Federico Cina Spring / Summer 2018

#OneToWatch from Sangue Novo at ModaLisboa! May I introduce you to the greatest talent in the fashion world?! Young Italian designer Federico Cina unveiled an outstanding menswear collection last week in Portugal. “VACUUM – The discomfort began shortly after my arrival at the “new” country. The differences emerged immediately. And I decided to be inspired by these unpleasant emotions. The sensation of continued loneliness, though immersed in millions of people who hurt me in the exits of the subway, who proceeded in their perfect lives, organized to perfection, in a maniacal and ill manner.” says Federico Cina. Born in Cesena, Italy, in 1994. In high school he studied art and thought to become an interior designer, then an hairdresser, but the obsession for aesthetics and especially for fashion became more and more intense, so he decided to graduate in Fashion Design at Polimoda, Florence.

“I forced myself into a suffocating country, as if wearing a tight, irritating t-shirt. Isolated in a sea of human beings. What was bothering me was precisely the forced perfection, the effort not to annoy me that bothered me, like one leather pants, very close, which prevent me from walking naturally, forcing me into robotic, sweaty and tiring steps.

Sofia Coppola in her famous “Lost in Translation” perfectly captures this concept.

Every now and then I encountered, as told by the director, someone like me, lost in that diversity. This made me feel less alone, as if we were a crew, a tribe, who quietly communicated more than those 10000 empty glances, only to observe their routines.

I associate a lot with the stereotype “chav”.

Slim bodies, bones that press against the tissues. White leather shaped by the edges. Wrap, fasten, tighten, choke, pinch, bundle, compact, clasp, choke, sacrifice, force your body into humble, poor tissue, bare and frosty. Leave the body unprotected, helpless and bare. A body that has to fight naked with blindfolded eyes, risking being injured at all times, so tense and nervous seeks comfort in soft knitwear, though not covering. It finds strength in the hardness of the skin, such as an armor, a armor that defends only some anatomical parts, which sweats and clings to the skin.

A person feels strong when wearing a balaclava that compresses his face and protects them from judgments. A masculinity never questioned, so much to make garments that so far were considered feminine, so much the safety and power flowing in the veins.” – Federico Cina