Bold and bedazzling, meet Giannico, the elegant footwear brand established my Milanese designer Nicolò Beretta. He was first encouraged to follow his dream by the maestro himself, Manolo Blahnik and the late, great, Franca Sozzani in 2011 (he was only 18 at that time).
Fast forward two years and impressively, he had set up his label. Since then, his brand has gone from strength to strength, supported by the leading fashion pack from editors to the A-lister and buyers.
His vibe? Well, there’s a hint of Marie Antoinette in shape and materiality with slip-on shoes in rich velvet and satin, featuring crystal buckle detailing. There’s also the raffia version for the very graceful and modern Marie type. Nicolò Beretta talks through his career to date.
Felicity Carter: What was your first fashionable memory?
Nicolò Beretta: I remember one of the first images that made me fall in love with fashion was the Disney Cinderella movie, the scene when she magically changes her dress for the ball, I was amazed by that as a little kid and I watched it hundreds of times!
Apart from that I also remember ti was very fascinated by the creations of Valentino Garavani and Giorgio Armani when fashion week report came up on the news, I was still very little and that’s what convinced me that designing fashion was going to be my job as a grown up.
FC: What lured you into the industry?
NB: I was 17 and dying to show my ideas and my potential, I thought that creating my own company was the best way to do that and I threw myself in the industry without any experience or technical knowledge but with loads of creativity.
FC: Why shoes?
NB: I am very passionate about art, especially my very first collections were always influenced by that and probably I alway unconsciously saw shoes as sculptures.
How would you sum up the aesthetic?
NB: Flamboyant, opulent and irreverent, recently working with crystal elements has become our specialty.
FC: Which was the first pair of shoes you designed?
NB: A pair of pumps completely covered in blue feathers.
FC: Who/what has had the biggest impact on your career?
NB: Franca Sozzani, the late editor of Vogue Italia supported me in my career from the very beginning, I was also awarded by her with the ‘Who’s on Next?” price giving me the exposure I needed to enter the market.
Who is your customer?
NB: A chic woman with a touch of extravagance.
FC: Tell us about the process…
NB: Every collection has a specific inspiration and theme so we always start from a mood board filled with images of inspirations, we stick to the theme but the best ideas come in unexpected ways!
Also Giannico today is about “bling bling” details so we dedicate a lot of time developing new techniques for crystal applications or sparkly materials.
FC: How would you like your label to evolve?
NB: My dream is to see Giannico evolve into a bigger label, a boutique in Milan or New York is what I am aiming for in the future, also I feel accessories are my DNA as a designer but I would love to explore more product categories in the future.
FC: What’s the best piece of fashion advice you’ve been given?
NB: My mom is definitely my best advisor, the most critic and the most honest, she advised me every day on my work; its hard to give a specific example but generally she helps me constantly to find my own identity in my designs which is the most important thing in my job, I am very lucky to have this sort of support.
Shop the collection at giannicoofficial.com.
