5 minute read
“Subverting Norms and Classicism”
Genuine works of art: the colour formulas are Avant Toi’s greatest secret, as is the production method. Only this much can be revealed, it is an artistic-artisanal process.
AVANT TOI
Avant Toi has been a byword for avant-garde since the 1990s and surprises with a new twist to its DNA every season – brightly coloured, innovative cashmere. The brand is backed by Liapull Cashmere of Genoa, a family business with ambitious plans for 2022. We sat down for a chat with Fiorella and Mirko Ghignone.
Interview: Janaina Engelmann-Brothánek. Photos: Avant Toi
Avant Toi has always been considered a brand with strong innovation capabilities and a unique vision for the future. How do you perceive this time of profound change in the fashion world? And what does it mean for Avant Toi?
Fiorella Ghignone, Managing Director of Liapull Cashmere and Avant Toi: Our Avant Toi cashmere label has been around since 1994, but our story starts back in the late 1950s when our mother, Lia Gambetta, founded Liapull in Genoa. She started very small, producing a few jumpers on a donated knitting machine. She was one of the few women who ran a company independently and was way ahead of her time. We had the privilege of witnessing their entrepreneurship and attitude, and it has certainly rubbed off on us. We still produce our collections here to this day, meaning that we offer “Made in Italy” products. Yet the Avant Toi label now accounts for 80 percent of our turnover and, yes, I am convinced that our success has something to do with our very innovative approach. But Mirko, my brother and creative mastermind, can tell you more about that. Mirko Ghignone, Creative Director of Avant Toi: As Fiorella just explained so beautifully, we grew up in this business surrounded by a great deal of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. That shaped us, no doubt. I was eight when I crafted my first scarf on the knitting machine. Our mother always gave us the freedom to experiment, to express our ideas. That is how Avant Toi was born. I had started exploring the idea of action painting on cashmere and silk. Naturally, this defied all the traditional aesthetic and stylistic rules usually associated with precious yarns like cashmere (laughs). Who would even dare to paint on such a precious yarn with a brush, let alone in such vibrant shades? Yet this is precisely how something unique is created. I love the idea of subverting norms and classicism. And I am thrilled to say today that my gut feeling was correct. Now more than ever, end consumers are looking for “oneof-a-kind” pieces. They desire to feel truly special. This change suits our way of thinking and we have certainly benefited from the pandemic to a certain extent. I finally had time to decelerate and paint
Avant Toi fulfilled a dream by opening a concept store in Milan.
again, to indulge in new inspirations. The collections created during that period have increased our esteem in the market even more.
How does one maintain the status of visionary for so long in this modern environment?
Mirko: Our secret is that we never stop researching and tinkering. For me, development never ends. It is an infinite process. We do not accept limitations and we never stop experimenting. That is my motto in life: every experience at work or in everyday life can serve as inspiration. And I have this urge to transform every fabric and every piece I see, to make it more beautiful with colour or new treatments. Our colours and techniques are most definitely among Avant Toi’s greatest strengths. We experiment extensively in our own dyeing facilities, which are like a laboratory from which new shades and innovative colour palettes emerge every season. We also “stress” our materials and yarns with our own methods and processes, such as the “Pilling Casentino”, to name but one. We invest heavily in research, which is the only way to transform visions into reality. And of course the craftsmanship aspect, the “Made in Italy” factor, is also incredibly important. Innovation only truly works when coupled with craftsmanship and genuine know-how, and we have been demonstrating both for 60 years.
Avant Toi maintains a close relationship with art. How important is art for fashion?
Mirko: Avant Toi would not exist without art. And creating fashion is also a form of art, is it not? When I first started developing an interest in show painting, I never imagined that art would have such an impact on the family business and be our key to international success. Again, my mother was amazing in this respect, because she let me do my thing and believed in the concept. We are often copied nowadays, but the uniqueness of our hand-mixed colours and how we apply them to fabrics remains unparalleled. We often hear: “Your pieces are the true works of art; all others are mere copies.” We are delighted about that!
How do you manage to outdo yourself and surprise the “audience” anew every season?
Mirko: There is a trick, of course, but I am not at liberty to tell (laughs). Not all beginnings in a creative process are easy. But we do have perseverance and passion. And yes, many things arise naturally.
Fiorella, Avant Toi continues to grow steadily. What are your next projects?
Fiorella: As my brother just said, we never rest and constantly reinvent ourselves. We are constantly improving our product lines, expanding them to total looks. For example, we launched a sneaker collection and started designing home collections in 2018. We are also very excited about the opening of our new shop in Milan, which displays the sneakers, accessories, and home line alongside our menswear and womenswear collections. In other words, we have fulfilled our dream of a concept store. In January, we will return to Pitti Uomo after a long absence and are looking forward to finally meeting our customers in person again. My daughter, Giulia Marini, joining the family business is news that makes me very happy on a personal level. She spent six years working for a large corporation after graduating from university and we are looking forward to the breath of fresh air she is about to inject. Liapull and Avant Toi are welcoming the third generation, so to speak.
Siblings Fiorella and Mirko Ghignone have turned their mother‘s knitwear factory into an internationally respected avant-garde label: Avant Toi has been at the forefront of knitwear innovation for years.
