Our conversation with Violante covers everything from her childhood and intrigue in comic books, to thriving with structure, and how she approaches rejection.
For this week’s Sunday Series, we visited Violante in her flagship store in London to discuss her namesake brand, Violante Nessi, a slow-luxury clothing brand that focuses on elegant, authentic designs.
Violante highlights how her approach to design reflects the idea of the woman that she would like to be, in doing so, she is building something meaningful that gives purpose. Her interest in her consumers combines with her experience from working at Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford, resulting in her prioritisation of how a garment moves on the body.
Beyond designing, Violante discusses the importance of finding a team that not only shares her vision but are committed to the versatility of the tasks that working for the brand encompasses, and how this translates into the details of the mechanics of the company. From focusing on craftsmanship by keeping all production in Italy, to how the showroom is purposefully designed for an intimate shopping experience.
Violante also explores the gravity of having the integrity and consistency of keeping her vision in frame and to not be discouraged by trends. Her approach to design has heavily been influenced by her readings of Cathy Horyn’s Post-Trend Universe. Violante’s design process is deeply intellectual and architectural. The clothes she designs clearly reflect her beliefs and influences, as she listens to her brand instead of the constant shifting of social media. This can be seen in the popularity of her designs, such as the Matisse trousers.
You can find Violante’s designs on both her website and Net-a-porter.
