Cristina Parodi launches Crida, a “whispered” brand of comfortable and chic clothing. – D.Repubblica
With her lifelong friend Daniela Palazzi, the TV journalist fulfills a dream during the most difficult time since the post-war era. “Many women like us desire elegant, Italian, high-quality dresses that can stay in the wardrobe for many seasons.” The zero-km ‘capsule collection,’ an “act of love for our country,” was born in Bergamo, the city most ravaged by the coronavirus: “We breathed the pain in the silence around us.”
A sisterhood of style. Cristina Parodi and Daniela Palazzi have dived into the world of fashion. Starting this week, the first capsule collection of Crida debuts in boutiques and online—the new brand born from the meeting of the journalist and TV face with the art and design lover. Both mothers (with seven children between them), they share a twenty-year friendship and the same idea of fashion: whispered rather than shouted, sustainable, easy to wear, high-quality, and entirely Made in Italy. The dream of the two friends became a reality during the most difficult time since the post-war era.
Cristina Parodi explains how the idea came about over the phone: “We thought about it for a long time; for years, we had silk or cotton dresses made for ourselves that we had designed. Then, no longer having a daily TV show and with much more free time available, we said to ourselves: ‘it’s now or never,’ and we jumped in with ten dresses, a jacket, and a trench coat. Who could have imagined that such a tragedy would happen shortly after? At the last Milan Fashion Week, we presented our capsule collection with many positive responses and many orders, especially from abroad. We were so happy. Then, just as we were ready to make a big impact, not only did everything stop, but we also had many cancellations; we had to downsize. Our collection is online, but first, our garments must reach the shops—they need to be seen, touched, and worn.”
How are you restarting?
“After this period of total stop, we have started moving again. People from Bergamo are tough; they never leave things halfway and see them through to the end. We shipped the orders that weren’t canceled. We went back to manufacturing, and now we are communicating our project which, although started before the pandemic, aligns with a new sensibility beautifully described by Giorgio Armani when he spoke in favor of a more human fashion that doesn’t constantly chase seasonal trends with exaggerated costs. Timeless elegance is also our obsession. Perhaps, after this setback, people will start thinking in terms of content and emotion. I hope that when women return to shops, they will want to find something that isn’t just a seasonal whim to be worn a couple of times: it’s no longer the time for ‘throwaway’ fashion, even from an economic point of view. From the beginning of our adventure, it seemed to us that there were women like us looking for something different, something Italian, with super natural and sustainable fabrics, feminine and comfortable dresses, suitable for formal and elegant situations, good for both morning and evening, that stay in the wardrobe for more than one season.”
Long before the pandemic, you conceived your collection as a tribute to Italy and Italian identity…
“From the start, ours has been a message of love for our country, Made in Italy, and its supply chains. Now more than ever, let’s support it, let’s buy Italian clothes and everything created here. Let’s stay in Italy for the holidays too. Our garments are inspired by our cities that we must soon be able to visit again. The models in our capsule have names like ‘Florence, Positano, Taormina, Rome, Venice.’ And colors that sound like this: ‘Bright as a morning on the Lungarno’ or ‘Red as a sunset on the Gianicolo’.”
In your communication, you also focused on family…
“Instead of the glossy and glamorous, we preferred to associate a warm and familiar image with the values that belong to us, things that we and our daughters like.”
It takes about three weeks to receive a garment…
“We already have some pieces, others we produce on the spot, as is done with sartorial garments. We are a niche reality with the ambition to become large. We sell online and in boutiques; we have shops from Piedmont to Baden-Baden in Germany.”
Among your models with a sober and bourgeois allure, there is only one transparent and sexy dress that breaks the mold. Why?
“It was a mistake (she laughs, ed.), the black fabric wasn’t as heavy as we thought, but our daughters’ friends loved it immediately.”
Did your daughters, Benedetta and Angelica, help you?
“They couldn’t wait to see the first sketches, and when the first pieces arrived in the showroom, Benedetta, who is the eldest, took the first photos and appears in many images for social media. Rather than supermodels, however beautiful and professional they are, we prefer to show the clothes worn by my daughters, a friend, and in general by normal people because they tell something more. For example, now there is an image of my sister (Benedetta, ed.) wearing our yellow dress for her first day of work on a new show. We also wanted to communicate a message of ‘girl power,’ of satisfaction. Just as Daniela and I at fifty got back in the game by making a small revolution, we like that women—who more than anyone have carried the burden and difficulty of staying at home—can tell us about their achieved goals, from managing to fit into a pair of jeans again, to carving out a space just for themselves or a new job.”
Did you learn to work with women within your family?
“I have strong bonds with my sisters, friends, and sister-in-law. I have never been in competition with the female universe; instead of envying, I admire capable women. But unfortunately, this feeling is not so widespread. Sisterhood and mutual help would be useful to move forward, but there is still some way to go for us to be recognized with equal rights. I see it on social media; there are terrifying insults that hurt me. Alongside many beautiful testimonials received, there have been others of the opposite sign. It’s as if success, instead of making people proud, causes resentment.”
Is it true we will see you soon on TV8?
“I thought about it for a long time but then decided to decline. I had been thinking about Crida for years; now I want to focus only on this project, then we’ll see.”
You live in the city most affected by the pandemic; the images of the macabre procession of coffins in military vehicles will remain an indelible memory for everyone. Your husband, Giorgio Gori, Mayor of Bergamo, was and is on the front line. How has the pandemic changed you?
“For twenty years I have been the ambassador of Cesvi, but this time I was also involved in fundraising, something I had never done. Then I discovered how much I enjoy taking care of my family. I have always worked in other cities, commuting back and forth. For two months I’ve been at home with my kids, and we have lunch and dinner all together; it’s a very beautiful experience. Everyone collaborates: my son Alessandro did the shopping for the elderly, so he became the person in charge of our purchases too, the girls helped me, and everyone keeps their room tidy. At first, we were afraid: Giorgio never thought he could get sick, but he always protected himself. When he returned, we would overwhelm him: ‘wash your hands,’ ‘take off the mask’… Luckily we are all fine.”
Has bereavement touched you directly?
“In Bergamo, everyone I know has lost someone or had one or more sick people in the family. Only now have the real figures of the pandemic come out, but we felt it. You could breathe the pain in the silence all around. For us, those moments of cheerful sharing, like singing from windows or aperitifs via social media, never happened. Now, bit by bit, the city is awakening; we are quiet people who go forward with our heads down, but funds are needed to support our territory, which is full of even small businesses in difficulty.”
by Silvia Luperini
Source: https://bit.ly/3eOck1h