One to watch: FSTD

Meet Jacopo Fiorentino, owner and creator of new-age streetwear brand FSTD, a self-taught designer, lover of self-expression and explorer of fashion capitals, London, Paris, Milan… you know the rest. In a KALTBLUT exclusive, the intriguing designer presents the colourful new collection Caliente, shot by photographer Thomas Marroni and worn by a handful of unique individuals in a labyrinth of seasonless, genderless, sustainable streetwear packed full of sex and comfort. Just what the doctor ordered.    

K: Hi Jacopo, how are you?
J: Everything is good thank you.

K:  Please introduce yourself.
J: I’m Jacopo Fiorentino, 28, I am a designer based in Paris, like most creatives, I am of course an Aquarius.

K: Can you tell me a bit about the history and evolution of your brand FSTD?
J: FSTD was born in 2017 with a stand-alone t-shirt as a challenge for myself, but has since gone on to become something more serious as of September 2019 when I created my first collection.  I decided to start with a simple t-shirt with FASTIDIO typography (the FSTD with vowels) and in one month they had completely sold out. I just kept expanding from there.

K: Tell me about your new collection Caliente. What is the story behind it?
J: More than a story, Caliente is an invitation: to play with clothes, undress, show your body, show your skin and have fun.

K: Do you have a favourite piece from your new collection?
J: Like all parents, I will tell you, I cannot choose just one of my children. But like any parent, I must say that the blazer pant cut-out in charcoal Grey has a special place in my heart.

K: Have you introduced or expanded on any specific pieces this season?
J: As a designer, I believe that collaboration with other artists and designers is really important.  It allows another perspective of my creative vision and they help me present more aspects of my world: For this reason, I produced five different collaborations.

The sous vêtement in collab with the brand Linge
La chemise Flamenco in Collaboration with Valentin Verron
The Fan in collaboration with Ramdam dxl
Les chemises guant in collab with Slutty Slender

And my real first pieces of jewellery, The ear cuff in collaboration with Alexandre Borikic.

K: Wow that’s very exciting to introduce so many collaborations for this season, congrats! FSTD transforms wardrobe essentials without rules or restrictions, what inspires you to redefine garments in this way?
J: I think that it’s really important to play with the clothes themselves. It changes their form and their design to have new variants and inject new life into classic pieces.

K: It is great to see a vibrant and refreshing brand focused on expression, individualism and variation. How did you come to cast your models for this collection?
J: For me, FSTD is really for everyone, and everyone should be able to dress and express their unique self within the collections. It is really important to always have a realistic representation of what we experience through a truthfully expressive cast.

K: Your collections are focused on streetwear tribes and urban youth cultures, what do you feel draws you to this particular demographic as a designer?
J: I design clothes that must be practical and ready to be worn in the real world.  I think perhaps, for that reason, I feel closer to urban tribes as I am often inspired by what I encounter on the metro and exploring the streets of Paris.

K: What has the apocalypse known as 2020 taught you about yourself as a designer and how has it influenced your latest work?
J:  I’ll be really honest with you, when everything kicked off around March, in the whole month I made 30 euro. I considered closing everything and then one night while I was sleeping I had a dream: I saw my next collection, pure and immaculate, and from there I decided to keep going.  Even with a small collection I still have something to say. From March I’ve decided that all the collections are going to be seasonless and genderless.  I’m also trying to be as green as possible: all the collections are made by using deadstock fabrics and up-cycled pieces.

K: How does your own identity influence you as a designer and your design process?
J: I design every piece thinking “would I wear this?” so my identity is really everywhere in the brand. I am inside every piece haha.

K: What do you hope is communicated to people through your collections?
J: That everyone should be able to wear what makes them sexy and comfortable and cool without having problems with sizing or gender. It’s 2021 everyone should be able to express their self through their own narrative and fashion should be the language that helps them do so.

K: How does FSTD stand out against other brands?
J: Offering a bespoke service, I can control the production, so there’s no wasting material.

K: Finally, what can we expect to see from FSTD in 2021?
J: A parade perhaps? We will see.

Words by Lewis Robert Cameron @lrcfashionstylist

Photography by Thomas Marroni @Thomas_marroni
Creative Direction: Louise Ducatillon @louducat
Styling : Jacopo Fiorentino @unvieur
Mua : Katiuscia Pezzullo @katiuscia.pezzullo
Hair : Juste Rm @juste_rm

Fashion by FSTD @_fstd_
Sluttyslender @sluttyslender

Models are Silvano @sl.vno
Jean-Louis @jean.llf
Jessica @kandelissa
Yasmin Ali Eadala @yasmineadala
Kecy Ladeuille @ladeuille_