Cristina Parodi talks about Crida, her capsule collection. – Vogue Italy

A project created with friend Daniela Palazzi following a simple idea: returning to quality elegance, untethered from seasons and trends, produced at zero-km. A campaign based on the brand’s core values: Italian spirit, sustainability, and authenticity. With a special focus on Bergamo, the symbolic city of rebirth

Crida is the union of the names of two friends from Bergamo, Cristina and Daniela, who have shared a passion for fashion since they were girls. Crida is the title of a friendship and a dream that comes to life with a capsule collection of 10 dresses and two outerwear pieces. Every model proudly bears the name of an Italian city that inspired it. Quality, timeless elegance, and female solidarity are the values upon which the project is founded. And it is to these principles that Crida, in such a difficult historical and economic moment, dedicates a social media campaign addressed to all women. The goal is to send a signal of optimism for the reopening of shops, but also to tell the story of a dress that makes women feel good in their own skin. A story to which a special social campaign has been dedicated, reflecting the period we are living in. The photos were taken within the family during the lockdown, giving us a “homemade” atmosphere, the warmth of family, and the joy of authentic affections and beautiful things.

Crida also wants to send a signal of corporate social responsibility by donating 10% of sales to CESVI, an NGO from Bergamo, to support a home assistance project for the elderly in the city and province.

Who is Crida and what are its values?

Cristina Parodi: Crida is the woman Daniela and I imagine. She has been in our heads for a few years and finally took shape this autumn with a Spring/Summer capsule of ten dresses and two outerwear pieces. A few pieces for a concise message where the dress is the calling card. The idea is to return to a concept of quality elegance, untethered from seasons and the extreme trends of the moment. Crida stays in the wardrobe forever and works well for many occasions. Crida is for mothers and daughters. It is a dress designed to put the wearer at ease, beautiful yet simple at the same time. A discreet elegance enriched with details. Crida is a woman who gets noticed because she is chic, not because she is flashy or too sexy. Our models are classic but also contemporary. Crida is a dress that never gets tiring.

Daniela Palazzi: Crida was born from the desire of two fashion consumers, both fashion addicts. In the past, we happened to buy clothes caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment and never wore them. Today, we look for dresses in which every woman can perfectly recognize herself and in which she can be polished from morning to night. The dress “dresses you” without ever being excessive; it is practical and quick to put on. It doesn’t waste your time. We have somewhat forgotten how pleasant it is to wear dresses. At the same time, we care deeply about quality, otherwise this project wouldn’t make sense. We focus on the values of femininity and personality.

How does Crida represent Made in Italy and how do you intend to support it?

D.P. Since it was never a project conceived around a table, we started from the basics—from research and fabrics. In Italy, we have tailors and manufacturers who do wonderful things. We realized how precious our supply chain is with its small crafts, and it’s no coincidence that many big brands come to us for the final product. We learned to recognize and trace the origin of materials: for example, I always look at the tag; I want to know where a garment comes from. When there is a lot of work to do, we divide the tasks, but in general, we choose and do everything together. We go in the same direction. Even when we were advised against starting this adventure, we decided to go all the way, remaining very united thanks to our common principles. We believe in it deeply, despite the difficulties of the sector.

C.P. I was very struck by my daughters (especially the eldest, the most environmentalist) who want to buy products made the right way. Unknowingly, they gave me a great lesson. The beauty of doing something new is that you learn a lot. Crida is truly a dream realized well into our fifties. But somehow, our reality, placed in this strange historical moment, is the strength that could allow us to survive and our way of supporting Made In Italy. Precisely because we believe in the product and in a type of fashion that is less fast-fashion and more reasoned, slower. Quality, slowness, and heart. Our fabrics are all Italian and many companies we visited are in the Bergamo area. The project is practically born at zero-kilometers.

Who are your muses?

D.P. Cristina is certainly one of my muses. As are other friends. Francesca, for example, always arrived in Città Alta (Bergamo) beautifully dressed. I love that women are always beautiful and polished despite having so many things to do. Franca Sozzani was like that.

C.P. I too have thought many times of Franca, of her wonderful dresses, never recognizable. Always elegant. She had an unchangeable elegance and the dress always had that something extra—the perfect length, a well-made sleeve. Never tight-fitting.
Daniela and I also clicked because we have very similar tastes. For example, we often dress the same way. When the quarantine ended, she came to pick me up and we were wearing the same outfit!

Where does the need for a campaign focusing on values come from?

C.P. First of all, because everything changed in these months. Italy is on its knees and needs less frivolous and consumerist, less volatile concepts. People want to experience real emotions and fashion must offer authentic values to identify with. Our new social media communication runs on these tracks: fashion must have human timing and should be experienced more slowly, with lots of new content. We do things well and when they are needed. We need and want positive messages that come from real people. We want them to convey stories of courageous women who have overcome their limits, who have made it on their own strength.

D.P. Our new social campaign wants to give a message of hope through real people, friends of the brand, and the entire Crida community. It is precisely our philosophy—not to be “trendy” but to rediscover more classic and lasting values. In one word: solid.

Your best memories related to Crida?

D.P. The best memory is with the “Firenze” dress, a bestseller: after various fittings, when I managed to put everything together, it was truly the dress that encapsulated everything I had deep inside. My “Linus blanket” (security blanket).

C.P. The period when we created this collection was full of enthusiasm and dreams. We would drive through the fog in the car looking for workshops and fabrics, often getting lost, from morning to night. Friends like when we were teenagers. Just the two of us—we even learned how to pack the boxes to send to the shops! The first time we went for the “fitting for flaws” (sdifettamento) of the various models, the owner asked if we needed a model. And we replied: Nooo, we’ll try them on ourselves! The first one I wore was the Agrigento; it was beautiful. We hugged. A twirl. We looked at each other and hugged again.

A Crida model for every Italian city.

C.P. The idea responded to our image of an Italian-style dress. Assigning names to our dresses was one of the most intense and fun moments. The “Firenze” dress, one of our bestsellers—it’s as if it had “Firenze” written all over it. We imagine it being worn for a stroll through the streets of the city or a visit to the Uffizi. Taormina, for walking under the southern sun. We even dedicated two to Puglia. The “Roma” dress seemed to us like the column of a temple or a church in the Eternal City. Now more than ever we must strive to help Italy, and we are proud that these same dresses will be ambassadors of our country’s style, always reminding us how good we are at creativity.
Ours is a message of love for Italy so that our cities can hold their heads high again. Then I like to think about the next ones we’ll make, including obviously the “Bergamo” dress, for which Daniela already has the sketch ready.

D.P. Absolutely yes, not many people knew Bergamo internationally. After the last few months, things have changed a lot and now it’s time to work hard to make our city perceived as a symbol of rebirth.

In addition to the website https://cridamilano.it/, Crida can be found at Belle Boutique (Milan), Tiziana Fausti (Bergamo), Vietti (Domodossola), Cenere (Bassano del Grappa), Antora (Baden-Baden, Germany).

by Francesca Ragazzi
Source: https://bit.ly/2Xt61sM