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With a mother who founded 10 Corso Comofashion boutique in Milan and an aunt Franca Sozzani, legendary Vogue Italy editor-in-chief who headed the magazine from 1988 to 2016, the future of our story’s protagonist was somehow predetermined, even if Sara Sozzani Maino herself believes that landing the fashion industry “was quite an accident”.Her career started when she asked Franca if she had a place for an internship at Vogue. The moment was very opportune as the magazine was preparing its 30th anniversary. Sara plunged into the archives which became her fashion school. Furthermore, she started to assist the magazine’s stylists (there were two of them at that moment: Anna Dello Russo and Alice Gentilucci) on sets of Steven Meisel, Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton and glob-trotter the planet with her suitcases filled with frocks and accessories.The next natural step was to become a stylist herself, which brought her interest towards new names and, as a result, turned her passion into a lifetime journey. Scouting and supporting emerging designers from all over the world has become her “focus for the last 15 years”.

In 2005, together with Franca Sozzani, Sara supported the contest “Who is on next?” opened for the new generation of made-in-Italy designers. In 2009, Vogue Talents was founded—an international platform to promote young creatives from all over the world.

Among other roles, Sozzani Maino acts as an international brand ambassador for the Camera Nazionale della Moda, which is the fashion chamber in Italy.

Sozzani’s pillars are: new generation, education and ‘sustainability’, which she is eager to replace by ‘responsibility’, as for her what really matters is social, ethical and planet issues, for what we all, creatives and consumers have to be responsible. For her ‘create awareness and consciousness of what’s happening’ in one of the most controversial industries – fashion industry is of prime urge.

What would you look at most when you “select” an emerging designer to support?

It’s about the message a designer wants to pass: why you are doing this, what changes you wanna make. When they come from the countries where it’s not easy to be seen, it’s even more important to support them.My view is global, because I scout young people from different backgrounds, where sometimes there is no social recognisability or ethical support. Everyone wants to become known and successful, but it is important to remember where they come from, their roots as that’s their strength.

Thebe Magugu is a good example of such an approach: he is from South Africa, I scouted him in 2017. What really attracted me was his desire to empower African women and to show their crafts and artisans. When he came to Milan, it was his first trip out of the continent, and look how fa

Quality of the product is another major issue: forget about the quantity, it’s all about the quality. When you start you can produce five pieces, if these five pieces have a meaning, its enough.Nowadays, I see many collective projects, its not about one-two men brands anymore. This shift is very interesting to observe.

Credit: Vogue

What would be the best promotion channel to begin with?

Instagram is a very powerful weapon to communicate if it is used in a right way. It doesn’t have a cost, though it’s very effective.You have to tell people the story behind your brand. Famous ‘storytelling’ – the word, which I don’t like to use because it’s overused like ‘sustainability’.I update my instagram myself: it has my name, thus, I can not think of delegating it to someone else, because every time I post, I am giving out a message. You have to be true to yourself, be very sincere and open.It’s also about creating your community: think of starting from your friends, then the friends of the friends and so on.

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Credit: @pierodangelodesign

What is your opinion over digitalisation of fashion?

You cannot avoid this topic nowadays. Even if I am not a big fan (of digital fashion), I am very curious to understand it, but scared at the same time.Undoubtedly, AI is a very powerful technology if we use it in a right way. It can solve a lot of ethnical problems, help us to become more responsible, to understand how we can slow down the production since it’s not necessary to produce at that (frenetic) pace any more.At the same time, when it comes to new technologies, there are always pros and cons. Take for example the NFT, which was super popular but now seems to get out of hype.Fashion is working hard to become more responsible, however people outside the industry seem not receiving the message or even get the opposite one: there are still many fashion shows, resorts, people flying in every part of the world to see the collections and spending money.That’s why for me its crucial to create awareness and consciousness.

Tell us about your role as a brand ambassador of la Camera Nazionale della Moda?

