Focus On Giorgia Cantarini

I am very lucky to be able to travel as part of my job. It gives me the wonderful opportunity to meet great people from all over the world. I first met Giorgia in Georgia (the country) during one of my favourite fashion weeks MBFashionWeekTblisi. She always stands out for me, I love the way she dresses. Not only does she look great she is also very good at what she does. There is something very special about Giorgia as you will see from our interview. Working and living in Italy, I was pleasantly surprised to see from her insta stories that she was in London and as luck would have it everything fell into place for our story to unfold.

D: Tell me a bit about yourself and your journey in fashion so far.

G: I started styling for fun at the age of eleven when I was happy to create the look for my three year old sister, who was my model. I was organizing fashion shows in my house, whose audience was my mother, it was just a game for me. I turned my sister into Queen of Atlantis, flamenco dancer, witch, princess, harlot, all using my clothes or family ones, my grandmother's jewellery, carnival costumes, doll clothes, and whatever I could make work. 

I started working during university, interning in a small editorial department where I was doing everything from writing the newspaper to styling photo shoots. 

A very interesting experience I had was at the BBC in London during a summer when I was only 17. I also did summer courses there at Central Saint Martin's School for fashion design and styling. I was in London for most of my teenage years. It is the city that holds a very special place in my heart.

Then I landed a job on the editorial staff of an independent Magazine called Made05, the first free press, where I was guided by Stefano Guerrini. He is an important professional figure in my career and over the years has become a great friend. 

Then a bit of freelance styling from Glamour, Rolling Stone, Joy, Verve. At one point I chose to try digital and for almost three years was the Fashion Editor of yoox.com. I was writing for the webzine The New Yooxer, taking care of the site image, following special projects, working alongside giants such as Nicola Formichetti, Nick Knight, Simon Foxton, Terry Jones and all the crew at i-d. However I missed the magazine world so I went back to work for Glamour with a role of fashion and web editor. While also continuing to contribute for Vogue.it for the Talents section under the guidance of Sara Maino, who is a very special person to me. 

After a brief return to e-commerce in a digital society, I found my true calling as a freelance writer and stylist: I have a blog on the website of d.repubblica.it where to talk about accessories, I act as Managing Fashion Editor for the online magazine manintown.com, I write for the Italian daily Le Repubblica and contribute for Vogue.it (also styling for them) Hunger Magazine, Whitelies magazine and recently highsnobiety.com. My collaboration with Diane Pernet on asvof.com it’s also a very important side of my work as a scouter, I also consider her as my mentor and one of the most important people in my personal life.

D: Your work allows you to travel a lot. Do you have a favourite city or country you like to be in?

G: I love Georgia and its capital Tbilisi. It’s been the place where I rediscovered myself as a stylist two years ago. I love the vibe there, the Soviet influence and aesthetics. I also found very good friends there and designers that will be truly promising in the fashion scene.

D: What do you like most about your job?

G: The idea of creating something that people can enjoy discovering and they can mirror themselves in it, saying “yes I would dress like this” or yes I enjoying reading this story because it gives me something.

D: How do you go about building your team (or tribe as it is referred to a lot these days) for a shoot?

G: I start with the concept and the type of shoot I have to do, if it’s in the studio or if it’s outside and then I match them with the photographer I think will fit the story. Generally every photographer also has a team of grooming people he/she likes or we both feel confident in working with.

D: Who or what inspires you?

G: I’m always attracted by the new, by the cultural and artistic contaminations of the countries I have visited. There is always something beautiful, a detail that intrigues me, a feeling that impresses me when I observe the creations of the up-and-coming designers. My latest discovery is POAN, Peoples of All Nations, a new London based brand designed by GeorgWeissacher.

I examine the style (if it is edgy), the creativity of the item, the presentation of the look. I’m mostly inspired by the people I meet, diversity is the key to finding inspiration. I have no particular muse, I follow my instinct.

D: Describe your own personal style.

G: I don’t like to be a fashionista and follow any specific look. I find it really easy to look good in total looks as they come out from the runway, I’m more interested in personalizing the outfits and give them a new twist. I like refined sportswear at the moment, always with a feminine vibe that is part of who I am. I often mix vintage with high-end, emerging designers with established brands. I like to promote new brands because it’s related to my work as a scouter and also because it’s exciting and never boring to go for new forms of expression that make your style unique and not a copy of someone else.

And Finally 

D: Tell me something surprising about yourself.

G: I was a professional gymnast for 4 years. I also did ice skating to a senior level acting in competitions when I was young. I have also won lots of medals for running races.

I love dogs and animals in general, I feel I have a great understanding with them, I try to support causes to help animals in need around the world.

A very special thank you to Georg Weissacher  the brilliant designer behind People Of All Nations for allowing us to shoot in his amazing home.

Credits:
Shot 1 - Giorgia is wearing a vintage leather jacket and cap, Nosomnia T-shirt, Levi jeans, Iro shoes and Givenchy sunglasses.

Shot 2 and 3 - Giorgia is wearing a vintage Squad body with POAN denim shirt and leather boots.

Shot 4 – Total look POAN.

Shot 5 – Shirt and dress by POAN with Iro shoes.