FASHIONCLASH Festival Talent Award 2017 winner: Federico Cina

Introducing FASHIONCLASH Festival Talent Award 2017 winner: Federico Cina, from Cesena, Italy and his award winning menswear collection, “HOW A LIFE COMES ALIVE IN THE WORLD”. The young and charming designer Federico Cina wowed the fashion lovers in Maastricht with his outstanding menswear collection! I had a chat with him about his work. Congrats to Federico Cina for winning the award #thefutureoffashion

KALTBLUT: Does fashion makes sense?
FC: For me absolutely, Waking up in the morning, knowing that you can design and create something new and especially having the opportunity to express myself dressing the people with my emotions is very rewarding.
I can’t think of doing anything else in my life.

KALTBLUT: Hello. Welcome to KALTBLUT. Why have you decided to participate at FASHIONCLASH Festival?
FC: I decided to take part in FASHIONCLASH because I’ve been following him for long time, and I was astonished by the quality selection of designers. Rumors that the FASHIONCLASH environment was perfect, organized to perfection and marvelous people.

In fact I can confirm 100%, impeccable organization and show planning, we designers have been able to design the show in everything and everything in the smallest details, under expert eyes. Even though they lived in fashion systems, they felt like home, family, and a large group of people helping each other. I did not expect to win, in fact, while announcing it was overpriced and completely relaxed, a moment later I was at the center of the jar with Jury and everyone applauded.

KALTBLUT: Can you tell us something about the collection you presented at the FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017? What was your inspiration?
FC: “Exist for the first time, to exist for my country, to exist as if to be born.” (Monica Cirinnà, extracted from the speech to the Italian Senate House). When I created this collection In italy there was the discussion to approve civil unions for gay families became legal, so I tackled the subject with greater sensitivity, and I wanted to represent my family. A Family without diversity, which can raise a child and do everything a heterosexual family does. Breast pumps included in men’s clothing with a military background, destructured, classic stereotype of the male universe, tell the story of an individual who takes care of their child.

In these dresses there is a desire to make their voice heard, the desire of a child, and the ability to build a family in the future. For me, this collection also becomes the bearer of a social message. It seems absurd that someone can decide what is right or wrong for other people, since this is the name of the collection “HOW A LIFE COMES ALIVE IN THE WORLD”.

KALTBLUT: What kind of material did you used for the collection?
FC: I am telling the story of an individual who cares for one’s own son, I wanted to create garments that would meet the needs of a newborn baby. On his shoulders he has a baby backpack and wears everyday use fabrics such as denim, jersey, wool and gabardine cotton. The trench, the bomber and the pickot explode in large volumes wrapping the slim forms dressed in double pants. By creating a contrasting game, denim bermuda is superimposed on the classic white, gray and blue check, and the khaki chino on gray jersey mélange pants. By focusing on the convenience of clothing, smoking is finished with Velcro closures, while the warm English knit vest is combined with waterproof nylon trousers, typical of the sailor. Recalling at birth, jersey bodies are used symbolically as the first garments worn by newborns. The meshes are cut for convenience at the nipple height and inserted the breast pump.

KALTBLUT: What challenges did you face during the design process?
FC: The challenges I face for every new collection are so many, in this collection, particularly, I wanted to represent a gay family formed by men, so the biggest challenge was to make it clear that it was a gay family but dressing a man whatever, like Dress a straight man without showing that part of the gay world that almost everyone imagines (pink, glitter, etc.)

KALTBLUT: How would you describe your self and your work?
FC: I was born in Cesena (ITALY) in 07\04\1994. I have always been a child with a thousand passions: whenever I painted a picture I was already thinking about what I could do again, even before finishing it; I had no peace. My course of studies was a bit complicated. I wanted to do a thousand things and I attended art school. While in high school I thought I will become an interior designer, then an hairdresser, but the obsession for aesthetics and especially for fashion became more and more intense, so I decided to graduate in Fashion Design at Polimoda. Studying I realized that this business is my life and, right now, I could not do anything else.

I believe that this passion has been unleashed by a desire to live up to every situation. As a child, I often did not feel in the same league as the others around me. I was trying to figure out what they had more than me: of course, the exterior image is the first thing that catches your eye, so I always observed the people, to understand their weaknesses and how they hide their insecurities.

KALTBLUT: What would you say that is the biggest influence to your design process?
FC: During my design process I feel every kind of emotion, strength, fear, weakness, security … What most influences me is my private personal life.
I need to fell on my skin what I want to transmit. Without having feel it before myself could’t even tell it to others.

KALTBLUT: If you had not become a fashion designer, what would you do instead?
FC: If I had not become a fashion designer I would surely become a hairdresser, before I graduated from Polimoda I was working as a hairdresser, I liked it, but I did not feel it 100%.

KALTBLUT: Who’s your dream client?
FC: I would like to have sensitive customers, who perceive emotions and not just look at clothes. It would be nice to be able to compare with them, about the emotions when they look at my collection or dress. I would like to maintain a more humane and loyal relationship with my clients.

KALTBLUT: What was the first item you have ever designed? And who was the lucky one to get it?
FC: Still my Mother has the designs I was doing at 6, where I was trying to make my first figurines. Then at the age of 10 I enjoyed dressing up a little paperback mannequin created by me. Instead my first worn clothes, wearing my friends during an annual birthday party of my birthplace, where we all disguised ourselves from ancient Romans, so I created these costumes, it was very fun and satisfying to see my friends dressed in me .

KALTBLUT: What can we expect from you in near future?
FC: From September I will start working for Emilio Pucci, but I will surely continue to make my collections seasonally, trying to expand my brand more and more.

KALTBLUT: Where can we buy your fashion?
FC: You can buy it on my web site for the moment, I’m looking for some room, where I can sell.

SHOP ONLINE: www.federicocina.net/shop-v14u