

Meanwhile, we acknowledge that in Voghera, a League safety councillor has killed a Moroccan man. The immigrant punched him, he replied by shooting him dead. In his defence, he said that the gun fired accidentally. But why was he carrying a gun? And what if the aggressor was Italian?

The reason we address these realities is simple. In short, that is not the world we want to live in.

We are promoting a community for modern humans – based on mutual respect, acceptance and understanding.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental values.

It’s important to state it clearly: racism is not an option!
If you are racist or homophobe, this is not the place for you.

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