...appears endless,
other than ordinary,
And also by splitting the emotions
I illustrate only one part of it.
Interpretation of my words
I wanted to narrate my life, but I realized that it was not possible, otherwise I was not enough to tell only the one I lived, and not because I am at the end, but because the desire to live an incomparably life has overwhelmed my past, and most likely also the future, so I ran even more than the time, I tell only a few small moments of it from my lived life experiences
Essence of my life philosophy
...I would divide the buttons by type and color, she would smile at me and sew the sachets. At that time I was helping my mother; I was only eleven years old, but the dream of what I would do when I grew up was already very clear.
I wanted to be the desire, the desire of my "friends" scattered around the world.
My father and his way of doing things
...Those were other times, bones needed to be made right away. I was in the sixth grade, and the school year was drawing to a close. Since my physique was already almost formed, during summer vacation my father put me to work with him and his brothers in the warehouse behind the house. It was to unline fine, die-hard saie necks; we had to remove all the parts that were not woolen (in one jacket, the lining and the pistagnae) and then put them in color so that they were ready to be "regenerated." This was the typical work that was done in the Prato area, especially in the hamlet of Jolo, where most of the firms were dedicated to it: the so-called cenciaioli.
But there was a problem. These places were full of dust, and I was allergic: working the rags gave me asthma. So the next summer, when I finished seventh grade, during the vacations my father sent me to a blacksmith across the street to be a store boy. The next year, on the other hand, when I finished eighth grade, during the vacations I went to get experience at the butcher's shop, to see if that was my job.
But I already knew what my job would be.
After the vacations were over, I began to attend Buzzi, a school that trained technicians for fabric construction. It soon became clear that that was not my path, and so in April my father, who was in the horse business, sent me to work with his partners in that industry, at Tecnopel in Montemurlo. They were making pile fabrics there, and I had a wonderful experience.
John and Joseph, the beginning of my dream
...began a few days before I turned fifteen, when I went to work at Giovanni and Giuseppe's in Vergaio, the town where their friend Roberto Benigni lived. The work they did was similar to what was done in my father's warehouse, including dust; but there I had identified my future. Giovanni and Giuseppe would buy large quantities of rags from America, then go through them to select the most beautiful and peculiar garments, which they would resell to shopkeepers and stalls as used clothing or, as they say today, vintage garments
In addition, they had begun to purchase clothing stocks (i.e., unsold garments from companies) from the most famous fashion houses.
I was finally in the right place. A magical place where to have an incomparable experience, where to admire a myriad of patterns, where to learn about an infinity of different fabrics, where to learn to recognize an endless range of colors... and so much more!
It was not a job, that, but a pleasure of life.
My backyard store
...the barn above my father's horse stables; that was the place I had identified to start selling my first garments, which I bought directly from John and Joseph. When I would break away from them in the evening, I would begin my second job, aided by my wonderful mother. With my rose-colored Vespa I would go around the various circles in the country looking for friends, and I would take to telling them about my store and the wonderful garments I had to offer them. It was a constant bringing of people, a constant coming and going that sometimes went on past midnight, especially in the summer. My confidence in my abilities grew more and more, and so I went to propose my garments to stores in Prato, Pistoia and Florence as well.
I dreamed of reaching the age of eighteen.
...coming of age never seemed to come. Despite the intense activities that occupied every moment of my day, the time that separated me from coming of age seemed like an eternity. As soon as I turned eighteen, with some of the money I had earned during those years I bought a warehouse and started my first project. At the entrance I painted a large green, yellow and white daisy; I created the whole environment inspired by this flower-I wanted the magic to be felt from afar. The name of my company was already decided: "Chamomile." For the dream "Roberto Biagini brand" I needed a few more years of experience; meanwhile, people had nicknamed me Camomile.
In 1983 I was creating patterns and fabrics
...My curiosity always pushed me further. And that allowed me to make mistakes, to understand mistakes, to pay for the mistakes I made, and thus to grow. I used to produce fabrics from scratch, inspired by the magic of my hometown, Prato. I would start with the design, then the choice of threads, the weaving, the decision of the final finish...and when the finished piece came out, there was no shortage of self-inflicted criticism. Mine is not a character that is easily pleased: I was always seeking more, even then I was yearning for perfection.
Those fabrics, then, I would turn them into garments that had to have carefully researched style, fit, and a wonderful image. I had to convince my buying customers to choose me: only then would I be able to accumulate experience and success.
The Roberto Biagini line
...I don't know if the time had come, but by late 1985 my impetuosity was now unrelenting; I dreamed of my name, in big letters, shining brightly in all parts of the world. It was then that my creations stopped having the label Camomile; it was time to start using my own name.
