Flavia, young and enthusiastic, at the same time very successful. A woman who with her work manages to continue the tradition called costume design with great quality. She is graduate designer, at the Accademia Italiana, currently professor there, also manages to work as a designer for many television formats, and stage performances. The last major project behind her is participation in Eurovision Song Contest, ie part of the San Marino team. I spent a day in her studio, and we talked a lot. After Eurovision we heard each other and talked again, so I will try to capture her experience through the interview, which follows below.
ph: Emmy Houben (Vitae Moderna)
BK: Can you tell me more about your beginning and how everything started?
“I graduated at Accademia Italiana, 9 years ago, and then I start with theatre, which is my first love, my first experiences. I started with an Italian company and it was such a beautiful experience. I made a mix for the show, the things I love to do, to create and then to be into the show, to make things by hand. I love these way of working. I also worked in cinema, television, these last few days I work in television and I make costumes, accessories, hat accessories, and everything like that. I start with theatre from very early age, before the academy. Summer before I started with the academy. Then I understood that this is what I want to do in my life.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: Is there a difference, ie what is the biggest difference between being a ready-to-wear designer and costume designer?
“Yes, it is really different, and the cost, material. There are two different ways to work in fashion, because it’s costume and fashion. Costume, because you have freedom and you can create let say “crazy” stuff, in fashion you have basically fabrics and stuff like that. I can use very different kind of materials like plastic for example. It is a different kind of work.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: You are also working with an artists, right?
“Yes, with singers, actress.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: When you work with them, do you have more freedom in choosing and deciding the creative part, or they want from their point of view?
“Yes, I am very lucky. I have more freedom to do what I think, they give me blank pages about the style, the construction, they know that I can make crazy stuff so they give me a space and freedom.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: What about some of your best and interesting experiences?
“I have been in China, two times, to represent the Italian style and fashion and artisan people. I was invited from the Chinese government and it was so cool and interesting, but in the same time so difficult. Difficult, because the Chinese people are so crazy, but it was a good experience, and I loved that, They search for a fashion Italian style, They have the technique, but they don’t have the esthetic.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: What do you think, does the way of living must be connected with your work, way you work?
“I don’t have private life (laugh). My life is here, in this atelier. And of course yes. In fashion, the way you live and work, they need to be so connected, because that is your life.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
Flavia Tomassi studio, Rome, Italy.
Flavia Tomassi studio, Rome, Italy.
BK: Today, I can see that not so many people decide to work as a costume designers, or to study costume designer and work with artists, theatre. Why do you think is that?
“Yes, the course for costume designer at Accademia Italiana, is not active anymore. I think because it is a difficult job. In fact we work a lot, thanks God. We have a lot of requests, we don’t have so many people who can work with us and that is really bad. There are no young people in doing this. But is beautiful, is art. You have materials, plastic, piece of paper and you create whatever you want. It is amazing.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: In the era of social media, when you can find a lot of designers, and some people who work only for profit, do you think that today is more difficult to work as a designer because of that, or is more easy because we have social media?
“It is strange to think about that in this way but is true, is more difficult. It is just a post on Instagram. Makeup artists can succeed with social media, but just them. There is one American makeup artist who create also hats and accessories for the makeup, but is just one maybe in a million. For the artisan world is difficult, because that is a talent.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: But, with years, if the young generation don’t decide to work with costumes, ie costume design, unfortunately it can disappear. Why is happening this?
“I can cry about this really, but is true. We don’t have young people working this, and it is crazy. And also shoes, we don’t have shoes academy for example. It is the same. Just one on Florence, but I loved this idea. I love to make shoes, and I want to do that.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: Does today, the industrial designers are more successful than the others?
“Yes, they do the same thing. They are not artistic. But the people love original ,they search for the good and handmade, they need all this.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: Which artists inspire you the most?
“Thierry Mugler, Alexander McQueen. Roberto Capucci, he was an Italian designer. He made sculpture costumes, something for set design.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
Flavia Tomassi, studio, Rome, Italy.
Flavia Tomassi, studio, Rome, Italy.
Eurovision Song Contest Experience
BK: Eurovision is over and as I can see you were part of the San Marino team, what does it feel like to be part of such an event?
“*WOW, this is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the Eurovision experience. Being able to work with Senhit, Luca Tommassini and all the rest of the staff of the San Marino delegation was truly an honor, I had the opportunity to live a fantastic experience both on a professional and human level, so grateful.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: After a year of break from events, this is the first big event that Europe has had, how does it feel to work with people after such a long break?
“Being able to leave Italy and be able to take a plane again for work reasons after all this time was almost touching! Until we arrived in Rotterdam I couldn’t believe it, it was like living a dream. Eurovision (if I’m not wrong) was the first world event to be open to the public again, and to be there was just fantastic!
Working again in an environment full of professionals was beautiful and very strange at the same time, I hope it will be normal again, asap, we really need to return to “our normality”, both for work and human relationships.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: In addition to music, it is a kind of stage competition. What did this experience bring you?
“To be honest I’ve never followed the “Eurovision phenomenon” in the past years, and I was wrong because it is a very interesting kind of world. It is absolutely a competition, truly felt and fought in many countries of the world. Seeing and living every day for 2 weeks in contact with the delegations of other countries was very stimulating, I certainly came out contaminated on an aesthetic level if we can say so, many of the competing countries represented their countries both in terms of music and aesthetic, it was very interesting to see the facets and differences from country to country. Being there and being able to be surrounded again by loud music, people dressed in fantastic costumes, sequins, feathers, a huge stage, fireworks, sparks… be able to experience all this again was unbelivable, I will never forget the emotions and the shining eyes felt in those days.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: Would you accept such a call again?
“Absolutely yes, I sincerely hope to live it again next year as the host country will be Italy among other things. Fingers crossed (laugh).”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
BK: A part of your excellent work for San Marino, you are also Italian, and Italy got the first place this year, how would you comment the stage or fashion style/performance of the winning group from Italy, Måneskin?
“At the 1st place of my heart there will always be the fantastic Senhit, of course, but if we have to talk about the Maneskin, I must say that I love them madly, I think that in addition to their technical skills, they’ve won because they express a breath of fresh air, they are young, beautiful, you can see that they have fun and they love what they do. Having been in contact with them in those 2 weeks (as with the other delegations) I can say that they are exactely as you see them on social media, no construction. The show was “simple” but so powerful, in general I love their style and their stylist Nick Cerioni, with them he always manages to perfectly blend fashion and rock with a pop touch, just one word * j’adore.”
FLAVIA TOMASSI
Flavia Tomassi studio, Rome, Italy.
Boyanakeko (Bojana Kekovic), is the founder of Vitae Moderna, author, fashion editor, and a member of the GNS Press Association.
Boyanakeko è il fondatore di Vitae Moderna, autore, fashion editor e membro della GNS Press Association.
boyanakeko@vitaemoderna.com