Ambassador’ means that I travel around the world, scout the creatives and propose new designers for the calendar [of the Italian Fashion Week]; I act as a consultant. There are special projects within the fashion week dedicated to the emerging names. A designer can be ready for a catwalk or maybe it would be better to start digitally. Otherwise, designers contact me and express their wish to present their collections, so I put them in contact with my colleagues.

Thus, I’m a kind of a catalyst.

What does it mean to be ready to present the collection at the fashion week?

I saw some designers who were not ready to be in the industry yet. Not necessary because their collections were not strong enough. The real problem is that they don’t know how to construct their business. Talent and creativity is not enough to survive in the very harsh industry which is fashion. The fashion schools should probably put more accent on the business part of the education, even if they are already doing that.

After the presentation, be it physical or digital, when all the key industry players have seen you, you have to be able to take orders, possess a distributional channel, etc.

If you fail to deliver, they will not order anymore. So, being ready is a form of protection. You don’t have to be huge but you have to be structured.

Would you guide them meanwhile, kind of preparing them to be ready?

I cannot mentor everyone because I don’t have time, but you can always send me an e-mail, and I can give you two or three directions, or put you in contact with other people in the industry. As I say, I feel myself more like a catalyst.

Credit: Getty Images

Not all but many people want to wear the high end brands. How do you think we open the door of people investing in smaller/new designers?

The community is very important, it’s about connection. When I used to organise the events for Vogue Talents, in a room there were 10 designs from 10 different countries.

And I think that the new generation doesn’t have that competitiveness of saying: oh, I have to be better than someone else, because I’m the best. Now its more like: let’s work together and be good.

Credit: Vogue

How to deal with the hypocrisy of the fashion?

I wouldn’t not deny that, I feel a little bit ashamed for the industry I am working for.I think that it’s much easier to turn around from the industry and close the door, instead it is much more difficult to stay in the industry and trying to make changes. I see that in last few years lot of things have changed to positive.

How are you trying to break the system of fashion?

It’s not about braking the system, it’s more about changing it. Putting inside new elements, asking new questions. I feel very happy when people write to me and thank me for giving them voice. When I see the reaction on that, it means that words are passing, the awareness is being created and people are talking about it. That’s the biggest satisfaction I can have. I am concentrating myself on making the changes happen rather than concentrating on the problem.

What would be your piece of advice for young creative who are making their first steps in the industry?

The beauty of this industry is that it gives many choices. When you are, for example, a stylist its not anymore only about working for a fashion magazine; you can work in the music industry, in the movie, in the theatre, be visual merchandiser, ect. You can even become a designer or a CEO. We are all multi- taskers here.So, for the young people willing to enter the industry I would say: think not twice, but ten times. Not because there is something wrong, but because you have time to try things. Creativity has no age: I am almost 50, but who knows, may be in a coupe of years I will completely change the job.Don’t be in a rush, you have plenty of time in front of you

Craftsmanship which celebrates manual techniques and AI, which exists only in virtual reality but has an impact on the physical world, how can we combine two of these apparent opposites?

Craftsmanship will always stay. Technologies are here to skip all the tries during the production of the collection: you create a perfect virtual product, put it on the market and see how it reacts. If the reaction is good, you proceed with the physical production. Therefore you save money and planet of all those thousands of unsold items.Thus, craftsmanship and AI are opposite but they correlate.On the other hand, craftsmanship has always been responsible: when you craft even if the product is not perfect, its one-of-a-kind. Unfortunately we are ‘slaves’ of perfection.

Does fashion surprises you anymore?

The new generation surprises me. That’s why I love working with young people. I believe that the creativity never dies and it can be expressed in many forms; It’s true that everything has been done, but you can do it in a different way or with a different point of view. The fact of experimenting always surprises me.Fashion right now doesn’t surprise me, but the passion and the ideas of the youngsters do.

Credit: Vogue

Credit: Caleido

Credit: Sara Sozzani Maino

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