The importance of a detail: the three-hole button
...It was difficult and very complicated, but I wanted it. The button represented a precise and decisive moment in my childhood: when, working alongside my mother, I understood what I wanted to be when I grew up. So I had to create a special button, a button that represented me in the world, a three-hole button.
It sounded easy in theory, but in practice it was very complicated. The machines that made buttons were designed to drill either two or four holes, no more, no less than that. So I had to have an expensive and specific transformation designed and built to apply to the entire machine. The time required to assemble and disassemble this transformation, then, was considerable, so I had to order large quantities of buttons, and not the few I needed. An additional problem was attaching the buttons on the garments: even the button attaching machines were created for two- or four-hole buttons, so I had to attach them by hand.
In order to have a three-hole button that would encapsulate my whole philosophy of incomparability, it took a complex and expensive process, but I am proud of it.
America in its greatness
...I'm looking for a bright guy. This is what Solomon asked Gianni, my pattern maker in Romano di Lombardia. Solomon was representing an American company; they were looking for someone to take care of the brand, styling, fabrics, processing, and everything related to positioning and managing their market in Italy. When Gianni introduced him to me I was delighted, also because this collaboration allowed me to make several trips to many different places in America. In addition, I asked Solomon if he could help me develop my brand there, overseas.
Me in front of the world
...the Plaza in New York. Yes, that was really where it all started. I had to prepare the collection for the American brand I was collaborating with, and I asked Solomon to help me convince the organization to accept my brand as well. So I participated in the fashion show inside the hotel, and after The Plaza in New York I came to the Magic in Las Vegas, and many places. I began to put my garments on sale in different boutiques, both in the United States and in other countries. I did not neglect Italy, where on the one hand I tried to place my collections in the most important multibrands, and on the other hand I showed my brand by participating in fashion shows in Florence, Rome and Naples.
Roberto Biagini's Boutiques
...learning creations from shop windows, that was my orientation, then opening stores, as Fiorelli, my great admirer, said. It was the opposite of what was happening at the time: for a designer, success consisted of placing his creations in the most important stores in the world.
The path I had set for myself was neither easy nor cheap, considering also that I would only display men's garments. The boutiques, for starters: they had to be strategically located, on prestigious streets, which made buying and renting suitable premises extremely expensive.
But that was what I wanted.
I opened my first store in 1989, and within a few years I had opened more than 20; the world was watching and appreciating me. My garments were different from what you would expect from classic men's collections: they were colorful, imaginative, made from wonderful fabrics. And in the creative process behind my works, there were no limitations or economic impositions. Those who were looking for an alternative to what the market was offering were looking for me. The alternative was me.
Through the experience of the boutiques I was able to develop my philosophy even better, getting to know so many friends from around the world, and creating for each of them their own personal style. I still travel a lot today, creating for them and for others.
The moment of ready fashion
...I had started with that concept, so I was prepared. As early as 1980 I was attending diffusions on Via Baracca in Florence. The diffusions were an invention of the Florentines in the 1970s; the fascination with fashion and its outline, an alternative to the order made from the sample book, the pronto moda that we could buy at the moment, with new creations arriving every week. I started doing ready-to-wear fashion fairs, the first in Rome in 1992 and then in Florence, for several years. Only designers who were used to improvising all the time had it easy in pronto moda.
I met him in 1995, during my diffusion in Florence
...What do you want to be when you grow up? This is what Joseph asked me after I showed him my works. I answered him impulsively, "Incomparable creations for the most important people in the world, and I want them to be my friends." He smiled and did not say a word; my enthusiasm had impressed him. I had met him because my wife had given me an advertising page in a major fashion monthly. He was its editor.
Spring had begun a while ago.
...He asked me if we were going to see the fashion shows in Milan. She asked me as she walked in, resplendent as usual. I looked at her and replied, "There are fashion shows and I'm not attending! Why?" Roberta smiled and told me to call Giuseppe: I had met him, he was the president of the National Chamber for Italian Fashion. And so I called him on the phone, and I asked him if I could parade in Milan, next to the biggest brands in the world. He remained silent. He stayed there so long that I thought the line had been dropped. Finally, in a reassuring voice, he told me, "Roberto, Milan can give you a lot, but it can also destroy you, if you are not ready."
And I, with my characteristic tenacity and my usual impetuousness, replied, "Of course I'm ready, President."
