{"id":313395,"date":"2019-02-19T13:42:34","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T13:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/magazine.theblondesalad.com\/?p=313395"},"modified":"2019-02-19T13:48:17","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T13:48:17","slug":"the-blonde-salad-meets-giuliano-calza-gcds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theblondesalad.com\/en\/designers-to-know\/the-blonde-salad-meets-giuliano-calza-gcds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blonde Salad meets\u2026 Giuliano Calza (GCDS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cGod can\u2019t destroy streetwear<\/strong>\u201d. Since 2015, it became the fave motto of fashionistas all over the world. Especially for its acronym GCDS<\/strong>, the brand founded by Italian brothers Giordano and Giuliano Calza<\/strong> that became, in just four years, a true fashion phenomenon. A few days before the Fall-Winter 2019 <\/strong>runway show, creative director Giuliano Calza sat with The Blonde Salad <\/strong>and told us everything about him, his background and his inspirations\u2026 and something about Chiara Ferragni<\/strong> as well. Read more in our interview!<\/p>\n

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Unlike many designers and creative directors, who graduated in fashion schools and did internships in ateliers, you took a different path to enter the fashion system. Do you think that your background helped you to stand out among the others?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always wanted to escape and to measure myself with the world\u2026 kind of. I\u2019ve always been afraid I won\u2019t be able to fulfill my dreams. Growing up in a non-fashion environment helped me to have a different perspective and a market approach I would have never read in any books. When I graduated, I worked a lot to gain more and more experience: press offices, showrooms, stylists, casting director\u2026 I never stopped. I\u2019ve always been confident about my creative intelligence, so I\u2019ve always tried to find situations where I could use my skills as a designer and a communicator and build my own aesthetic.<\/p>\n

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GCDS: how much does the word “streetwear” represent you, since you decided to mention it also in your brand name?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born in Naples in Vico Stella 10, in the area of Rione Sanit\u00e0, and I lived for thirteen years in an alley. I lived in New York and China as a student, then I moved to Shanghai for four years, working on restaurants\u2019 refurbishments and changing neighborhoods every month. I was always surrounded by streets, ambiguous characters and many streetwear uniforms.<\/p>\n

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When did you realize you were meant to create your own fashion brand?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I remember two events. The first time I was working in a press office, and I created the showroom\u2019s Christmas setting, surprising everyone with my work. Everybody was shocked as if I cast a spell. My boss suggested me to design and create. The second time I was in Shanghai, I was very tired by our work, and I said to my brother: \u201cThis is not our project, we\u2019re going to do something different.\u201d I\u2019ve always believed in GCDS, even if I didn\u2019t know what could happen.<\/p>\n

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GCDS represents an Italian family virtuous story. Is it really difficult for an emerging brand to keep an authentic dimension and to stay independent, especially from a financial point of view?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I still believe that life in Italy is sweet, and it\u2019s not a clich\u00e9. I think that the political and economic scenario is not the best for young people. It\u2019s very complicated to stay in Italy, but I already left my country, and the world is a village. Here I can take advantage of the positive aspects I already know, and I\u2019m facing the same problems I would have faced in another country, but probably with cultural and language barriers.<\/p>\n

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So sensitive today. @gcdswear<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by GIULIANO CALZA<\/a> (@giulianocalza) on