February Editorial

Are you ready for what’s new? From the Sanremo Festival to Valentine’s Day, to the Crida pop-up in Rinascente starting on February 15th—not to mention Fashion Week in the final week—this month promises to be decidedly more interesting and lively than the one that preceded it (which has always been the saddest and most exhausting month of the year for me). So, let’s push aside the boredom and apathy of the post-Christmas and post-New Year period. It’s time for good resolutions because there are many things to do, see, and buy as we move toward a spring that we all hope will be the definitive exit from the tunnel. And I’ll say no more, for superstition’s sake.

What will be in fashion next summer? Certainly dancing, lightweight dresses. In the new Crida collection, arriving in all stores this February, there are many—not just in the silk that makes every one of our garments refined and seductive, but also in other materials, always natural.

We chose cottons with small floral prints to give our Ibiza model an even more “gypsy” allure; we created romantic dresses in plumetis in dusty shades of blue, yellow, and green; we transformed our beloved polka dots into modern, graphic micro-dots; and we played with cotton canvas—a fabric we’ve always loved—to create new dresses suitable for both the city and vacations, in the colors of summer.

This collection is called “Levante,” and it was born thinking of the beauty of Liguria: the houses perched over the gulfs, the color of the sea, the music of Fabrizio De André and Gino Paoli, and the Sanremo Festival, which speaks not only of songs but of fashion, style, and trends. We explored this beautiful region, loving every scent and suggestion it offered us, eating Recco focaccia and looking out over a windy sea. Daniela and I even climbed the mountains behind Chiavari to Lorsica, in the fascinating hinterland of this long and narrow region, where we found what we were looking for: damask hand-woven on ancient looms. A historical tradition dating back 500 years, when the De Martini family started this craft supported by our Maritime Republics. Damask, initially produced in China and then in the Syrian capital that gave it its name, was the richest and most precious fabric used for sacred vestments, but also for the furniture and important gowns of noblewomen. Over the centuries, with the duties imposed by Genoa, handcrafted damask disappeared and began to be produced industrially. Only in Lorsica, in Stefania De Martini’s home, do the hand-built looms from the war remain: they are engineering marvels of incredible precision, with 15,000 threads to be threaded by hand, and an infernal noise when they are put into operation. And there, after watching the beauty of manual labor in enchantment, we chose the Napoleonic bee design—a symbol of industriousness, work, and sweetness—and decided to create a dress with that unique and special fabric to pay homage to this wonderful textile tradition.

Those who follow us know that we at Crida love Italian fashion—made not only of research and innovation but also of the precious work of artisans who represent the highest value of “Made in Italy.” This is something that must not be forgotten and that we try to tell through our clothes. We are ready to start a season full of stimuli and opportunities. We are rooting for this industrious and hard-working Italy, represented at the top by two high-level institutional figures (and we will never stop thanking President Mattarella for agreeing to lead us for another seven years). It is time to hold our heads high, to show dedication, courage, and trust. To truly believe that the worst is over and to enter the new season with a touch of optimism.