After that answer, in an almost resigned tone, he told me to call him the week ahead. So I did. I had succeeded: yes, he would put me on the fashion show calendar, and more! He told me that he had a large marquee erected in the gardens of Corso Venezia, for a major brand; I could use it for my fashion show as well, that was his gift.
Until then my life had been full of special, magical moments; and this would be another one of those moments, one of the most important ones, I was aware. But I had to get busy, because the fateful moment was only a little over two months away.
I created fifty-five outfits with what was my purest expression of summer, lots of dresses with Bermuda shorts, flip-flops and sandals. Meanwhile, I also had to look for professional models to deal with that magnificent moment, and I selected twenty-eight wonderful men. I created the music and many other things myself, found a new PR person who could manage my image, relations with newspapers and televisions all over the world. And so I was the surprise of Milan Fashion Week: industry insiders and experts who had come from all over the world were wondering where I had come from and how come I was on the calendar.
It was an incomparable day; the parade went wonderfully.
Member of the National Chamber of Fashion
...immense was the desire. I wanted to be with them, the great ones of the earth. "This won't be easy," Joseph told me, "and I can't just decide, I will make the request to the committee and then you will tell your virtues."
Just when I thought the candidacy had gotten out of hand, I changed my position, and from interviewee I became interviewer; with that application I turned the thinking of my colleagues around. They approved my application to the CNMI, and in September 1997 I became a member; the other companies were huge, mine, on the other hand, was still small, and the costs I had to bear were significant. But from that moment I could be in the calendars and do the shows together with the big names in Fashion. The world understood that I was there, too.
Interviews and television appearances arrived
...they were beginning to be curious. Everyone in that world wanted to know where I came from, who I was, why I was in that position, among the greats. Newspapers were publishing my creations, giving space to my thoughts....
Of course, I was immensely gratified to have reached that position, but knowing my thinking and my way of being, that was only the beginning. It could only be the beginning: in my DNA, desire is the platform of my existence, the shoots of wanting sprout all the time.
Nectar and its castle
...creating the dress, certainly was very interesting. Recreating the image of the most authoritative essence of the castle was a mirage that was turning into reality, being able to show the world that remarkable bottle of wine was now possible...moreover, that bottle could now also be purchased in the most important wine shops in different countries. At all the events I created around the world it was never missed, even at the lunches and dinners with important friends I was beginning to have everywhere.
Tokyo, 2004
...With the Japanese models I got along very well. I must say that the Japanese models are great professionals. They wore my creations on the occasion of the fashion show at the Laforet Museum in Tokyo, in the presence of the press, televisions and all the institutions of Japan. It was an incomparable thrill.
The proposal of ETI and MS Aprilia
...Of course I can create it. That was my answer at the meeting held with the CEOs of Ente Tabacchi Italia and Aprilia. It involved creating and taking care of the image of the umbrella girls, guests and all the necessary accessories, as well as preparing parades around the world with the combination: Roberto Biagini - MS-Aprilia.
Dubai and its magic
...the stay in Dubai started from there; I had organized a party at the Ugolino Golf Club Florence, with the purpose of explaining my philosophy and presenting my creations to the various friends I have in the world. Among the guests were friends from the Emirates Tourist Board and Emirates Airline, so I proposed to them to shoot some footage of the various attractions in Dubai, with the idea of including them within the fashion programs for the Italian state television, Rai.
They accepted with great enthusiasm, and so I spent several days in Dubai with the Rai staff, recounting for the benefit of television my experience in that magical place.
Horses have always been close to me
...The time had come, the opportunity had finally come to celebrate the elegance of this wonderful animal and childhood companion. Horses have always been important, in my life; they are the vital passion of my family, especially my father. Towards the end of 2004 at the San Siro racetrack in Milan one of the most famous races in the world was held, and for the occasion I created a blue cashmere blanket, with a pearl gray stripe, to be worn when the horses entered the track. Inside I had organized a meeting with some friends, to tell about my philosophy and show my creations; an unforgettable moment.
Recognition at the L'Aquila Municipal Theater 2004
...You won an award for culture. That's what my PR person told me on the phone. Happy with this award I began to work on creating outfits suitable for the moment: before collecting the award I had to do a fashion show. On that occasion I met Maria Antonietta Berlusconi, Silvio's sister, and the journalist Emilio Fede.
In memory of Prince
...together with his daughter to remember his elegance. On the occasion of fashion week, to create my collection I wanted to be inspired by the charm, the charm of Prince De Curtis aka Totò. This collection full of research and elegance paraded in Via Bigli in Milan, with giant photographs of some moments of the Prince's life behind it.
At the Castle of Meleto
...We want to do a report on you and wine for Rai. With real pleasure, I replied; Rai is still state television! I arranged my report inside the Castle, a charming place that evokes history and its mysteries.
At the Manzoni Theater in Milan
...two wonderful women. Maria Antonietta Celentano, director of Maria Antonietta Berlusconi's dance school, proposed that I create a fashion show before the school's dance recital. The evening was attended by then Premier Silvio, Mrs. Berlusconi's brother, and many other celebrities. It was June 2006, and on that occasion all my children were with me.
A fashion show in Rome to present some creations
...the atmosphere was intriguing, with my three young children in the wings, as was usually the case; a fantastic night, full of magic...the weather the people, the guests...all unforgettable!
Porto Rotondo amphitheater, a late July night in 2007
...an enchanting night. From the preparation to the next day, the day of the parade, everything was magical. I had organized the parade inspired by the Camel, so I chose arabesque music. Volkswagen, our sponsor, provided the cars and drivers to pick up the many distinguished guests, including then-Premier Silvio Berlusconi, his sister Marie Antoinette and niece Sabrina.
Brazil
...In spite of everything, the happiness of those people belonged to me, so I decided that I should be inspired by them, by the charm of the movements, the colors, the ways of doing and so much more. It was a very hot day in June 2008.
Art and its expression in Florence in September 2008
...I wanted to immortalize those childhood moments. The small necks of rags in front of the installation, a work behind, on one side some creations ... and a glass of wine I selected. "Here are the memories."
On Montenapoleone Street, an open-air courtyard.
...You have to do it indoors, it's cold and unpredictable in January. But I had already decided: I wanted the courtyard and outdoors. Together with Doriano, my lifelong friend, we defined the project; it was a lot of work but I managed to make the parade and present my works. It was January 2009, and on that occasion I had a guy from Boston who had come especially. There were many guests, including Rino Gattuso and other players, as well as Maria Antonietta Berlusconi. And all my family, as usual.
The San Domenico theater in May 2009
...immense was the scenery, and I was drawn to it, thunderstruck by such majesty. As usual everything is within my being, and I prepared a magnificent parade. As always, I had my children beside me.
Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan
...determination lives within me. The magic of the place, combined with my thinking, gave birth to something brilliant: presenting my creations together with a concert dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, not only in the Conservatory, but in the very Verdi Hall. Maserati provided cars and drivers; the evening, filled with important guests, was incomparable. It was June 2009, during Fashion Week. Even then, my children were with me.
In July 2009 at the quarries of Michelangelo
... It took a long time, but when I got up there the spectacle was immense. An event at a thousand meters high inside a quarry! It may sound easy, but it is not so easy. It is suggestive, we can do it, we told ourselves. The quarry is the one where in the 1400s Michelangelo chose marble blocks for his works.
A Lion Tuesday
...belongs to history: just think...I even got married there; I wanted to tell my philosophy to my friends in the world on that very day, October 20, 2009, forty-six years after I was born.
...only what excited my way of life. In 2009 I perceived that the concept of "boutique" was no longer in line with my way of thinking, so in the years that followed I closed them all. I did this so that I could devote all my time to my philosophy of creation. Today, with my company, I extend this same philosophy to the whole world.
And after that, what did I do
...the same ones I dreamed of as a child. Now as then, to have friends all over the world who can appreciate my "creative life." To always be the center of attention by impressing with my ideas and creations. To be able to create without any limits any work that will stand the test of time, thus leaving an imprint on the world.
My aspirations
Who are they?
...an aesthete of beauty. The first thing I have always thought about is what I could have done to make my creations magnificent. Even after I have made them, I always want to find ways to make them even more stunning-it is part of my being. There is no limit to beauty.
My name is Roberto Biagini, I was born on October 20, 1963 in Italy, in Prato, the city where regenerated fabric was invented. Just a few kilometers from Florence, the cradle of world history.
Silia, my incomparable mother (real name was Siliana) was a seamstress for private clients who worked at home: a wonderful woman who never gave a hint of weakness. She always worked with an amazing joy and smile; it seemed as if life had rewarded her, although it did not.
I certainly look a lot like my mother: my determination comes from her, and even in the darkest moments I see the glow of her smile again. Problems always have a solution, otherwise they would not be problems.
My father Rinaldo, known as Carmignano, is a breeder of trotting racehorses, and he has spent his life devoting himself to horses. As a child, when he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, without hesitation I told him I wanted to be a "creator of beauty."
He, stunned, told me that he could not teach me anything about that trade then. "Get by," he told me. And I made do.
This is me: a man who came from nothing, but with incomparable desire.
Desire, if it is true, has no obstacles.